David Smith: “Wokicide: A Quality-Control System to Reclaim Education” #413

David Smith explains his book “Wokicide,” arguing that “woke” (critical social justice theory rooted in critical theory and postmodernism) persists in universities and schools because education lacks quality control, not because of politics. He proposes applying ISO 9001 and HACCP-style quality assurance to K–12 and universities: validated curriculum specifications, independent expert panels, hazard analysis, audits (scheduled and targeted), corrective action, and continuous improvement. A central Workplace Improvement Notice (WIN) system would let staff and even parents file tracked complaints with guaranteed responses, replacing DEI/unconscious-bias training with “deprogramming” modules and prioritizing evidence and accountability. Smith says QA would stop unvalidated ideological drift and is affordable by redirecting existing DEI-related spending.00:00 Intro and Two-Part Talk00:58 Why Woke Persists01:30 Education Lacks QA02:10 Validation Over Ideology04:53 Defining Woke Origins06:35 From Civil Rights to Overreach07:43 Flawed Woke Reasoning10:02 How Woke Spreads11:16 Equity Outcomes and Activism13:33 Deconstruction Playbook17:50 Woke Hall of Fame21:39 Perfect Storm in Education25:42 QA Solution Framework27:41 ISO 9001 and HACCP29:42 Authority and Adoption30:55 Four Phases Implementation33:35 Validation and Hazard Analysis34:47 Audits Monitoring Corrective Action37:09 Aggressive Feedback Loops39:05 WIN Notice Explained41:41 Curriculum Content Validation43:12 Audits in K-12 Schools44:53 K-12 QA Wrap Up45:47 Universities as the Source47:29 University Validation Hurdles50:30 University Auditing Red Flags51:58 Objections and Pushback57:12 Failure Modes and Fixes59:39 Cost and Staffing Reality01:02:08 Closing Q&A and Next StepsAmazon Kindle version: Wokicide: Pest Control for Education: https://a.co/d/0d0YeApM========Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summariesMy Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1