Wokeness was awareness of social injustices and especially racism. But the existing residents didn't want boat people and the illegals and think people should earn a place in the world through merit, not through features over which they have no control, like race or ethnicity or religeon or orientation.
Religion religion.
When you think about the methods that wokeness employed, which are mainly about making locals feel ashamed for their past, The Woke were essentially trying to humiliate a people; and were forcing a people to use an alien language that effectively silenced them (self censorship if you prefer); and pushing through quotas for the meritless; and diversity that discriminated against, and was at the expense of, existing "native peoples".
And look at the results: lots of companies and individuals and governments were forced into adopting unnatural and unpopular and dogmatic policies, making them less competitive or effective; and into what's called "virtue signalling", which was done not because anybody believed in it, but just for PR and marketing. And if the woke were the good guys, that meant the majority were the bad guys, and so it was very divisive, controlling and intolerant.
Cleaned up version...
Wokeness Is Over: How the Culture War Was Lost and Why It Matters
For years, wokeness marched through our institutions, media, and companies like angry marmalade through your kitchen window at breakfast time. It called for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. But somewhere along the way, it overplayed its hand and now, the tide has turned.
From political backlash to collapsing DEI departments, wokeness isn't just being questioned anymore, it’s being rejected.
The Overreach
Wokeness began with the noble idea of correcting injustice, particularly racial inequality. Just as we thought the problem had been calmed, many illegal immigrants started arriving in europe, and although they were welcomed at first by sheer dint of numbers, they came to be resented by the host population.
But the methods employed by government and media to force the welcome became increasingly coercive:
Guilt as a weapon: People were shamed for historical wrongs they didn’t commit and pride in their history was attacked.
Language controls: Everyday language became a political minefield.
Merit was sidelined: Identity, not skill or effort, became the ticket to opportunity.
Forced diversity quotas: These often excluded “native” or majority populations from jobs or positions they might otherwise earn.
Even those sympathetic to social justice started asking: where does this all end?
Virtue Signalling and Corporate Cowardice
As wokeness gained ground, companies raced to outdo each other in public displays of “inclusivity”—rainbow logos, diversity statements, endless HR trainings., name badges with pronouns even. But it was often empty PR, just goody goody marketing with lacking sincerity ... while
behind closed doors, CEOs didn’t really believe in it. They just didn’t want trouble.
That’s the thing with virtue signalling: it's about optics, not outcomes.
The Backlash Hits
Then the pushback began. And it was brutal.
Politics: The 2024 U.S. election was a turning point. Candidates who explicitly ran against woke ideologies gained massive support. Identity politics had finally worn out its welcome.
Corporate retreats: In 2023–24, dozens of Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 firms quietly rolled back DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) initiatives. Budgets were slashed. Roles were cut. The mood shifted from “diversify at all costs” to “back to basics.”
Public opinion: Polls began showing a majority of people were tired of ideological policing. Even young people—once considered the foot soldiers of wokeness—began rebelling against it.
The Fall of Wokeness
So how was it defeated?
Exposure of hypocrisy: From celebrity meltdowns to HR scandals, the woke elite were often caught violating the very standards they preached. This was a rerun of Boris Johnson's covid tea parties.
Cultural exhaustion: People simply got tired of being told they were the problem.
Economic pressure: In a downturn, DEI programs and “inclusive branding” were easy budget cuts. There was no value add, only controversy, argument and division.
What Comes Next?
Wokeness isn’t quite dead, but it’s no longer the cultural juggernaut it was. Its vocabulary still lingers. Its ideas are still defended by a loud minority. But the mainstream has moved on.
People want fairness, yes, but not at the cost of free speech, merit, and national identity.
Maybe that’s the final irony. Wokeness, in trying to unite us under a banner of progress, ended up dividing us more than ever. And then, the public's distaste began to be felt: reason, humour, and a growing demand for real equality overcame scripted slogans.
[End]
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