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 Talk

00:58 Why Woke Persists

01:30 Education Lacks QA

02:10 Validation Over Ideology

04:53 Defining Woke Origins

06:35 From Civil Rights to Overreach

07:43 Flawed Woke Reasoning

10:02 How Woke Spreads

11:16 Equity Outcomes and Activism

13:33 Deconstruction Playbook

17:50 Woke Hall of Fame

21:39 Perfect Storm in Education

25:42 QA Solution Framework

27:41 ISO 9001 and HACCP

29:42 Authority and Adoption

30:55 Four Phases Implementation

33:35 Validation and Hazard Analysis

34:47 Audits Monitoring Corrective Action

37:09 Aggressive Feedback Loops

39:05 WIN Notice Explained

41:41 Curriculum Content Validation

43:12 Audits in K-12 Schools

44:53 K-12 QA Wrap Up

45:47 Universities as the Source

47:29 University Validation Hurdles

50:30 University Auditing Red Flags

51:58 Objections and Pushback

57:12 Failure Modes and Fixes

59:39 Cost and Staffing Reality

01:02:08 Closing Q&A and Next Steps

Amazon Kindle version: Wokicide: Pest Control for Education: https://a.co/d/0d0YeApM

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