I have been trying to better understand the cultural dynamics that have caused significant conflict in the US and beyond. As an economist, I spend my time worrying about debt, inflation, and growth, yet the news media focus is often on cultural issues as the driver of thinking. I need a text to help navigate what is going on without the usual left or right bias. I was recommended, We Have Never Been Woke; The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite and was surprised by the different perspective of the author.
The foundation idea is that a new “woke” elite uses the language of social justice to gain more power and status for themselves and their enhanced elite status does not translate into help for the marginalized and disadvantaged. It is a cynical perspective, yet to resonates with the simple view that most individuals are interested in their own status and power first and helping others second.
Language can generate status and serve as an exclusionary mechanism. Status and elitism may only serve to further generate social and economic inequality. Is that always the case? Certainly not, yet the good intentions for being a social justice advocate embedded in language and symbols may also have the impact of creating more status for individuals without helping those that need it most. Musa al-Gharbi writes a book that that is richly detailed and footnoted and unfortunately, sometimes filled with jargon, yet his argument is compelling, albeit sad.
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