Undercurrents Is MAGA going Woke? with Colin Wright
May 21, 2025
Colin Wright, with a PhD in evolutionary biology, is the CEO of Reality's Last Stand and co-host of Citation Needed. In this discussion, he tackles the unexpected rise of a 'woke right' and the challenges the anti-woke coalition faces. Wright explores how identity politics is shifting allegiances from left to right, the impacts on academia under Trump, and the dangerous divisiveness of these ideologies. He advocates for a meritocratic approach over identity-based recognition, urging critical engagement from all sides of the spectrum.
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Wokeness: The Coalition Glue
- Wokeness acted as the main glue holding together a fragile anti-woke coalition on the right.
- If wokeness fades, this coalition’s unity and power could splinter or shift direction.
Trump Tackles DEI, Not Ideology
- Trump's administration has had some success challenging DEI policies by emphasizing merit-based hiring.
- However, changing ideological and scholarly views in academia remains a much harder task.
Right's Big Tent Starts Splitting
- Anti-wokeness helped form a large tent on the right by attracting moderates disaffected by the left.
- Now, power consolidation is causing splits and the rise of identity politics even on the right.