Did The Great Feminization Cause The Great Awokening? - Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone

Podcast Summary

Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone

Episode Title: Did The Great Feminization Cause The Great Awokening?
Release Date: October 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking solo episode, host Sasha Stone explores the provocative thesis that “The Great Feminization” of Western culture directly led to “The Great Awokening”—the rise of wokeness and cancel culture. Drawing extensively from Helen Andrews’ Compact Magazine essay and subsequent book, Stone examines the intersection of gendered behavioral norms, social and political shifts, and the crisis of masculinity. The episode is a blend of personal reflection, social commentary, and cultural analysis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Great Feminization Thesis

Stone introduces Helen Andrews’ argument:
- “Cancel culture is simply what women do whenever there are enough of them in a given organization or field. That is the Great Feminization thesis… Everything you think of as wokeness is simply an epiphenomenon of demographic feminization.”
  — Sacha Stone quoting Helen Andrews [00:27]
Wokeness and its patterns (empathy, safety, cohesion) mirror female social norms that have become dominant as women entered fields traditionally led by men.
Stone identifies parallels in survey data:
- “71% of men said protecting free speech was more important than preserving a cohesive society, and 59% of women said the opposite.” [01:32]
The “epidemic” of wokeness is not necessarily rooted in ideology, but in the demographic and behavioral influence of women.

Quote:
“Wokeness is not a new ideology, an outgrowth of Marxism, or a result of post-Obama disillusionment. It is simply feminine patterns of behavior applied to institutions where women were few in number until recently.”
— Sacha Stone quoting Helen Andrews [00:50]

2. Cultural Shifts and Cancel Culture

Stone recalls Tumblr (circa 2013) as a starting point of cancel culture, originating with young girls enforcing conformity and control [03:25].
The feminization thesis helps explain why cancel culture flourished and why social justice narratives often center emotional narratives, safetyism, and moral signaling.

3. Empowerment and the Role of Advertising

The shift in corporate America from targeting women for practical purposes to targeting them for empowerment (as seen in ads for Pantene, Always) [06:17–07:52].
Stone debates whether such marketing is genuinely empowering or simply another form of pandering.
Critiques the “mixing of social issues with selling products,” noting it shapes both consumer habits and self-conception.

Quote:
“I feel like even if it is like a publicity thing, not only is that happening, but it’s also helping with like women’s self esteem and empowerment.”
— Sasha Stone [07:38]

4. Generational Dynamics and Political Fallout

Women, increasingly empowered post-Oprah era, expected more social and political wins (e.g., Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid) [08:00–09:00].
The disappointment post-2016 led to further entrenchment of feminist and woke ideologies, especially among white liberal women.
Societal shifts have led to boys and men feeling disempowered or lost:
- “I watched how boys ... came of age in a society that punished them for who they were, and many of them wander around aimlessly. Or they become mass shooters, or they suffer lives of quiet desperation.” [04:34]

5. The Crisis of Masculinity and the Rise of Trump

Stone connects Trump’s political victory and appeal to his unapologetic masculinity, in contrast to Obama’s more feminized leadership style:
- “Barack Obama was not [an unapologetic masculine man]. He was a sensitive, empathetic man … If the end result of that was a feminization of society, then Trump is the response to it.” [09:00]
References her own satirical “Make America Masculine Again” ad riffing on this dynamic [11:20].

Quote:
“Let’s make it okay to be a real man again. Are you with me, ladies? Because let’s face it, we’ve seen what a culture without men looks like, and it’s not very fun.”
— Sasha Stone [11:44]

6. Crossover with Race and Emotional Manipulation

Stone argues that understanding wokeness as feminization “removes any discussion of race” and reveals virtue signaling by white women as the real driver of woke culture [15:26].

7. Extreme Examples: Mass Hysteria and Online Vitriol

To illustrate the intensity of feminized woke discourse, Stone plays a sample TikTok rant filled with polarizing, emotionally charged language attacking a political figure [16:14–18:22].
Suggests this mass hysteria is the result of emotional power tactics traditionally associated with women being institutionalized.

8. Solutions and Looking Ahead

Stone questions whether the changes can be reversed (“How do we stop it? How do we change it? I’m not sure it can be fixed.”) [18:22]
Cites Helen Andrews’ suggestion that a return to meritocracy could “take care of itself.” [18:52]
The “Fourth Turning” context: Trump as the “grey champion” restoring a lost masculine balance in society [12:00, 19:00].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“[Cancel culture] is simply what women do whenever there are enough of them in a given organization or field.”
– Helen Andrews, read by Sasha Stone [00:27]
“Wokeness really did mark a significant departure in how our institutions function.”
– Cindy Hsu [13:57]
“We have lost something. If history departments become feminized, ... the institutions just don’t work as well.”
– Helen Andrews [14:44]
“[Trump] is an unapologetic, heterosexual, masculine man. ... If the end result of [Obama] was a feminization of society, then Trump is the response to it.”
– Sasha Stone [09:38]
“The only identity group not allowed is masculine, heterosexual men.”
– Sasha Stone [02:18]
“How did we think it would turn out?”
– Sasha Stone [03:34]
“I lived all of this because I am, or was, the typical female liberal.”
– Sasha Stone [05:00]
“How else to explain it? Listen to this woman who is straight out of central casting for the kinds of women who control the left and thus society.”
– Sasha Stone [16:02]
“We must build anew. Build outside of what is in place. Now, we’re halfway there already.”
– Sasha Stone [18:40]
“Thank you, Beyonce.”
– Sasha Stone [24:43]

