Paul Graham—Published 'The Origins of Wokeness' essay describing it as a 'mind virus'
Graham published a widely-read essay titled 'The Origins of Wokeness' that described 'wokeness' as a 'mind virus' emerging from universities. The essay targeted BLM, Me Too movement, and DEI initiatives, and suggested organizations remove 'aggressively conventional-minded people.' Critics noted he erased the term's Black vernacular origins. A transgender YC alum said the essay 'creates the permission structure for people to discriminate against me.'
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEI Programs | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Racial Justice | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.443 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
Published 'The Origins of Wokeness' essay describing it as a 'mind virus'
Graham published a widely-read essay titled 'The Origins of Wokeness' that described 'wokeness' as a 'mind virus' emerging from universities. The essay targeted BLM, Me Too movement, and DEI initiatives, and suggested organizations remove 'aggressively conventional-minded people.' Critics noted he erased the term's Black vernacular origins. A transgender YC alum said the essay 'creates the permission structure for people to discriminate against me.'