WEEKEND EXTRA: An Address to the European Parliament
The woke virus has invaded all of the west, including Christianity.
"Woke is Marxism, evolved to take on the West." This is the thesis of James Lindsay, in an address to the European Parliament. I am adding it as an EXTRA because in just 30 minutes, you get an eloquent and important assessment of cultural Marxism vs. the West. Since classical Christian education is based in and seeks to perpetuate Western Christian culture, this is important for anyone who cares about the classical tradition.
Because I’m not too familiar with Lindsay, I wiki’d him. It seems the Wiki-woke site consider him a conspiracy theorist (unsupported). Linday’s speech here follows ideas through time and states a thesis about their consequences. This is a classical approach to rhetoric. The new definition of “Conspiracy” must be “someone who puts together a convincing thesis we don’t like”
Lindsay's European Parliament Speech (short form but on twitter)
Or, in its Youtube form (the first of two included speeches.)
So, still knowing little about Lindsay, I find him most credible in this 29 minute speech— possibly since he synthesizes a similar story to the one Pete and I researched on cultural Marxism in Battle for the American Mind.
The West is the target of CRT and cultural Marxism. Yet, a few people have entered the CCE world and are now basing their recommendations in things that descend from cultural Marxism. This is how you cut off the branch you’re sitting upon. I suspect this handful of diversification proponents do not realize this, or they have chosen to believe that claims about CRT are over-applied or part of a conspiracy, or that their point of view is not motivated by CRT.
For Classical Christian educators, this matters to what we do every day because we are unashamedly Western. On balance, we believe the “West is best” as the saying goes. Not perfect, but the best of our cultural choices.
Lindsay description of Cultural Marxism seems well thought out and accurate.
Interestingly Lindsay and his close associates Helen Pluckrose and Peter Boghossian are part of a movement called "New Atheism". Yet they appear to be earnest, strong defenders of much of Western culture and adamant opponents of Wokism. IMO there seems to be s a degree of incongruity in their positions as anti-wokesters trying to preserve Western culture and atheists. I can't help but wonder how that is all going play out. These three feel like allies in the battle against Wokism, but opponents in the battle to preserve Christianity. If push comes to shove, will they fight for Christianity or turn on it?
The Genus / Species distinction is helpful. Another I would add, on that same tack, is that Marxist type theories wish to flatten out all Genus/species relationships so that there is no longer any distinguishable hierarchies. Of course, that excludes the people at the top making sure everyone else doesn’t benefit from any hierarchy…but that is just their cross to bear I suppose.