What Wokeism Is
Wokeism is a colloquial term for a set of progressive social justice beliefs and practices that have become institutionalized in corporations, universities, government agencies, and K-12 schools over the past decade. The term derives from ‘woke’, originally African American Vernacular English for awareness of racial injustice, but has expanded to encompass a broader ideological framework.
The core elements: the belief that American institutions are systematically racist and require structural transformation; an expansive concept of gender identity that holds biological sex to be separate from gender and infinitely variable; the application of ‘equity’ (equal outcomes) rather than ‘equality’ (equal opportunity) as the organizing principle of institutional policy; and the use of social pressure and institutional consequence to enforce these views.
The Conservative Critique
Conservatives, including Dr. Everett Piper, who appeared on Breaking Battlegrounds to discuss wokeism in schools, make three primary objections.
First, empirical: the claim that American institutions are systematically and irredeemably racist is not supported by the historical record. American history includes genuine racism and genuine progress. The conservative argument is that the progress, civil rights legislation, constitutional amendments, decades of affirmative action, is real and significant, and that framing America as irredeemably racist erases that progress.
Second, institutional: applying ideological litmus tests to hiring, promotion, and institutional policy in universities, corporations, and government agencies reduces organizational effectiveness. DEI programs that prioritize demographic characteristics over qualifications produce worse outcomes in the institutions that adopt them.
Third, pedagogical: teaching children ideological frameworks about race, gender, and oppression, rather than factual history and critical thinking skills, is a misuse of educational authority over minors who cannot consent to ideological instruction.
Where Conservatives Draw the Line
The conservative position is not against teaching about racism, discrimination, or injustice. The objection is to presenting a specific ideological interpretation of those phenomena as settled fact, using institutional authority to enforce adherence to that interpretation, and applying it to children and employees who have not consented to it.
Sam Stone’s work at the Joe Foss Institute on civics education represents the conservative alternative: teaching the factual history of America, including its failures and its ongoing progress, with genuine intellectual rigor rather than ideological framing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'woke' mean politically?
In political usage, ‘woke’ describes adherence to a progressive social justice ideology emphasizing systemic racism, expansive gender identity concepts, and equity-based institutional policy.
What is DEI and why do conservatives oppose it?
DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Conservative objections focus on equity specifically: the prioritization of equal outcomes (by demographic group) over equal opportunity produces hiring and promotion decisions based on group identity rather than individual qualifications.
Is Breaking Battlegrounds anti-diversity?
No. The show’s hosts and guests consistently distinguish between opposing specific ideological programs (DEI hiring quotas, CRT curriculum) and supporting genuine equal opportunity and the rule of law regardless of race.
