The Real Origins of Wokeism (Ft. Musa Al-Gharbi)

Get access to The Backroom (Almost 90+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined by American sociologist Musa Al-Gharbi to discuss his book "We Have Never Been Woke" which is by far the most scholarly work on the topic of “wokeness.” Al‑Gharbi provides a materialist theory of the economics and social dynamics that drive what we call "wokeism" and the great disconnect between what he calls “symbolic capitalists” (the section of the Professional Managerial Class within discourse/symbol generating industries like Media, Academia, Art, and Entertainment) and the rest of society. Al-Gharbi's book provides rigorous empirical research on social attitudes, class structures, and identifies four patterns that he calls "the great awokenings" which are driven by "elite overproduction" and liberals and leftists appear the same to so many people.In The Backroom (on Patreon), Musa and I continue the conversation by connecting Musa’s materialist socio-economic theory of Wokeness and Symbolic Capitalists to Tony’s Genealogy of Wokeism essay, plus additional examples, arguments, and pushback that we did not have time for on the main episode.Timestamps:00:00:00  Changing Minds vs Material Conditions (The Backroom Preview)00:05:34  An Empirical Theory of Wokeism 00:14:41  Who are The “Symbolic Capitalists”?00:23:55  Top 20% not just the 1%00:33:45  Elite overproduction and intra-elite competition00:38:31  The 2010s The Great Awokening 00:53:58  Is “woke” dead? Tech backlash, Trump era shifts00:59:14  The Four Great Awokenings, mapped01:00:04  First Awokening (1920s–30s): identity politics before the 60s01:03:51  Orwell’s warning01:07:02  Progressive paternalism and Managerial politics 01:15:41  Turning Standpoint Epistimology back on elites01:19:31  Policing, crime, and what Black voters actually want01:24:10  Do Woke People believe in Woke ideas? Does Sincerity Matter?01:28:19  What about the bottom 80%? 01:33:19  Diversity and Totemic Capital01:36:49  Backroom teaser: Tony’s Genealogy of Wokeism EssayGUEST:Musa Al-Gharbi (American sociologist), author of *We Have Never Been Woke*• Book announcement and links: https://musaalgharbi.substack.com/p/we-have-never-been-woke-available-now• Musa’s website: https://musaalgharbi.comMusa’s Substack: https://musaalgharbi.substack.comFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.