Books › Woke Racism
Woke Racism
272 pages
A provocative and urgent critique that frames modern anti-racism as a new, damaging religion.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a tense, intellectually charged debate about the current state of American social discourse. The pace is brisk and argumentative, driven by a provocative tone that challenges mainstream narratives around critical race theory and modern anti-racism. The author employs sharp, direct prose heavily laden with religious metaphors to dissect what he views as an illogical and unreachable ideology. The mood is confrontational yet deeply concerned, reflecting a frustration with ideological conformity and cancel culture. It is a book designed for readers who are questioning the current conversation on race and are looking for a contrarian, analytical perspective that pushes back against racial essentialism and advocates for a different approach to social progress.
- Mood
- tense
- intellectually charged
- confrontational
- Tone
- argumentative
- critical
- urgent
- provocative
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the weaponization of ideology · ideological conformity · the impact of racial essentialism · social division
- The writing
- Direct, persuasive, and sharply analytical, utilizing religious metaphors to dissect modern social movements.
- The arc
- Moves from a sense of societal confusion and frustration to a pointed, urgent call for ideological pushback.
- Who it's for
- Readers seeking a critical, contrarian perspective on contemporary anti-racism and critical race theory.
Content notes
- discussions of racism
- racial discrimination
- cancel culture
About the book
"Acclaimed linguist and award-winning writer John McWhorter argues that an illiberal neoracism, disguised as antiracism, is hurting Black communities and weakening the American social fabric. Americans of good will on both the left and the right are secretly asking themselves the same question: how has the conversation on race in America gone so crazy? We're told read books and listen to music by people of color but that wearing certain clothes is "appropriation." We hear that being white automatically gives you privilege and that being Black makes you a victim. We want to speak up but fear we'll be seen as unwoke, or worse, labeled a racist. According to John McWhorter, the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become, not a progressive ideology, but a religion--and one that's illogical, unreachable, and unintentionally neoracist. In Woke Racism, McWhorter reveals the workings of this new religion, from the original sin of "white privilege" and the weaponization of cancel culture to ban heretics, to the evangelical fervor of the "woke mob." He shows how this religion that claims to "dismantle racist structures" is actually harming his fellow Black Americans by infantilizing Black people, setting Black students up for failure, and passing policies that disproportionately damage Black communities. The new religion might be called "antiracism," but it features a racial essentialism that's barely distinguishable from racist arguments of the past. Fortunately for Black America, and for all of us, it's not too late to push back against woke racism. McWhorter shares scripts and encouragement with those trying to deprogram friends and family. And most importantly, he offers a roadmap to justice that actually will help, not hurt, Black America"--
Description from Open Library.
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