The lesson of wokeism is simple: One can never be woke enough, but one can be too woke to be much good at anything.
This is something a number of progressive advocacy groups have had to learn the hard way over the past couple of years, according to
a report from the
Intercept.
The report reveals that all sorts of leftist organizations, from pro-abortion to environmental groups, have been forced to dial back and even halt their advocacy altogether to embrace the social justice agenda they claim to defend.
At the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, for example, Vice President of Public Policy Heather Boonstra attempted to start up a conversation in June 2020 about how Guttmacher could combat “systemic racism.” Staff suggestions quickly “turned inward,” according to the report, with employees demanding looser deadlines and leave without penalty.
Boonstra responded forcefully, telling the employees that they sounded “self-centered.”
“I’m here to talk about George Floyd and the other African American men who have been beaten up by society,” not “workplace problems,” she reportedly told staff.
It wasn’t too long after this exchange that Guttmacher’s human resources department and the board of directors launched an investigation into Boonstra’s meeting with staff. Meanwhile, offended employees ran to the press to complain about Boonstra, Guttmacher, and all of the ways in which they believed they had been let down. Nearly two years later and the organization continues to roil from internal strife.
According to the Intercept, the vast majority of Washington-based progressive organizations have experienced, or are currently experiencing, similar “tumult.” It’s gotten to the point that executive directors try to filter out potential “disruptive” employees during the hiring process by asking themselves, “How likely is this person to blow up my organization from the inside?”, said one director.
I would say this report is shocking — but it’s not. These are the inevitable consequences of wokeism: entitlement, competitive victimization, and a never-ending list of demands. And that’s exactly what these leftist organizations signed up for.
