177: Musa al-Gharbi: We Have Never Been Woke

***Vote for us to win a Signal Award. Society has never been more focused on equality and diversity… right?  The last few decades have been marked by a drastic increase in what often gets labeled “social justice.” Companies and individuals perpetually take very public vows to defend progressive values and denounce all kinds of injustice. But somehow, in spite of all this, social and economic inequalities have only worsened. How is this possible?  “The fundamental tension,” argues Musa al-Gharbi, “is that while a lot of us are committed to social justice, we also really want to be elites.” Musa makes the case that an excess of public symbolic gestures has created a backwards world where justice is preached but rarely done, offering a sharp critique of the ways many of us, on all sides of politics and culture, have used social justice as a subtle way to serve ourselves.  Show Notes  Resources mentioned:  "We Have Never Been Woke" by Musa al-Gharbi  Similar NSE episodes:  Eboo Patel: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy  Patrick Deneen: Why Liberalism Failed  Ben Cohen and Jay Jakub: Ben and Jerry’s and a Better Capitalism  Christian Miller: We’re Not as Good (or Bad) as We Think We Are  PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes  Transcription Link  Want more NSE? JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes designed specifically to help you live a good life, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows  Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube Follow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube Follow Lee: Instagram | Twitter Join our Email List: nosmallendeavor.com  See Privacy Policy: Privacy Policy  Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: Tokens Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.