The concept of a “woke” culture is no longer just something being pushed on television, in academia, and in social media. We now live in an age where the woke ideals of the Left — focusing all our social, economic, and political energies on race, gender, and sexual preference — are becoming the norm. It would offer some comfort to think that the self-loathing, white-guilt, historically and socially ignorant movement that has emerged in recent years was just a passing fad, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Woke culture is on the march, and its goal is nothing short of subversion of the American way of life.

Our most sacred institutions are under attack, with the Left pushing wokeness in places we once thought beyond the reach of social politics. The American school system has long been a target of the Left. Before the holidays, the American Legislative Exchange Council announced it was considering a move that would allow state legislatures to mandate history and civics standards. This comes on the heels of a federal bill that would fund teacher training and curriculum development in civics. This one-two punch would have a devastating effect on the teaching of history and civics in American schools. Remember how the 1619 Project tried to rewrite history to portray America as being founded on the basis of slavery? Unfortunately, that was just the beginning.

These new programs now being considered would put the teaching of American history and civics squarely in the hands of boards heavily populated by left-leaning if not outright Marxist college professors and career bureaucrats. Acting beyond the reach of lawmakers and parents, these boards would be free to push whatever agenda they choose. And if there is any guess as to what that agenda may be, refer to the aforementioned 1619 Project or the scrapping of Stanford University’s Western Civilization requirement in 1988 that launched the so-called multiculturalism movement.

It should come as no surprise what the woke movement has in store for the teaching of civics and history. Education has long been a battleground for the heart and soul of the country. What is more surprising, and maybe even more alarming, is what is taking place in our nation’s military.

Just before the holidays, Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller accepted without reservation all 15 recommendations proposed by a diversity and inclusion board appointed to improve racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion in the U.S. military. The board was established to examine the culture of the military after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. No word yet on what one has to do with the other, but the power of wokeness rises in part due to its ability to spread its tentacles across all institutions.

Among the recommendations Miller accepted are for military recruiting content “to reflect the current and future racial, ethnic, and gender demographics of the United States,” or, more appropriately, whatever the woke mob says those demographics are or should be.

Further recommendations call for greater diversity among officer ranks, a review of aptitude tests to ensure they do not impact diversity, and inclusion of diversity and inclusion instruction in all professional military education. Miller promised that the military will still maintain its rigorous standards for recruitment and promotion, but there really is no way to guarantee a true merit-based system when ethnic diversity is the cornerstone of an institution.

The military is already having trouble meeting its recruiting quotas, with an estimated 70% of America’s youth unqualified to serve because of obesity, physical and mental health issues, and misconduct. The pandemic notwithstanding, the Pentagon has been struggling to find decent recruits and has entered the digital world where Generation Z lives to reach young people with mobile apps and social media messaging.

How can America be expected to maintain a lethal fighting force when it cannot drum up enough recruits worthy of the uniform or when it is more concerned with appeasing woke social justice warriors at home than facing real threats from China, Russia, and elsewhere? Maybe it’s not supposed to.

After all, woke culture is all about unraveling America in favor of a new social paradigm that is based on the very racist hypocrisy that the Left accuses the country of perpetuating.