“Wokeness has peaked. What followed is worse.”
The article discusses the decline of wokeism and the emergence of more extreme left-adjacent movements. While wokeism had its flaws, it was seen as a less harmful distraction compared to the current climate of political violence and aggressive actions. The author notes that both the left and right are affected by negative emotional contagion, leading to a more intolerant society.
- ▪Wokeism has peaked, giving way to more extreme left-adjacent movements.
- ▪The current climate includes political violence and attempts on public figures' lives.
- ▪Negative emotional contagion affects both the left and right, contributing to societal intolerance.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
“Wokeness has peaked. What followed is worse.” by Tyler Cowen May 19, 2026 at 1:12 am in Current Affairs Political Science That is the topic of my latest column for The Free Press. Excerpt: It is important to distinguish between the positive side of wokeism and the unreasonable side. The positive side supported gay rights and discouraged racism in the public sphere. The unreasonable side brought us cancel culture, stifled discussion, insisted on very particular views of race and gender identity, boosted DEI and other race-discriminatory policies, and generally made America a more intolerant place. It was most of all about who had the right to steer the agenda of public discourse, and who had the right to push out dissenters.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Marginal Revolution.
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