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Source: Global Times

[Global Times special correspondents in the United States, France and Germany Dai Yuxiao, Dong Ming, Fan Xuan, Global Times reporter Chen Zishuai, Global Times special correspondent Wang Xiaoxiong] Editor's note: "I lost my son." On July 22, American technology tycoon Musk said in an interview that after he was deceived into agreeing to his son Xavier to undergo gender confirmation care procedures, the latter was killed by the "awakening thought virus." Xavier was born in 2004 and began to receive sex reassignment treatment at the age of 16. Musk's son's changes made him hate "awakening culture" and he vowed to destroy this "virus." Most American right-wingers and Republicans hold similar positions to Musk, but for many left-wingers and Democrats, "awakening culture" is a progressive idea. "Awakening culture" has evolved into a cultural conflict around identity politics in the United States, and this trend of thought has also been "exported" to Europe, stirring up Europe's political and social ecology.

Cover image of an American media interview about Musk's plan to destroy the "awakening thought virus."

"It can be an insult or a source of pride"

"Xavier is 'dead.'" On July 22, Tesla CEO Musk said in an interview that he had been deceived into signing a document allowing his son Xavier to take puberty blockers, thus turning his son into his daughter Vivian.

In recent years, Musk has criticized "woke culture," describing it as a threat to "modern civilization," and said that he previously acquired Twitter to fight "woke culture." However, when asked what "woke culture" is, the tech tycoon's description is not accurate.

Former US President Trump also found the concept of "woke culture" difficult to define. He said at a conservative breakfast in Iowa on June 1, 2023 that half of the people could not define the term. Australia's "Dialogue" news network commented that Trump's words inadvertently highlighted the chaotic and contradictory nature of current American politics. The word "woke" can be an insult or a pride, and its specific meaning will change depending on the context.

According to the Spanish newspaper El País, for many years, the word "woke" has been used to describe those who consider the rights of minorities and participate in the struggle against social injustice. "Woke" is a label proudly worn by activists pursuing social and climate justice. From "Black Lives Matter" to addressing global warming, "woke culture" is advocating a new era of equality and justice. The Atlantic Monthly in the United States said that many media and politicians claim that "woke culture" is only about justice and decency: willing to acknowledge the cruelty of the United States' past and acknowledge that its past is still shaping the country.

However, according to ABC, "awakening" is used as a derogatory term by some Republicans to refer to identity-based social justice issues promoted by some Democrats and progressives. USA Today quoted a spokesman for Florida Governor DeSantis as saying that "awakening" is synonymous with "progressive radicalism" and is a recognition of the existence of systemic injustice in the United States. Manhattan Institute scholar Goldberg believes that "awakening" means "left-wing radicalism," the essence of which is the belief that differences in outcomes between groups - whether race, gender or sex, are largely the product of oppressive social forces and structures.

In fact, the word "awakening" was originally coined by progressive black Americans and used in the racial justice movement in the early to mid-20th century. According to the American "Merriam-Webster Dictionary", in the black community, political "awakening" means that someone is aware of social injustice and racial inequality, educated, and aware of related issues. Smithsonian Popular Records in the United States included the protest song "Scottsboro Boys" sung by Reed Bailey in the 1930s. The word "awakening" that appeared in it is often considered to be the earliest source of the word. The "Scottsboro Boys" refers to nine black teenagers who were falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931. Later, eight of them were hastily sentenced to death. The case is one of the most famous civil rights cases in American history. According to the "Merriam-Webster Dictionary", the word "awakening" became more popular when the "Black Lives Matter" movement spread in 2014.

"The word has become extremely divisive." Qatar's Al Jazeera said that the word "woke" has been widely used by the left and right in the United States, turning this once popular creed into a "toxic and divisive" word. The Atlantic Monthly said that the attitude towards "woke culture" has divided the public into two camps: some people blame all the ills of the United States on related ideas, while others basically defend them uncritically. Kenan, a New York university student who was interviewed by the Global Times' special correspondent in the United States, said that the current "woke culture" has gone too far. "Woke" people always tend to call people who disagree with them "conservatives" or "Trump supporters", and sometimes what could be said last year suddenly becomes "offensive" this year. Jason, an engineer living in New Jersey, said that the so-called "woke culture" is a pseudo-concept created by American interest groups to incite public opposition in order to ensure that they can continue to control American society.

For the two major parties in the United States, the word "woke" has a very different meaning. According to USA Today, Democrats seem to regard the word as a badge of honor, while Republicans regard it as something that must be banned. The struggle over "woke culture" in the United States has spread to all areas.

"The American right is at war with 'woke capitalism'"

Due to the conservatives’ resistance to “woke culture,” an “anti-woke culture” movement has emerged in the United States. One of the leaders of this movement is Florida Governor DeSantis.

According to ABC, DeSantis passed the Parent Education Act and the Stop Wokeness Act in Florida, implementing policies in schools to limit the topics of race, oppression, gender and sexual orientation in the classroom. The Florida government also prohibits funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI) on public university campuses and refuses to offer advanced placement courses in African American history in state high schools. It is worth noting that the struggle over "woke culture" in education is not limited to Florida. In 2023, more than 20 states in the United States considered or approved new laws targeting DEI programs.

