Episode
The New Woke Is Smarter Than The Old Woke | Reihan Salam
- Podcast
- The Winston Marshall Show
- Published
- May 23, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4438
- Processing state
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Summary
In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with Reihan Salam for a conversation about the rise of the “second generation woke,” the collapse of institutional trust, and why so many young people are turning towards radical politics on both the left and the right.Salam argues that a generation shaped by the 2008 financial crisis, failing institutions, housing insecurity, and cultural alienation has become deeply cynical about the West and increasingly drawn to grievance-based ideologies. We explore why movements around figures like Zohran Mamdani and Hassan Piker are resonating with younger voters, how identity politics evolved into a more professional and organised form of neo-socialism, and why elite institutions have become increasingly hostile to the very inheritance that built them.The conversation examines housing crises, public sector dysfunction, dependency culture, and the collapse of community and family structures. Salam makes the case that modern politics has replaced responsibility and continuity with victimhood, resentment, and what he calls “smash and grab politics” — a short-term mentality that exists on both the authoritarian left and right.We also discuss masculinity, fatherlessness, anti-Western education, immigration, assimilation, and whether younger generations have been psychologically failed by the institutions that raised them. Salam explains why he believes both America and Britain are experiencing a crisis of competence, leadership, and cultural confidence — and why that vacuum is now being filled by increasingly radical movements.Finally, we tackle the future of the Democratic Party, the politics of Gaza and Israel, Trump’s immigration policies, rising political violence, and whether America is entering a period of dangerous pola…