# #452 — Is Wokeness Finally Dead?

An episode of [Making Sense with Sam Harris](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/733163012), 7 Jan 2026, 21 min.

Audio: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wakingup/Making_Sense_451_John_McWhorter_paywall.mp3?dest-id=480596

Sam Harris speaks with John McWhorter about language, ideology, and moral certainty. They discuss the rise and persistence of "wokeness" and DEI, the legacy of George Floyd's death, the role of social media in amplifying moral panic, how identity shapes perceptions of Israel-Palestine, the linguistics of Donald Trump, the rise of casual speech, conspiracy thinking, positions McWhorter has reconsidered, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

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