Woke, identity politics has gained notable popularity, particularly among US campuses as a catch-all solution for addressing societal injustices in ways traditional equality allegedly cannot. For its supporters, existing approaches to achieving equal rights are simply not enough, or better yet, intentional distractions to confront the root causes of discrimination. Whilst its intentions may be commendable, the woke movement is likely to prove counterproductive, here’s why.
Identity Over Individuality
Being woke means standing up to even neutral laws, say freedom of speech, for being little more than justifications for sustaining the marginalisation of minority groups. Instead, the woke movement chooses identity categories such as race, gender, and sexual orientation as central to uncovering the power dynamics that supposedly make social interactions so uneven. Now this is important, identities, and the distinctions between them, are portrayed as the most vital tools for navigating and understanding our society. So me, I may be a middle class, dual national inclined to side with the centre of left wing politics, but first and foremost I am a white, straight, male, and that is what matters most when uncovering my role in perpetuating social inequalities.
I hope it’s obvious by now, but the woke supporter boldly puts identity over individuality. And this is where the problem lies. It’s difficult to understand how treating people based on the identity groups they belong to helps achieve true equality.
In fact, treating marginalised groups differently in public policies and social practices, whether that’s giving them social priority in attempts to reconcile an obscure discriminatory past, which I am recommended to take shame in, or sloppy attempts to fix discriminatory practices that really need institutional rehaul, what we are really doing is stepping on principles like freedom and fairness in law.
Look, I am not saying there is no value in recognising how identity characteristics are used to marginalise certain groups, nor am I saying that we should ignore the systemic creep of race, gender and other inherently biological characteristics into ranking merit, but what I am saying is framing identity not just as a personal facet of one’s life but as the primary lens for all social interactions is blatantly ignoring the individuality that makes each of us a valuable, unique but equally protected part of the whole.
Dangerous Identity Divisions
Now I hope you can see the dangers of the supposedly necessary and desirable divisions supported by woke identity politics. Yet, proponents of the woke movement, claim that categorising people into identity groups is needed to highlight the intersecting forms of discrimination groups may face, yet this assumption comes with serious risks.
Categorising individuals into rigid identity groups can foster division rather than unity. It seems pretty obvious, right? We mustn’t look far, no further than the country from which I am writing this from, where identity divisions are used to justify exclusionary politics aimed at refugees and deserving asylum seekers. History shows that when identity becomes the centre of ideological narratives, it often leads to exclusionary and even harmful practices. We shouldn’t forget how good we are as humans at marginalising those seen as “others.”
Certainly, there’s value in recognising shared and unique experiences of discrimination across various social groups. However, the identity-driven framework of woke-ism often pits groups against one another, fostering a sense of competition for recognition and resources.
This zero-sum mindset conveys a discouraging message: people from different identity groups are fundamentally unable to understand each other.
You are who we say you are!
So being woke is less about how you identify in terms of aspects that you may have chosen, built or decided to attach to. Instead, the woke movement ties belonging and social recognition to fixed identity categories. If you are black you are first and foremost black and tied to the experiences of being so. If you are a woman, no worries, your discriminatory experience of being so are already defined, explained and agreed upon. And if you are disabled, well that too comes with certain narratives that are propped up by not your personal experiences, but those based on the hierarchy prism of identity, and remember, nothing else!
This may resonate with those who define themselves primarily by the characteristics they were born with. But for others, this approach feels alienating. It forces people into rigid categories that often create stark divisions between “haves” and “have-nots.” In this worldview, identity is a non-negotiable framework for how one must engage with it. Those who resist these rigid categories often face backlash, accused of betraying their ‘assigned’ identity group or face being labelled as racist, inconsiderate and subject to being ‘cancelled’.
What’s most troubling about this shift is how it often diminishes the importance of individual experiences in the fight against discrimination. Instead, the focus turns to broader, identity-based narratives that can overshadow the nuance and diversity of personal stories.
Belonging is more than Identity
I have told you why the woke movement doesn’t resonate with me, but what is the solution? Is it to ignore identity altogether? No, and that would be a step back too, but it’s to move beyond exclusively identity-based divisions. Instead, let’s focus on fostering a broader sense of belonging that goes beyond rigid categories used by the woke movement to define experiences of discrimination and build on existing freedoms and equalities that have taken so long to be cemented into our constitutional laws.
Interested in this topic? Want to hear more of my thoughts about it? Take a look at my academic article “Does the Woke Movement Advance Equality? A Critique of its Exclusion of Power-Holders and Class-Based Discrimination” which explores the above points in more detail!