Who’s Really Calling Out Racism?

Andre

Hey folks, welcome back to Engaging Thought. I'm Andre, and—as always—I'm here with Eric. So listen, today we’re unpacking something we keep hearing about: this so-called ‘woke mob’ that’s supposedly out here, like, labeling everyone and their grandma as racist. Where does that even come from?

Eric Marquette

You know, Andre, it’s wild—this whole idea gets thrown around like confetti in the media. If you listened to, I dunno, certain news shows, you might think there are crowds practically waiting to cancel anyone over the smallest thing. But when you actually look at the data and, like, research reports out there, the situation’s a lot more nuanced.

Andre

Absolutely. We’ve seen studies showing that, most of the time, accusations of racism in mainstream media aren’t really targeted at individuals. It’s more like, “this comment was problematic,” or “this system has inequities”—but this image persists that there are lists somewhere, and people are walking around afraid they'll get called out by this mythical mob.

Eric Marquette

Right. It’s almost like a bogeyman for adults, right? And not to name names, but certain media outlets play this up for ratings. I remember in a previous episode, when we talked about how myths around race get constructed for, like, political or emotional appeal. Same thing here—stories get repeated until people just assume they’re true.

Andre

Yeah, and I gotta share this—I did a workplace training last year, and a bunch of folks voiced real anxiety about being labeled as racist. I took them seriously, you know, asked for examples—like, has anyone actually been publicly shamed in the office? Or, you know, on social media? And nobody could give a specific case. It was all “well, I heard” or “someone told me.” It's all in the air, but nothing concrete. That fear is real, but the evidence, not so much.

Eric Marquette

That’s so familiar! These general anxieties, they almost become barriers to talking honestly about what’s actually happening—so instead, people start worrying about things that, statistically, barely happen.

Eric Marquette

And that kind of brings us into the whole ‘political correctness’ conversation, doesn’t it? I mean, the phrase comes up anytime people are challenged to change or, y’know, even just use more inclusive language. It’s like, “Oh, now I can’t say anything without offending someone!” But the reality... I think it’s often used more as a shield than anything else.

Andre

Yeah, it’s a real classic strawman move, right? Instead of actually addressing people’s concerns—like, who’s being left out or excluded—the game becomes fighting an imaginary enemy. You hear figures like Tucker Carlson—and I'm not picking on him, just… it's everywhere on Fox News, really—claiming that ‘the PC police’ are ruining conversation. But when you look closer, the language always stays vague. You rarely hear, “This person called me racist for saying xyz.” It’s just complaints about the system being ‘too sensitive.' It's not even about specifics anymore.

Eric Marquette

Yeah, I actually talked with a journalist a while back—she worked on editorial policy at one of the big national newspapers—and she told me, flat out, that there’s actually a lot of hesitation in calling any individual racist in the press. They avoid it. They focus on systemic problems, or at most, comment on behaviors, but very rarely do they say, “So-and-so is racist.” Which is just so different from this idea people are being named and shamed all the time.

Andre

And you know, building on our last few episodes—especially when we dug into where these myths come from—this is another case where language gets weaponized. Instead of saying, “We have a problem with exclusion,” it becomes, “They just want to control how I talk.” The conversation shifts from fixing real harm to defending personal comfort.

Eric Marquette

And honestly, it lets people off the hook, doesn’t it? Because as long as the focus is on this imaginary ‘policing’ of speech, there’s no space for, like, actually getting to the root issues. It just becomes, “Don’t tread on me, I want things to stay the same.”

Andre

Exactly. And that kind of deflection, it’s not, like, just harmless. Research shows that always blaming ‘wokeness’ or political correctness actually keeps us from having real conversations about harm, inclusion, and, you know, basic respect. It’s a way of shutting down progress.

Eric Marquette

Yeah—you know, there’ve been a bunch of organizations that started off just checking the boxes on political correctness, and they got totally stuck. But the ones who took the leap—who actually committed to real inclusion? They found ways to move forward. Like we talked about in Episode 8, when we broke down those tools like the Equity Fence, shifts started when folks got honest about systemic barriers instead of dancing around language.

Andre

I had this executive, actually, who was super resistant—always saying, “We just need free speech! Don’t tell me what words I can or can’t use.” But there was this lightbulb moment, where he realized, “Wait, am I more worried about my discomfort than about someone actually being excluded?” Suddenly, the conversation changed. It became less about what he was ‘allowed’ to say, and more about how people felt in the space. That’s when the real work started.

Eric Marquette

Yeah, and it’s those breakthrough moments that actually drive change. When worries about wokeness fall away, people can talk about what matters—justice, equity, making the environment safer for everyone. I think we keep coming back to this idea: progress happens not when we’re defending old ground, but when we can sit in the uncomfortable space and listen.

Andre

Exactly. So, as we wrap this one up—if you caught something new or if you’re rethinking the narrative around ‘the woke mob,’ keep asking those hard questions. We’ll keep this conversation going in future episodes, and who knows where we’ll land next. Thanks for joining us, Eric—always a pleasure.

Eric Marquette

Always, Andre. Thanks to everyone listening—we appreciate you, and we’ll catch you next time on Engaging Thought. Take care!