Summary – A Jewish Perspective on the Progressive Left, with David L. Bernstein
In today’s episode, Doug Stuart discusses “woke antisemitism” with David L. Bernstein. Bernstein is the author of the book, Woke Antistemitism: How a Progressive Ideology Harms Jews. Bernstein describes himself a left-of-center, civil libertarian who has concerns about the woke progressive ideology infiltrating every facet of American life. His book aims to explain “a firsthand account from a top Jewish leader about how woke ideology shuts down discourse, corrupts Jewish values, and spawns a virulent new strain of antisemitism.” This is another great conversation from a non-conservative critic of woke ideology.
Main Points of Discussion
| 00:00 | Introduction |
| 01:38 | About David L. Bernstein |
| 03:06 | How the progressive left abandoned liberal values |
| 05:14 | Bernsteins’ approach to disagreeing with the woke left |
| 06:50 | What does it mean to be ‘woke’? |
| 08:55 | How did you come to write this book? |
| 11:07 | Marxist/Hegelian undercurrent in woke ideology? |
| 13:05 | “Jewish privilege” and the question of Jewish (so-called) “whiteness” |
| 17:14 | Whiteness as a property – not about your appearance, but your philosophy or worldview |
| 20:07 | Critical race theory taught in public schools and pedagogy to demagogy |
| 23:11 | Woke progressives in the Jewish community |
| 26:47 | The “McWhorter test” |
| 30:52 | Afraid to speak up – “double think” – encouraging people to disagree |
| 36:16 | Rebuilding the Center strategy |
| 39:07 | Closing comments |