Does “woke” capitalism induce “Catholic socialism?”

by Fr. Robert A. Sirico ,

Some believers have been blindsided by the rise of “woke” capitalism. Tempted to see a conspiracy of elites, they look to the resurgent anti-market, big-government “right.” That’s a mistake. When CEOs jump on the latest “social justice” bandwagon, they’re not responding to secret memos from globalist bigwigs but engaging in one of the oldest practices of business owners: trying to appeal to customers by echoing their values.

Some believers have been blindsided by the rise of “woke” capitalism. Tempted to see a conspiracy of elites, they look to the resurgent anti-market, big-government “right.” That’s a mistake. When CEOs jump on the latest “social justice” bandwagon, they’re not responding to secret memos from globalist bigwigs but engaging in one of the oldest practices of business owners: trying to appeal to customers by echoing their values.

The anti-religious, anti-family ethic of “woke” activists undermines the basic social structures of any free society. Liberty is fragile. It rests upon citizens schooled in self-restraint. Convince people to “follow their bliss” rejecting any ethic beyond “self-actualization,” and you get broken families and communities with massive government programs serving as Band-Aids on gaping wounds. Freedom is not merely the absence of restraint. True freedom is self-command, practiced virtue in pursuit of some higher goal. Abandon that, and you’re ruled by the iron law of addiction, or the heavy hand of a government desperate to impose order at any cost.

The “woke” have abandoned freedom. First calling for mere “tolerance,” they now target Christian businesses and schools with civil and criminal actions, using state coercion to demand submission.

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