Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America

John McWhorter zeroes in on the "wokism" that functions more like a religion than an attempt to improve society. Many subscribers to woke anti-racist ideology do it with a religious zeal. They have faith that their belief is correct. They cannot be debated. It is just "correct". Internal inconsistencies do not matter. Others that don't subscribe to their beliefs are either heretics or in need of conversion.  The missionary work is carried out in various ways. There are various "holy books" (such as "white fragility") and priests (such as black intellectuals.) Martyrs such as George Floyd are venerated. Followers must live by the creeds, remembering their original sin of racism.

This religion may help the followers feel good about themselves. It also provides a means of unity with others. At times (like George Floyd protests) it has become very popular. What it hasn't done much of is to improve lives. Visibility into police brutality and "defund the police" has resulted in a slight decline of police violence against blacks. However, it has also allowed an increase of black on black violence. In schools, the victims of student agressions are often of the same race and social group as the perpetrators. The victims now suffer more due to lack of punishment. Lower standards for minority college admissions has also led to students attending schools beyond their level, contributing to hire dropout and failure rates.

The woke evangelists work to seek out their converts and punish heretics. Seemingly innocent conversation can be deemed offensive and subject somebody to excommunication and ostracism. It doesn't matter if a person of color is actually offended. If the woke priesthood declares it offensive, they will issue the punishment. It also doesn't matter of the tenants are contradictory. (For example, we need diverse students in college to hear from diverse points of view, yet we should not expect students to communicate their viewpoints in class.) The woke "religion" continues to put non-whites in an inferior position.

It can be impossible to debate with adherents to the woke religion. Instead, they often must be skirted around to get real work done. The book proposes three things to help alleviate the black condition: end the war on drugs, teach reading through phonics and emphasize vocational education as an alternative to college. This is a succinct plan that provides tangible benefits.