The rationing rules in New York and elsewhere are not the product of anything resembling conventional political persuasion. No party would support—certainly not openly—the essentialization and instrumentalization of race in medicine. Few are willing to defend policies such as these on the merits, because what exactly would they say? Tellingly, these controversies have received limited coverage from mainstream outlets. Recently, the Associated Press published an article portraying claims of race triage as right-wing propaganda. “Medical experts say the opposition is misleading,” the story declared. (I requested comment from the AP about its coverage. A spokesperson responded, “AP does not do editorial commentary, nor does it have an opinion agenda. It is an independent, nonpartisan, fact-based news organization.”)

Asserting that reality is not real simply because it is a Republican talking point is gaslighting. Ideas, even good ones, become destructive when they demand that people prioritize advocacy over truth. Central to what I and others call woke ideology are the notions that racial identity is all-encompassing and the primary mover of politics; that systemic prejudice alone accounts for disparities across ethnic groups; and that any steps taken to correct those outcomes are presumptively justifiable and cannot be questioned in good faith.

Democrats and liberals now find themselves under considerable pressure to acquiesce to this way of looking at the world. Going against the norm is simply too costly if you want to remain a member of the tribe in good standing. There is no end to this way of thinking, unfortunately, and we are all susceptible to it. In a zero-sum political struggle, anything that could conceivably undermine morale on your side is perceived as helping the other side. And the other side, the argument goes, is an existential threat.