Brivael Le Pogam, a French writer, has issued a public apology on behalf of all French people for the global spread of French Theory, which he describes as the intellectual foundation of wokism. In a provocative article published in the National Post, Le Pogam argues that French thinkers such as Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Gilles Deleuze have inadvertently created a toxic ideological system that now paralyzes the West.
The Intellectual Roots of Wokism
Le Pogam acknowledges France's historical contributions to philosophy, citing figures like Descartes, Pascal, and Tocqueville. However, he contends that the post-1968 intellectual landscape gave rise to Foucault, Derrida, and Deleuze, whose ideas have been weaponized against Western civilization. Foucault's claim that truth is merely a product of power relations, Derrida's deconstruction of stable meaning, and Deleuze's preference for rhizomatic, nomadic structures over hierarchical ones have, according to Le Pogam, eroded the pillars of truth, morality, and cultural inheritance.
How French Theory Crossed the Atlantic
Le Pogam traces the journey of these ideas from France to American universities, where they found fertile ground in the 1980s. He argues that America's puritanism, racial guilt, and identity obsession provided a perfect substrate for French Theory, leading to the birth of wokism. He cites Judith Butler's concept of gender as performance, Edward Said's post-colonialism, and Kimberlé Crenshaw's intersectionality as direct descendants of French thought.
The Consequences of Deconstruction
The writer laments that an entire generation has been trained to deconstruct but not to build. He argues that this mindset has led to a civilization that no longer recognizes objective truth, moral distinctions, or the value of its own heritage. Le Pogam concludes that French Theory, while perhaps intended as an intellectual game, has had devastating practical effects, leaving a generation that sees power everywhere and beauty nowhere.
