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The Origins of Woke

Civil Rights Law, Corporate America, and the Triumph of Identity Politics

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The Origins of Woke

By: Richard Hanania
Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
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About this listen

Richard Hanania has emerged as one of the most talked-about writers in the nation, and in this book, he puts forward a stunning new theory about the culture war that could turn our debates upside down.

Richard Hanania has come out of nowhere to become one of the best-known writers in the nation in the last few years. In this book, he directs his attention to the culture war that has driven society apart and presents a stunning new theory about what is going on.

In a nation nearly evenly split between conservatives and liberals, the left dominates nearly all major institutions, including universities, the government, and corporate America. Hanania argues that this is as much a legal requirement as it is an issue of one side triumphing in the marketplace of ideas. Culture has its own independent force, but the state has, since the 1960s, been putting its thumb on the scale.

This book answers many of the puzzling questions about modern society, such as:

• Why does more and more of life seem like a competition to see who is the most oppressed?

• Who is really behind the sudden proliferation of woke ideas?

• How did ideas that seem so intellectually bankrupt achieve hegemony over elite culture?

• Which laws and regulations have helped the left rise to power everywhere?

• How did workplaces come to be the main enforcers of political ideology?

• When and how did Pakistanis, Samoans, and Koreans all become the same "race" (AAPI)?

• Why did America become so obsessed with inequalities based on race but not religion?

For those angry about wokeness and what it has done to American institutions, this book offers concrete suggestions regarding policies that can move us back to being a country that emphasizes merit, individual liberty, and color-blind governance.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Richard Hanania (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers
Politics & Government Social Policy Sociology Law Liberalism Socialism Social justice Thought-Provoking Taxation Human Rights Capitalism Government Discrimination Economic Inequality
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The author does well to uncover the origins and powers of the hyper aggressive agenda

An in depth look of the origin of woke

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I listened to this audiobook as part of my continuing exploration of Wokeism.

Most people outside the unthinking or conformist mainstream, whether aligned, opposed, or neutral, see the widespread penetration of Wokeism into educated society as an ideological victory in the “marketplace of ideas.”

Many on the right see it as a misguided or even malicious force, a distortion of truth serving ulterior agendas. But ironically, many on the far left (especially those with a Marxist bent) also invoke conspiracy. though in their case it’s a capitalist plot to neuter critique for the sake of profit (LOL).

As so often happens, the extremes of left and right meet in a kind of uneasy kumbaya.

Hanania offers a distinct and original perspective. He argues that social justice, which began in the US as a moral imperative, grew through legislation, regulation, and bureaucratic enforcement into the convoluted creature that is Wokeism.

The key transition, according to Hanania, was from anti-discrimination law (which forbids treating people differently based on identity) to anti-disparity enforcement (which punishes unequal outcomes). This shift created a legal fog in which corporations are penalized whether they discriminate or not.

Their only protection became an apparent “culture” of diversity, usually led by internal DEI bureaucracies. Hence corporations have become the reluctant enforcers of Wokeism, simply to protect themselves from litigation.

The other key mechanisms came through government contracts and funding, where corporations and semi-government bodies (like universities) were required to demonstrate compliance with diversity standards to secure public funds or contracts.

It's a compelling argument, and one that has helped me understand this complex issue much more clearly.

overly lengthy - but enlightening

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.