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The Moral Panic at the Centre of Our Politics
The language of the mob is being used to delegitimse those using the power of social media to fight for social justice
The right have convinced themselves that the values that they hold dear are under threat from what is often described as a ‘woke mob.’
If I am to understand their argument, the claim being put forward is that woke acolytes want to supplant debate with an unthinking conformity to a set of group norms centred around the politics of identity. Should you resist, you will be threatened with reputational damage until you desist or face cancellation — either by being no platformed or by losing your job or social status.
The language of the mob is immediately instructive, because it serves — as much of this discourse does — to delegitimise in advance the claims being made. You don’t need to reason with a ‘mob’ because a mob is, by definition, an unreasoning mass seeking to exert its unthinking will through threats, violence and intimidation.
This use of this language isn’t new in the history of political conflict and its use is instructive as the language of the mob is almost always used by those in power to object to those holding power to account. It is how the British elite spoke of the American…
