OPINION:
What began as abstract theories in academia have seeped into every corner of Western society, warping institutions and silencing dissent. Diversity, equity and inclusion ideologies, born in academic journals and championed in college lecture halls, have reshaped the cultural landscape, prioritizing virtue signaling over logic, reason, truth and responsibility.
The grooming gang scandals in England are the clearest and most horrifying manifestation of this cultural decay, where political correctness was valued more than protecting innocent lives.
For years, authorities in towns such as Oxford and Rotherham ignored rampant abuse by grooming gangs. It’s no coincidence that these towns are home to two of the best-known universities nationally and internationally. Those targeted are overwhelmingly young, White, working-class girls and women. Reports of rape and exploitation surfaced repeatedly, but officials and academic elites turned a blind eye. Why?
Because the perpetrators were predominantly from minority backgrounds and, addressing the issue risked accusations of racism. Matt Goodwin, a British political scientist, writes that one of the most shocking events in his academic career was at Oxford University (Oxford had a grooming gang), where professors denied the scandal.
These academic elites ignored these horrors to maintain their position in polite society within the ivory tower. This moral cowardice allowed abuse to continue unchecked for decades while it ruined thousands of lives. At the same time, institutions tasked with protecting these young women hid behind the false shield of “tolerance” and “inclusion.”
This failure didn’t happen in a vacuum. It results from a culture shaped by higher academia’s obsession with virtue signaling and identity politics, where people are judged not by their actions but by their place in a hierarchy of perceived oppression.
Higher education used intellectual phrases such as DEI, critical race theory and intersectionality to turn concepts like privilege and oppression into dogma. Academic journals became echo chambers for these ideas, spilling into public institutions, corporate policies and the broader culture. The result is a society more concerned with signaling its virtue than confronting hard truths and serving justice.
In England, this ideology paralyzed the institutions meant to protect the vulnerable. Social workers hesitated to intervene even in the most horrifying abuses of children, fearing accusations of bias. Police avoided investigations, worried about being branded bigots. Politicians who were desperate to avoid controversy prioritized appearances over action. The victims, dismissed as inconvenient reminders of reality, paid the price for this culture of denial and suicidal empathy.
The consequences of virtue signaling extend far beyond these scandals. Across the West, institutions have grown increasingly unwilling to confront uncomfortable truths unless they fit the “woke” narrative.
For example, colleges have given carte blanche to their students to protest against Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, but when these mobs attack Jewish students, it’s silent. This ultimately led to the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University to step down. Recently, the editor in chief of Scientific American also stepped down after exposing herself as a partisan with a history of publishing unscientific, “woke” propaganda over meaningful data and research.
Because higher education prioritizes optics over truth and big academic journals reward this prioritization with publications and grant money, public trust in these institutions has eroded. People realize universities are no longer willing to train them in critical thinking and in-demand skills. Further, they cannot even count on these institutions to protect them from being raped or killed.
In the grooming scandal in England, this betrayal was particularly grotesque. Vulnerable girls from disadvantaged backgrounds were left to fend for themselves because confronting the truth didn’t fit the ideological agenda. Their suffering was a price the system was willing to pay to preserve the illusion of inclusivity. It is a dark stain on the moral fabric of modern Western society.
This cultural sickness demands a reckoning. Holding individual officials accountable is not enough. We must confront the ideology that enabled these failures and reject the performative culture that elevates appearances over substance.
Academic institutions must return to intellectual rigor and open debate. They must abandon the dogmatic echo chambers that have made them factories of conformity. Public institutions must refocus on their core mission: protecting and serving all citizens, regardless of political or cultural sensitivity.
Most importantly, we as a society must find the courage to speak the truth. Demanding justice for victims is not racist or intolerant. Holding perpetrators accountable, regardless of their background, is not bigoted. Insisting that institutions prioritize their duty to the vulnerable over the fear of offending sensibilities is not oppressive. This is all common sense, but we all know that it’s in short supply these days.
The victims of these scandals will never get back what was stolen from them. But their stories must serve as a warning and a call to action.
Virtue signaling has proved itself not just hollow but dangerous.
It is time to abandon the false pieties of political correctness and restore the principles that make us strong.
Truth, justice and moral responsibility are not optional, but essential. And if we fail to uphold them, the cost will be our values and our very civilization. Let us speak the truth about how virtue signaling, starting in higher education and academic journals, is destroying our society.
• Isaiah Hankel is a bestselling author and the CEO of Cheeky Scientist. He can be found on X @drisaiahhankel.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.