"The American right wing is at war with 'woke capitalism'", according to Australia's Dialogue News Network, DeSantis has opened a new front in the war against "woke capitalism". The so-called "woke capitalism" is a term coined by American conservative columnist Duterte in an article he wrote for the New York Times in 2015. He defined it as the way companies show support for progressive causes in order to maintain their influence in society. Some people also call the practice of hiring black actors to play white roles in movies "woke capitalism". Dialogue News Network said that DeSantis proposed a bill stipulating that Florida public institutions will no longer be able to cooperate with rating agencies that use environmental, social and governance (ESG) sustainability standards to value bonds. Borrowing costs for public institutions and companies with low ESG scores will rise. BlackRock is the world's largest asset management company and a key player in the ESG movement. DeSantis once announced a withdrawal of $2 billion from BlackRock.

Likewise, the push against woke capitalism is not limited to Florida. In the past few years, 18 states have proposed or passed legislation restricting state companies from doing business with financial institutions that use ESG criteria to limit funding to the fossil fuel industry.

The rights of sexual minorities have also become another "front" in the struggle between the two parties in the United States. According to a report by the American Public Broadcasting Corporation in March this year, Trump has targeted sexual minorities since the start of his campaign. He said that if he is elected, he will sign an executive order to cut federal funding for any school that promotes critical race theory, transgender insanity and other "inappropriate racial, sexual or political content" to American teenagers. Opposite to Trump are US President Biden and the Democrats. According to AFP, Biden has signed a number of executive orders to provide federal government support for protecting the rights of sexual minorities. On June 15, 2022, he and US Vice President Harris and other Democratic politicians met with representatives of sexual minorities at the White House and expressed their support for them.

Wang Yufan, a scholar at the Institute of American Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that the popularity of the "awakening culture" and identity politics in the United States is related to factors such as its unequal economic development. She explained that the problem of income inequality in the United States is becoming increasingly serious, and wealth is concentrated in a small number of wealthy people. The economic pressure on the middle class and low-income groups has increased, and they are more inclined to support the "awakening culture" that emphasizes fairness and justice. Identity politics has also become an important means for them to express and fight for economic equality. In addition, in the context of globalization, the US economy has undergone a transformation from manufacturing to service and high-tech industries. High-tech is concentrated in large cities, attracting a large number of highly educated and highly skilled young people who are more inclined to support the "awakening" agenda. Traditional manufacturing jobs have decreased, the employment situation of blue-collar workers has deteriorated, and they feel marginalized. These differences have led to differences in the recognition of "awakening culture" among different regions and groups.

"How American identity politics has gone from inclusion to division", the British "Guardian" said that in the United States, whites and blacks, Latinos and Asians, men and women, all different groups feel attacked, bullied, persecuted and discriminated against. Coupled with record levels of inequality, this is why identity politics is seen on both sides of the American political spectrum.

Wang Yufan believes that, on the one hand, "woke culture" and identity politics have raised the American public's awareness of issues such as racial discrimination and gender discrimination, promoted social discussion and resolution of these issues, and played a positive role in promoting social equality and enhancing social inclusion. On the other hand, "woke culture" has become a kind of political correctness, which has been simply labeled and symbolized, and has gone too far. In addition, the left-wing "woke culture" has been counterattacked by right-wing conservative forces, leading to more serious social divisions. The two parties' "cultural war" on "wokeness" and "anti-wokeness" has exacerbated political polarization and created a vicious cycle.

Crossing the ocean to Europe and causing division

The concept and action of "woke culture" was born in the United States. After crossing the ocean to Europe, it also triggered an "anti-woke culture" movement in Europe. According to a BBC report in December 2021, if a French person was asked about his understanding of the English word "woke" half a year ago, most French people might mistake the word for a wok commonly used in cooking, but by the end of 2021, the concept of "woke" had become popular in France. According to the French newspaper "Occidental", this term, which originated from the American black rights movement, had not entered the French public's field of vision in previous years. It was not until 2021 that it appeared many times in political debates. For example, Paris Mayor Hidalgo had previously publicly stated that he "would not run for election based on 'woke culture'."

According to The Washington Post, Poland and other countries have previously complained that the EU is imposing its "awakening" agenda. CNN published an article in 2022 stating that in the UK, "awakening" is used to describe anything that could previously be described as "politically correct," including anti-racism, feminism, transgender rights, and criticism of the history of the British Empire. According to Reuters on May 1, 2024, an Italian general published a book that denigrated sexual minorities and ethnic minorities, sparking public outrage. He said that "woke culture" and "cancel culture" make Europeans ashamed of their roots, and he hopes that Italy and Europe will maintain their identity. Some Western conservatives believe that "cancel culture" is the "twin brother" of "woke culture," which refers to withdrawing support for someone, which could cause you to lose your job or even worse.

Many Western media and politicians are very wary of "woke culture". For example, Euronews published an article in 2021, arguing that the ideology behind "woke culture" and "cancel culture" "puts Europe's democracy at risk". Al Jazeera also reminded that "woke culture" sometimes kills some meaningful causes. In 2019, Canada's oldest domestic violence shelter for women was deprived of local government funding because it refused to accept transgender women (transgender women who are biologically male). Fanshawe, the founder of the equal rights organization Stonewall, was "cleaned out" by the organization he founded, simply because he emphasized the concerns of ordinary women about transgender people. In addition, many people will be "canceled" simply because they express views that differ from the position of "woke culture".

Wang Yufan said that, like the United States, the impact of "awakening culture" on Europe is also complex and diverse. On the one hand, it has promoted European countries to pay attention to racial equality and social fairness. On the other hand, it has also caused social division. "Awakening culture" has pushed European society to settle accounts with colonial history and overemphasize identity recognition. It has also led to intensified group confrontation and social estrangement, causing a rebound in far-right forces, and further promoted the rise of far-right political parties in Europe.