THE IDENTITY TRAP

A passionate book about how the things we have in common are greater than the things that divide us.

Early on Mounk reminds us that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, some health authorities decided that the limited supplies of the newly created vaccine should be allocated to people according to race even though it meant that fewer lives would be saved. This led him to the conclusion that the conflict between identity politics—his preferred term is identity synthesis—and liberalism is the critical struggle of our time. Mounk, the author of The Great Experiment and The People vs. Democracy, should not be dismissed as a reactionary basement scribbler: He is a respected academic at John Hopkins University, a contributor to the Atlantic, the founder of Persuasion magazine, and he has published prolifically about the dangers of far-right extremists and nationalistic demagogues. An unabashed liberal, the author acknowledges the lure of identity politics, with its quasi-religious fervor and Manichaean simplicity. The trap is that by placing group identity at the center of all discourse, it locks in a victim mentality and a pattern of destructive conflict. Mounk also notes that identity politics deliberately ignores the social progress made since the 1960s. For years, identity politics was a marginal academic interest, but the explosion of social media and the election of Donald Trump took it mainstream. It found its way into media organizations, government agencies, corporations, and schools, and its advocates were always ready to shout down and punish anyone who disagreed. For it to spin out of control, Mounk writes, it only requires that good people stay silent. Hardcore proponents and detractors alike may not be won over, but there is a vast middle that can be reached through open debate and plain common sense. This book is a solid launching point for further constructive debate.

A thoughtful deconstruction of identity politics well worth discussing.