"New York Times admits ‘woke’ ideology is losing its ‘grip on the country’"

The New York Times acknowledged in a weekend analysis that the surge of "woke" ideology that followed George Floyd's death in 2020 has largely subsided this election cycle, with Democrats distancing themselves from progressive calls to defund the police and decriminalize border crossings.

Jeremy Peters, a national reporter for the paper, penned an article titled "In Shift from 2020, Identity Politics Loses Its Grip on the Country."

In the piece, Peters highlighted that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, has been showcasing her support for law enforcement by "boasting about protecting her home with a Glock, proclaiming her patriotism, and campaigning alongside Republicans like Liz Cheney."

Progressive slogans such as “defund the police” have vanished from the 2024 campaign trail, and Harris has pivoted her message, “reminding voters of the drug dealers she put in prison” during her tenure as a California prosecutor.

Harris has also taken a more subdued approach to gender identity issues. Unlike in 2019, when she introduced herself at a CNN town hall by sharing her pronouns, Harris now “changes the topic when asked” about taxpayer-funded gender reassignment surgeries for detained migrants and prisoners, according to Peters.

The article also pointed to a broader backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, with corporations scaling back such programs amid criticism from conservatives. Similarly, prominent universities have stopped requiring job applicants to sign "diversity statements," documents affirming their commitment to DEI values.

Peters noted how cultural shifts have impacted language usage as well, with terms like "Latinx" becoming less common. Polls from both 2020 and 2024 show that fewer than 5% of Latinos use the term, marking a sharp departure from its prominence in previous years.

The Times piece further observed that, compared to 2020, when many Americans—Democrats included—reported feeling unable to express their beliefs freely for fear of progressive backlash, there’s now a growing acknowledgment that some identity-focused progressive policies "were never broadly popular."

In contrast to 2020’s Democratic primary debates, where candidates sparred over ideas like defunding the police, decriminalizing border crossings, and eliminating private health insurance, this year’s candidates have largely avoided such topics, focusing instead on more centrist positions.