The article from ZeroHedge, titled "The Spell of Woke is Broke: Let's Keep It That Way," is a thoughtful, scholarly essay originally published via American Greatness and reposted on the great site, ZeroHedge.
Written by Thomas F. Powers — a visiting lecturer at Cleveland State University's Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, and author of American Multiculturalism and the Anti-Discrimination Regime — it argues that "woke" ideology (framed primarily as an aggressive, moralistic extension of civil rights politics via DEI and anti-discrimination frameworks) has lost its dominant hold on public opinion and institutions.
Powers contends that the Trump administration's actions against DEI — such as executive orders ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity, Supreme Court rulings (e.g., on affirmative action), and agency guidance — signal the start of a broader political reorientation away from wokeness. The key sign is that "the spell of woke politics has broken," meaning its once-commanding moral authority through hectoring, punitiveness, and censorship has shattered.
He cites widespread unpopularity (often 70-30 or 80-20 poll splits against extreme positions on issues like free speech, gender identity, #MeToo overreach, and transgender policies, drawing from Pew Research data). This shift has public backing and legal reinforcement, making it potentially durable rather than fleeting.
Why "Woke" Broke
Powers traces wokeness not to cultural Marxism or postmodernism per se, but to the explosive moral power of the post-1960s civil rights regime. It created a hybrid legal-moral system:
- Blending civil and criminal-like enforcement (e.g., private lawsuits, employer firings for "harassment" or speech deemed discriminatory).
- Imposing a new civic morality centred on terms like:
- Identity (what's threatened by group discrimination).
- Respect (beyond mere tolerance).
- Recognition and inclusive representation.
- Equity (addressing systemic inequalities rather than equal treatment).
This moralism overreached, enabling excesses while relying on social pressure and fear rather than broad consensus. Its breakdown came from public fatigue with the extremism, plus institutional pushback.
Call to Action: Keep It Broken
The author warns against complacency — wokeness could resurge if its moral foundations aren't challenged. He advocates a frank reappraisal of civil rights' conflicts with liberal democratic traditions (e.g., free speech, individualism, merit). Reforms should preserve core protections against historical injustices (like anti-Black discrimination) but dismantle overbroad controls that police thought, speech, and private associations.
This moment offers "political, cultural, and mental freedom" for deeper reckoning, preventing a return to puritanical moral crusades.
The piece is analytical and optimistic, not purely polemical. It acknowledges Left-leaning critiques (e.g., NYT pieces on Democrats' identity politics costs, Bill Maher warnings) as evidence even opponents sense the shift. ZeroHedge's repost fits its anti-establishment, anti-woke slant, often highlighting "get woke, go broke" themes in culture and business.
Overall, it's a call to solidify anti-woke gains through sustained legal, cultural, and intellectual effort, viewing the current anti-DEI momentum as the opening of a longer path to restoring classical liberal sanity. We can only hope.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/spell-woke-broke-lets-keep-it-way