Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America, by John McWhorter
Review by Dave Gamrath
Book Review:
For years I ve been pursuing a better understanding of race and racism in America. From these efforts, I feel I ve come a long way towards gaining a reasonable understanding about this often-contentious issue, including how race and racism has personally impacted me as a white American man. I decided to challenge my current perspectives by reading John McWhorter s book Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America, which has been marketed as anti-antiracism.
McWhorter, who teaches at Columbia University, describes himself as a Black Conservative. Throughout Woke Racism he makes it clear that he holds anti-racism leaders in contempt, including Ibram X. Kendi (How to be an Antiracist), Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me), Robin DiAngelo (White Fragility). McWhorter doesn t just disagree with their antiracist teachings; he s clearly angry and resentful, claiming antiracists are getting all the press, sucking all of the air out of the room. He expresses this anger continuously through name-calling, accusations and other contemptuous attacks. Examples include his stating antiracists are absolutely pathetic in all resonances of the word , a mob, pure and simple and that they teach nonsense presented as wisdom . The term that he settles upon as the best label for antiracists is The Elect , and he goes as far as comparing them to Nazis, writing these people are gruesomely close to Hitler s racial notions . Wow.
McWhorter states that he is able to make these claims and insults because he is a Black man, and that White readers will give his book more credibility since he is Black. He writes I consider it nothing less than my duty as a black person to write this book and that I see myself as serving my race by writing Woke Racism. He says he receives pushback due to not being black enough , because of his comfortable upbringing and lifestyle.
The book begins by listing four examples of people chastised and penalized for stating things that some considered improper, insensitive or even racist. McWhorter s point is that at times, due to their recent antiracist training, some people are over-reacting, and are quick to lash out and unfairly condemn. He gives additional examples of this throughout the book. Then, instead of exploring the dynamics of human behavior when dealing with highly emotional issues, McWhorter sets to squashing all antiracist teachings, and disputes that these efforts could actually make lives better for Black people.
In fact, he claims that antiracist efforts are actually harming Black people, and paint them as mentally and spiritually deficient children. McWhorter writes that antiracist efforts result in harm to black people is so multifarious and rampant that anyone committed to this religion and calling it antiracist walks in a certain shame. That s a key point he makes again and again: instruction on how to be antiracist is actually racist. His claims include that anti-racism treats Black people as simpletons and labels them as victimized souls . He wrongly claims that the sole purpose of anti-racism is to condemn all Whites as racists.
I ve read the authors that McWhorter repeatedly attacks. Frankly, McWhorter s claims are often wildly off the mark. For example, in White Fragility, author Robin DiAngelo writes that in America we are taught that whiteness is the human norm, and people of color are a deviation from this norm. She writes that race is a social construct, and those in power define the rules, and that in America, whites defined the rules and hold the power. Put simply, DiAngelo defines how systemic racism exists in America. McWhorter falsely claims that DiAngelo believes that all whites are racist, and that Whites are to despise themselves for having white privilege. Antiracist teachings have led me to understand and acknowledge how I have benefited from white privilege. I have never been taught to hate myself for this. I now recognize the racist environment within I was raised, but have never ever been taught that I am therefore condemned to the lifetime label of racist. I choose to label myself as a recovering racist , knowing that one can never fully purge all nonsense we were taught as kids. But McWhorter s excessively repeats throughout his book that anti-racism requires that Whites must be morally shamed and verbally muzzled , which is blatantly false, and an obvious attempt to create anger and resentment within the white community.
McWhorter also makes a number of false claims about Critical Race Theory. CRT explores how racism in America is built into our infrastructure, including American government, laws and criminal justice system. CRT, mainly taught in law schools, encourages students to explore these dynamics. McWhorter falsely claims that CRT teaches that if you are not Caucasian in America, then you are akin to being a slave. He falsely claims that CRT is more about a narrative than reality. Most egregiously, he falsely states the guiding impulse of CRT is to cry racism.
McWhorter makes many other contentious claims, such as that racism in America is exaggerated, and that the role of racism in Black American lives is vastly exaggerated. McWhorter writes a lot of today s victimhood claims on race are fake. Black people are being taught to exaggerate and even fabricate how they feel about racism. He says they re being coached, and are often just acting.
What does McWhorter offer as an alternative to antiracist teachings? Remarkably, not much. He claims that racism is impossible to simply get rid of. More to the point, doing so is not necessary. Instead, he offers three planks: 1) end the war on drugs; 2) teach reading properly; 3) advocate vocational training for poor people and stop pushing college. That s it. But McWhorter s primary message, repeated dozens of times, is to condemn those teaching anti-racism, and even gives sample scripts on how to dismiss them. He advises that using the term woke in derision is not enough and clearly believes in name-calling as a key tactic to making his point.
CRT and anti-racism have been radicalized by Republican leaders, through repeated false claims. They are doing this for multiple reasons. First is to restrict any instruction in public schools regarding America s history with racism. Second is to create a wedge issue to get out the vote, using falsehoods to enrage their base. In Woke Racism, John McWhorter provides them a package of falsehoods to further these efforts.
Reviewer Opinion:
A poorly written and quite vicious attack on people whom with McWhorter disagrees.
Reviewer Rating of Book:
Thumb down. Way down.