The American Way of Life versus Woke Progressivism

The American Way of Life versus Woke Progressivism

– By Howard Sierer –

Last week’s column discussed Charles Murray’s acclaimed book, “Coming Apart.” Published in 2012, Murray described the dramatic social changes in American society from 1960 to 2010.

Earlier this year, former Harvard professor and Hudson Institute Fellow Christopher DeMuth was interviewed by Lenard Sandor of Hungary’s National University of Public Service; a transcript appeared in the October 7^th issue of Mandiner magazine.

DeMuth’s comments contrast our American way of life with that advocated by today’s woke progressives and provide an interesting follow up to Murray’s findings:

“The American way of life has changed in many ways over our long history, as Americans have become more numerous, diverse, prosperous, urban, and mobile. Three characteristics that have endured from the founding are a live-and-let-live attitude, a belief in opportunity and initiative, and a strong sense of patriotism. The first two embody our ideals of liberty and equality; the third is the spirit that holds everything together.

“First, most of us are attached to ways of living that are characteristic of our localities, ethnic heritages, family traditions, religions, vocations, and so on—but recognize, and appreciate, that many of our countrymen are attached to other distinctive, worthy ways and traditions. Live-and-let-live has fortified rather than divided our nation. We have been, for example, a notably religious people without tearing ourselves apart over matters of doctrine and revelation—and religious movements have made many illustrious contributions to our national development.

“Second, we are united by an ethic of equal opportunity for all. This is not an abstract creed but rather a set of living practices. It depends on robust private initiative and public commitments—to the rule of law, limited government, and wide freedoms of inquiry, belief, and speech and of association and industry.

“Third, our patriotism is strong because it is based on gratitude—for our stupendous natural resources and geography, for our long-lived Constitution and political system that have gotten us through many hard challenges, for the deeds of our ancestors, for the living practices of liberty and equality. This American patriotism is not aggressive and does not have a chip on its shoulder; it is attached to our national inheritance rather than to the state; it is unifying rather than dividing.

“Today’s woke progressives believe that these features of the American way are lies and illusions—to be ‘woke’ means to have woken up to the realities concealed by happy talk about liberty, equality, and opportunity. Progressives want to replace live-and-let-live with an identity politics of grievance and resentment among racial, sexual, and other groups and of envy of ‘the rich.’ They would replace equal opportunity with preferences and penalties for officially identified groups, and individual initiative with government provision for even routine incidents of life. In the service of these goals, they would restrict each of the freedoms I have itemized. Finally, by opening our borders, and by recasting our history as a story of unmitigated evil, progressives would depose American nationhood; they favor the sovereignty of the unmoored, unconstrained self.

“A great many Americans remain attached to our traditional ideals and ways of life and are aghast at the strange ideologies sweeping their institutions, from Wall Street to local schools. But progressivism has become a powerful force. It draws upon the decline of family, religion, and locality and on the tribalism of social media and the internet. It has the advantages of passionate conviction, elite validation, and bureaucratic entrenchment. Which American way will eventually prevail is an open question.”

Like DeMuth, count me as an American who is “aghast” at woke progressives’ “strange ideologies.”

I’m stunned that woke progressive Bernie Sanders, who never received more than 30% of Democrat’s vote in the 2016 and 2020 presidential primaries, is now calling the tune and 222 Democratic Representatives and at least 48 Senators in Congress are dancing along.

I’m stunned that woke progressives enthusiastically embrace the blatantly racist and stridently intolerant Black Lives Matter movement and the 1619 Project which claims that the arrival of the first slaves in America is our true founding year, not 1776.

In his book “Skin in the Game,” Nicholas Nassim Taleb notes the surprising ability of small but intransigent minorities — three percent to four percent is enough – to change the direction of entire societies. He says: “The most intolerant wins…Yes, an intolerant minority can control and destroy democracy.”

Nonetheless, I’m heartened that the heretofore passive majority who embrace American values are finally waking up to what this intolerant woke minority is doing. Parents are calling school boards to account where radical left indoctrination is foisted off as education; voters across the country “woke” up and slammed progressive candidates and causes earlier this month.

Now is the time for positive action to restore live-and-let-live, equal opportunity and patriotism as cornerstones of American life. If not us, who? If not now, when?