WOKE 101: How the left gains power, and why winning elections will not defeat them
The difference between political power and institutional power
This article is a part of the Woke 101 series, which will get you up to speed on the basics they don't teach you when you become a soldier in the culture war.
If you appreciate what I’m doing, please consider a subscription for $8/month or $80/year.
The difference between political power and institutional power.
Consider this image. What this shows is that the people who control all of the institutions that control culture overwhelmingly donate more money to the Democrats than they do to the Republicans.
There’s a very good reason for this: For the last century, the political left has focused the majority of its energy on achieving INSTITUTIONAL power, while the political right has ignored the necessity of institutional power and instead has focused on POLITICAL power (which they don’t do very well either).
So, what is the difference between these types of power, and why has the left focused on one over the other?
Political power is getting into elected positions where you can create laws and control resources.
Institutional power means getting appointed to a position within an institution that is not subject to election - a faculty role, CEO, head of a major non-profit, an administrator in a government agency, the vice president of a publishing company, etc…
These types of power are very different:
Political power is temporary and easily changeable. You are never guaranteed re-election, and a young upstart can knock you out of your position, just as AOC did when she won her first primary against one of the most powerful and long-standing members of Congress.
Institutional power, on the other hand, can last a very long time and can be very difficult to change. You can’t fire a faculty member who has gained tenure, and CEOs and heads of organizations usually need to voluntarily relinquish their position in order to be replaced.
If you had to choose between political power and institutional power, you should choose institutional power every day of the week because it will give you much more longevity, which means you have more time to make the changes required to meet your goals.
The woke left will certainly embrace political power when it comes their way. However, that’s not the type of power they rely on and they feel perfectly find without it - many radical revolutionary socialist groups (which are not the same as the Democratic Socialists) openly state that they do not care about political power and seek to make change through other means.
They rely on institutional power. That’s what we mean when we say their made a long, slow march through the institutions - they have spent the last century getting themselves into positions of institutional power throughout all major institutions in our society.
Because of this, seeking to gain political power is not going to defeat the left, because you’re not solving for the problem as it really is.
Here’s a clip from Socialism Saturday where I address this more in-depth. You can join me live each Saturday at 6pm eastern on YouTube and Rumble.
Questions?
Let me know in the comments.
Fight back against the woke and support my work.
I believe the woke - on the left and the right - are an existential threat to our values as Americans. Some of them know it, most of them are just useful innocents. Regardless, fighting back against this woke cultural revolution is my full-time job. I’m dedicated to exposing the woke ideology in our country, helping people to understand what’s going on, and providing spaces for non-woke people to connect, support each other, and plan ways to fight back.
Here’s how you can help.
Order my book: Actively Unwoke: The ultimate guide to fighting back against woke insanity in your life.
Other Ways to Support My Work:
Subscribe to the Unwoke Art Substack and buy cool unwoke merch in the Unwoke Art store
Thank you Karlyn. This is so very true!
It seems so obvious and yet we were all ignorant