Will Storr - WOKE CULTURE: Craving STATUS & Attention

Subscribe to Heretics Clips now for explosive interviews that pull no punches: https://www.youtube.com/@hereticsclips/videos

Why does woke culture seem so obsessed with gaining status and attention? In this thought-provoking Heretics interview, award-winning author and journalist Will Storr breaks down the psychological forces driving virtue signalling and the relentless pursuit of moral superiority in modern society.

Storr, whose acclaimed books include The Heretics, The Science of Storytelling, Selfie, and The Status Game, has spent years studying human behaviour, tribalism, and the ways people compete for influence within their communities. Here, he applies that lens to woke culture — explaining how its participants often frame themselves as virtuous, oppressed, or morally pure as a way to climb the social ladder.

In this revealing conversation, you’ll discover:

The psychology of virtue signalling and why it’s hard-wired into human behaviour.

How the desire for dominance, success, or virtue plays out in online activism.

Why woke culture rewards public outrage and moral grandstanding.

The tribal nature of status games — and why groups punish dissenters.

How social media algorithms amplify the loudest and most extreme voices.

Why status-seeking behaviour isn’t unique to the Left, but especially visible in woke circles.

Andrew Gold pushes Storr to explore whether this craving for recognition is inherently harmful — or simply part of being human. Together, they discuss how status games shape everything from politics to workplace culture, and why understanding them is essential if we want healthier public discourse.

Storr argues that while the desire for status is universal, in woke culture it’s often channelled into public acts of moral performance, where signalling one’s alignment with the “right” causes becomes more important than engaging in meaningful change. He warns that this dynamic can create a toxic environment of one-upmanship, fear, and conformity.

Whether you see woke culture as a necessary social justice movement or a competitive theatre of moral vanity, Storr’s insights will challenge you to think differently about why people behave the way they do online and off.

➡️ Watch the full interview now and join the debate in the comments: Is woke culture driven by true values — or just a hunger for attention?

🎥 Full podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhLwf8Gd1ts&t=875s

#WillStorr #Heretics #WokeCulture #VirtueSignalling #StatusGame #Selfie #TheScienceOfStorytelling #FreeSpeech #CultureWars

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices