Wokeism as a 'White Guilt'

Wokeism is a Manifestation of Collective Guilt of Western Nation over its Racist Past

Now, I will apply some psychological insights and analogies between individual guilt of a single person as an emotion and collective guilt of the whole nation. Surprisingly, they work in very similar ways. To be sure, Wokeness isn't only a product of collective guilt of the white nation over its racist past, it's the very manifestation of this guilt. It's originated from this guilt, it's enabled by it, and it personifies it. And this collective guilt, just like individual guilt might be, is utterly unhealthy, toxic and self-destructive.

To be sure, if we compare with individual guilt, it can be healthy, constructive, and contributing to self-development and improvement of one's personality. For example, if one realizes the errors of one's ways, apologizes for it and makes amends if possible, learns necessary lessons out of it, becomes a better person and then MOVES ON, it's perfectly healthy and natural. However, if the guilt is too big to the point of enormous to handle it for our subconscious mind (or if we PERCEIVE IT as such), it becomes impossible for us to forgive ourselves fully and to move on. We keep endlessly apologizing for the thing we had done twenty years ago, and still can't forgive ourselves. Self-punishment becomes a new goal of our lives, and, however much we punished ourselves already, it still looks 'not quite enough' compared to the perceived enormity of our guilt. Yet, to apologize and to punish ourselves endlessly is all we can and should do, despite it being never enough for us to fully redeem ourselves. So, notice this very important trait of individual guilt which became the trademark of Wokeism as a collective guilt as well - our past guilt is so enormous that we can't ever redeem ourselves, that nothing we could ever do would ever be enough, yet apologize and punish ourselves we must until the end of our lives since it's 'best' what we can do.

It can easily be seen how toxic and self-destructive this attitude is. It doesn't really help those whom we might have offended, it certainly doesn't help us to become better persons as well. It only fosters our hatred towards ourselves, and thus destroys us completely from within. This guilt might be self-endorsed even without any outside help, but outside manipulations - either by the party we had offended or by 'caring witnesses' of our offence - can contribute to it greatly as well. Again, this attitude is well-known in psychology, and therapists spend years to heal their patients from this enormous guilt and trauma it caused, to stop this self-destructing attitude, and to help people forgive themselves.

Now, this individual guilt can easily be projected on collective guilt. Western nation had really done terrible racists crimes and human right abuses in the past. However, we had apologized and made amends for it already - we had abolished slavery and colonialism, we denounced racism and began to treat people equally irrespective to their skin colors, etc. So, we had learned our lessons and became better people. Now, it's time to forgive ourselves and to move on to bright new and equal future. And this is what Westerners who perceive their past guilt as so enormous, can't really do. Instead, they keep apologizing and punish themselves in all possible ways. They see racism where it's not, they condemn themselves for any 'slightly offensive' joke while refusing to condemn big crimes committed by people of color. And so on, and so on. Thus, we got Wokeness which can destroy us all out of our guilt.

Wokeness isn't a path to healing of past racial traumas and to the better future. Instead, Wokeism sprinkles sault on still bleeding racial wounds, making them hurt much more. It exacerbates racial division and hatred in Western society. And worst of all, the Wokeism doesn't promise any redemption. Whatever we do, it would never be enough (hence, Woke goalposts always move). Our past guilt is so enormous that it can't really be forgiven (yet we must apologize, kneel and 'make amends' all the time). Hence, all our culture, civilization and system should be completely abolished. It's the only solution for the Woke - abolition of our culture. What's worse, the Woke don't propose any alternative to it. Their ideology built on guilt is utterly nihilistic and focuses only on destruction and abolition. There's nothing constructive in the Woke ideology, really nothing, I researched it. The Woke don't have any plans for the 'bright future' after they abolished the 'evil present'. Not really.

Now, do you really want that? Doesn't it scare you in the least? You'd help to abolish and destroy our current system which, however imperfect, still WORKS, to achieve WHAT? Some unrealistic Communist utopia which is really dystopia? But not even that since as I said the Woke don't have a clear vision even of their own paradise. They focus primarily on dismantling of our current 'hell' of a system. Their ideology is utterly nihilistic because it's built on collective guilt. Just as a guilty person seeks only to punish oneself and to endlessly apologize for the offence she did tens years ago, the guilty nation endlessly punishes itself and endlessly apologizes for the crimes it committed hundreds years ago. The time span of years and the scale of committed offences might be largely different for an individual or nation, but the process of guilt works in surprisingly similar ways. And just as with an individual person, the result would indeed be very tragic for guilty nation - utter self-destruction - until the vicious cycle of guilt is broken, and the person/nation runs free of this burden into the future.

Who would help our nation to heal from this past guilt though? Individuals can rely on psychologist therapists. Whom can nation rely upon? I wish there were more social psychologists who study collective guilt and its parallels with individual guilt. They might help our society to heal, and it might be our last chance before we destroyed ourselves through Wokeism.