ENCORE: The Identity Trap—Part 2

Even after historic civil rights progress over the last sixty years, there’s no denying that certain groups of people still face real, serious, and even systemic discrimination. In pursuit of justice, many well-meaning activists have made identity central to their cause—arguing, for example, that in order to right wrongs, rules and laws must treat people differently, not equally, depending on the groups to which they belong. Whatever you think of the term “wokeness,” this new ideology has spread like wildfire through academia, journalism, entertainment, governments, and corporations, radically changing politics, policy, and our public discourse. But what if they have missed the mark? What if crusading identitarianism is doing more harm than good? What if it’s actually chipping away at some of the bedrock principles of our liberal democracy? If we want honest answers, we have to take these ideas seriously. In this two part series, host Ron Steslow and Yascha Mounk break down his new book, “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.” In this second episode, they discuss how the identity synthesis moved from college classrooms, to Tumblr, to newsrooms and workplaces. They discuss the common “with us or against us” attitudes the identity synthesis produces and the infighting at progressive institutions over identity issues. They discuss the impact that “cancel culture” can have over trust in scientific research and why the identity synthesis isn’t compatible with liberal democracy. Segments to look forward to: (01:14) How the identity synthesis moved from college classrooms, to Tumblr, to the workplace (10:40) The “with us or against us attitude” that dominates institutions overtaken by the identity synthesis (16:00) The crippling infighting at progressive institutions over identity issues (16:50) The identity synthesis and cancel culture (26:32) How cancel culture erodes trust in research and institutions (36:21) Why the identity synthesis is incompatible with liberal democracy (44:00) How to handle backlash Get the book: Order a hardcover copy: Get the audiobook: Get it on Kindle: Follow Ron and Yascha on X (previously Twitter): Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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ENCORE: The Identity Trap—Part 2 is an episode from Politicology by Politicology.

This episode is 56:57 long.

This episode was published on Mar 11, 2026.

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