When a Different Standard of Morality Applies to the “Oppressed”

“The woke ideology does not merely advocate for redistribution of resources, but it also calls for (or at least allows for) different moral obligations according to one’s identity. This means that so-called oppressors are bound by a different morality than so-called oppressed identities.”

The term “decolonization” is bandied about by university administrators as the latest symbol of their supreme moral self-righteousness. The events of October 7th have put this term into sharp relief. The public must understand the moral implications of this caustic term and fight it with all its might.

Decolonization is a term that has its origins in a subset of woke ideology known as Postcolonial Theory. The main thrusts of woke ideology are finally becoming understood by its critics and, most importantly, by the public. The broad brushstrokes are as follows: People are primarily characterized according to their identities (color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, settler, colonist, etc.). Identities can be categorized as either “oppressor” or “oppressed.” The woke ideology advocates for the retributive redistribution of resources and responsibility from oppressor to oppressed identities. This ethos is the justification behind the most well-recognized woke policies such as affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

This “distributive” aspect of woke ideology is the most visible and the one that has received the greatest amount of attention. There is, however, another aspect of the woke ideology that has been less commented on but which is more insidious and arguably more important. This is the moral dimension. The woke ideology does not merely advocate for redistribution of resources, but it also calls for (or at least allows for) different moral obligations according to one’s identity. This means that so-called oppressors are bound by a different morality than so-called oppressed identities. Whereas oppressors are expected to adhere to what amounts to traditional Biblical ethics (The Ten Commandments, “love thy neighbor,” charity, etc.), those anointed with the label of oppressed are exempt (or can be excused from) such antiquated moral obligations.