In mid-April, Dr. Frank Kaufmann and Dr. David Burgess were invited to Irvine, Orange County, to deliver a four-hour lecture titled “Fighting for America: Protecting Our Future with a More Perfect Alliance.”
Simple acts of crime do not require philosophical thinking or theoretical guidance, but when certain theories or ideologies lead to totalitarianism and widespread slavery and death, people need to have the courage and decisiveness to uproot harmful ideas before they poison and destroy the future of a nation.
Kaufmann, who served on the boards of multiple international peace organizations, founded “The Settlement Project” in 2020, advocating for a world of enduring freedom and peace under God. Burgess, a former leader of several social, political, and educational organizations, serves as the political and educational advisor to the project.
During their lecture, they analyzed the French Revolution and the Russian October Revolution, compared communist theories with Western civilization, and discussed the current “Woke Revolution” in America and how to end the woke culture.
Every revolution presents appealing claims, Burgess said. The French Revolution advocated for the ideal visions of liberty, equality, and fraternity, yet went through a tumultuous (and bloody) period of ten years. The Bolshevik (Soviet) Revolution in Russia promised peace, land, and bread, but ended up lacking bread and peace. The current woke revolution promises rights, diversity, fairness, and inclusivity but has fueled hatred and division.
“After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Marxist class analysis was no longer popular, replaced by postmodernism,” Burgess stated. “Race and gender theories stand at the forefront of radicalism, not only rejecting God but also rejecting universal truths, religious truths, and philosophical truths.”
Kimberlé Crenshaw, a professor at UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School, is a leading figure in gender theory and Critical Race Theory (CRT). Judith Butler, author of “Gender Trouble,” is a key figure in gender theory, arguing that gender is performative.
“They use personal experiences to explain their perceived persecution,” Burgess said, where facts and truths are replaced with “my experience,” and good and evil are redefined to fit the narrative of the oppressed.
Burgess introduced the first element of wokeism as “Standpoint,” based on the perspective held due to social status. White people allegedly fail to recognize white supremacy and oppression of non-whites, known as “white fragility.” This theory originated with Nancy Hartsock, who transitioned from being a Marxist to a feminist.
Woke culture has also fueled “Cancel Culture,” including erasing historical figures and cultural heritage, renaming, toppling statues, rewriting history, and erasing cultural traces.
Regarding related “Identity Politics,” Burgess stated that it begins by identifying some people as in a state of “marginalization and exclusion,” with oppression being built into the system. Nikole Hannah-Jones, in 2019, argued that the foundation of America should be traced back to 1619 when African slaves were brought to the New World, claiming that “society is built on racial discrimination.”
Woke theorists also argue that gender is socially constructed, not biological. Burgess stated, “Gender identity is the most blatant attack on science and objective truth and a severe threat to human dignity.”
At the core of wokeism is the pursuit of “Equity,” which sounds good in theory, but Burgess described it as handing over the keys to a nice car to whoever is deemed most deserving, calling it fair. The French and Russian revolutions followed a similar approach.
“Everything is done in the name of equity,” Burgess said. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) started in academic institutions and has been ingrained into education, businesses, government, and society. “When more people accept the view that America is systemically racist and corrupt, dissatisfaction reaches a critical point, and people may seek solutions from Robespierre or Lenin when left with no choice.”
“The so-called wokeism is more aggressive and destructive,” Kaufmann examined history. When the consciousness of social inequality reached a tipping point during the Enlightenment and placed God in a subordinate position, it led to the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution. When the Industrial Revolution made social inequality intolerable and elevated Marxism as supreme, Russia witnessed tyranny, imprisonment, and massive death. In less than 70 years, over 100 million people globally were killed in the name of revolution, damaging world civilization and the material environment.
He stated that today’s radical and progressive left still adhere to Marxism, attacking traditions more thoroughly: “Not only eliminating belief in God but also eliminating truths and replacing them with subjective experience, erasing meaning, order, and language, suppressing dissent, and prohibiting thought.”
Kaufmann believes that while conservatives spend a lot of time arguing on social media, the left follows a cunning strategy, effectively undermining the judicial system and fair elections.
“CRT is like a self-triggering, self-devouring virus, bringing more hatred and division into society; not only destroying its followers but potentially destroying America,” he warned. “Unlike the social system targeted in the French Revolution, the woke revolution aims to destroy culture and interpersonal relationships. One’s lineage and skin color are seen as the source of evil, and if you are a white ‘oppressor,’ you will be eliminated.”
However, Kaufmann pointed out that the solution has long existed in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” When people believe they are created by God, it forms the basis of shared values, which is also the greatness of America.
Kaufmann expressed that today, there is a significant divide between people, with intense opposition and attacks against each other. He remarked, “If a strong nation loses its ability to be kind and moral, the world will be in great danger. I choose the term ‘Settlement’ to describe the resolution of disputes and people working together to build a better nation.”
Since the advent of 24-hour cable news, they have been seizing the discourse. “When people lose faith in God and become obsessed with solving problems through science and secular means, the moral foundation of humanity begins to erode,” Kaufmann explained, stating that returning to the family can restore individuals and revive morals as the family is the foundation of society.
He emphasized that immigrants from around the world bring diverse cultural practices, and differences are not necessarily negative but can be constructive, which is also the greatness of America. However, governing by law, people’s opposition to illegal immigration is because it disrupts the rule of law.