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00–02:00 – Introduction to the feminization thesis and its key arguments
03:25–04:35 – Rise of cancel culture via Tumblr and social media
06:17–08:00 – Corporate empowerment campaigns and gendered marketing
09:00–09:55 – 2016, the Hillary loss, the “Oprah generation” and political fallout
11:20–12:00 – Satirical “Make America Masculine Again” ad
13:57–15:12 – Helen Andrews’ and Cindy Hsu’s discussion on institutional feminization
16:14–18:22 – Extreme online woke rhetoric illustrated via TikTok rant
18:22–19:08 – Reflections on solutions and the prospect of renewal
20:26–24:43 – Beyoncé/Oprah segment on female empowerment in culture

Additional Highlights

Stone’s personal journey: Describes the sense of isolation from other women for not going along with the dominant culture (“Why am I not behaving like all the other women by obeying the rules of Woketopia?” [02:55])
Impact on the next generation:
- She explains her motivation as a parent to critique these trends, hoping to carve a freer path for her daughter [04:50]
Reflections on aging and femininity:
- Stone analyzes how new feminist narratives attempt to erase the discomfort of aging and loss of sexual currency for women [08:30–09:00]
The cultural exhaustion:
- Hollywood and pop culture, she claims, have become “more boring and dreary” as a result of feminization [02:22]
Blurring virtues and consumerism:
- The lines between social progress, branding, and commerce are examined critically [06:40–07:38]

Summary Conclusion

In this dense, controversial monologue, Sasha Stone contends that the rise of “wokeness” stems primarily from the demographic and behavioral feminization of American institutions and culture. She argues that this drives conformity, emotional manipulation, and the decline of traditional masculine virtues, and has led—ironically and inevitably—to Donald Trump’s resurgence as a cultural counterweight. Stone blends empirical data, cultural criticism, autobiography, and satire to advocate for a renewal of meritocracy and masculinity in society, while warning that present trends may continue unless actively countered.

For more: www.sashastone.com

Transcript

Sacha Stone (0:00)

Hi, this is Free Thinking through the fourth Turning. My name is Sacha Stone. Did the Great Feminization cause the Great Awokening? The short answer is yes. The question then becomes, what then must we do? Somehow I miss the story that appeared in Compact Magazine by Helen Andrews, the Great Feminization. In it, she writes, cancel culture is simply what women do whenever there are enough of them in a given organization or field. That is the Great Feminization thesis, which the same author later elaborated upon at book length. Everything you think of as wokeness is simply an epiphenomenon of demographic feminization. The explanatory power of this simple thesis was incredible. It really did unlock the secrets of the era we're living in. Wokeness is not a new ideology, an outgrowth of Marxism, or a result of post Obama disillusionment. It is simply feminine patterns of behavior applied to institutions where women were few in number until recently. How did I not see this before? End quote. And the substance fits too. Everything you think of as wokeness involves prioritizing the feminine over the masculine, empathy over rationality, safety over risk, cohesion over competition. Other writers who have proposed their own versions of the Great Feminization thesis, such as Noah Carle or Beau Weingart and Corey Clark, who looked at feminization's effects on academia, offer survey data showing sex differences in political values. One survey, for example, found that 71% of men said protecting free speech was more important than preserving a cohesive society, and 59% of women said the opposite, end quote. And this, which would make a great dystopian sci fi novel. All of these brilliant observations matched my observations of wokeness. But soon the happy thrill of discovering a new theory eventually gave way to a sinking feeling. If wokeness really is the result of the Great Feminization, then the eruption of insanity in 2020 was just a small taste of what the future holds. Imagine what will happen as the remaining men age out of these society shaping professions and the younger, more feminized generations take full control. End quote. Yes to all of this. I would also argue that a feminized society has given more power to the LGBTQIA movement because the one identity group not allowed is masculine, heterosexual men. Feminization has meant to me a much more boring and dreary culture. Agonizing if you want the truth. Hollywood has never recovered. Her piece explains much of what I've been dancing around in the past five years. And it might explain why hatred toward me, especially by women, is so profound. Why am I not behaving like all the other women by obeying the rules of Woketopia. Cancel culture started on the pages of Tumblr circa 2013 when middle school aged girls began constructing a totalitarian system of control that punished people for stepping out of line. Here was Liat Kaplan admitting she helped Start also has its roots in the rise of Black Twitter. Though largely driven by women, when it was co opted by the more dominant group, white women, it swallowed society whole. At least on the left and in the bubble. And when you think about it, whole generations of girls have been raised to be empowered, while men have been raised to be exactly the opposite. Disempowered. How did we think it would turn out? So much of our common theories about what's happening to us can be laid at the feet of the matriarchy and the left's ongoing insistence that the system of oppression upon which their movement is based has not been fundamentally altered. They still need a fresh crop of oppressed people because that is how white women find their sense of purpose, their virtue signals illegal immigration, Free Palestine in order to justify their authoritarian control of our culture and its institutions. They still pretend we live in a rape culture where women are victims and men are predators. And yet we know things have dramatically changed. Their movement cannot account for that change. I raised a daughter in the same progressive schools and culture that bred this madness. Part of why I write this site and have risked so much is to help clear a path for her to live a freer life and say what she actually thinks without losing everything. But I also watched how boys raised alongside her came of age in a society that punished them for who they were, and many of them wander around aimlessly. Or they become mass shooters, or they suffer lives of quiet desperation. And yet none of us ever thought about why this may be, or at least why we didn't have adequate solutions. We all know what happened with girls and boys in our schools. I watched it happen. The boys had too much energy, couldn't be controlled, and were constantly singled out as the problem, while the girls thrived. Yet the only response was to try to change the boys so they fit rather than change the system to accommodate their needs. I lived all of this because I am, or was, the typical female liberal. I remember when mostly white women, the Oprah generation, became the most profitable demographic with the most disposable income. We were mostly unmarried homeowners, business owners, or the ones who went to work while men stayed home with the babies. All corporations aimed their products at us.