10 woke trends that are dying out and making boomers happy
It’s official: 2026 is the year the cultural pendulum finally swung back, and the data proves what many have suspected for a long time. After nearly a decade of walking on eggshells, corporate apologies, and linguistic gymnastics, a massive shift is underway. Recent numbers from Resume.org reveal that 1 in 8 companies (12.5%) are actively scaling back their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments this year, with nearly half citing the changing political climate as the main driver.
For years, we watched institutions overhaul themselves to appease the loudest voices on social media. But now? The market is correcting itself. From boardrooms to box offices, the trends that dominated the early 2020s are fading, replaced by a return to tradition, merit, and plain old common sense.
Here are 10 woke trends that are dying out in 2026 and why Boomers are loving every minute of it.
The Great Corporate DEI Retreat
Remember when every company felt the need to lecture you on social justice while selling you lawnmowers? That era is over. In 2026, Corporate America is quietly dismantling its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracies.
A recent survey by Resume.org found that 1 in 8 companies are actively scaling back their DEI commitments this year, with nearly half citing the changing “political climate” as the primary reason. Major brands like Tractor Supply Co., John Deere, and Ford have publicly dropped their DEI programs to reconnect with their core customers. Even the federal government joined the party in January 2025 with an executive order demanding the end of “radical and wasteful” DEI programs in federal agencies.
For Boomers who always believed the business of business is business, this return to neutrality is a breath of fresh air.
ESG Investing Hits a Wall
For a while, your retirement fund manager seemed more interested in saving the planet than growing your nest egg. But money talks, and in 2026, it’s saying, “show me the returns.” Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing, once the darling of Wall Street, is hemorrhaging cash as investors prioritize performance over politics.
Morningstar data reveals that global sustainable funds suffered massive outflows of approximately $55 billion in the third quarter of 2025 alone. Why the exodus? Investors got tired of underperformance and “greenwashing.” Boomers, who rely on 401(k) stability, are leading the charge back to traditional investments like energy and defense, which have outperformed the market. It’s about time fiduciary duty meant making money again.
Hollywood’s “Go Woke, Go Broke” Reality Check
You can only insult your audience for so long before they stop buying tickets. Based on 2025 Box Office reports, Disney’s 2025 live-action Snow White flopped hard, grossing just $206 million worldwide against a massive budget of around $270 million, failing to even break even. Audiences rejected the modernization of the classic 1937 tale, sending a clear message that they want entertainment, not a sermon.
Meanwhile, shows that respect traditional storytelling are shattering records. Amazon’s Reacher Season 3 amassed 54.6 million viewers in its first 19 days, becoming the platform’s most-watched returning season ever. Similarly, Yellowstone continues to dominate, with its Season 5 Part 2 premiere drawing 16.4 million viewers. The data shows that competent, stoic, apolitical heroes still rule the screen.
The Return of Merit to the Ivy League
For years, elite colleges dropped standardized testing in the name of “equity,” but that experiment has failed. Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, and Caltech have all reinstated mandatory SAT or ACT requirements for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. These institutions admitted that test scores remain the best objective predictor of academic success, regardless of a student’s background.
This shift comes alongside the fallout from the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action. Princeton saw Black enrollment drop to 5% in 2025 (down from 9%), and Harvard saw a decline to 11.5%, signaling a return to race-blind admissions. For Boomers who championed the idea that you should get ahead based on your grades and hard work, this is a massive vindication of the meritocratic ideal.
Comedy Is Allowed to Be Funny Again
The era of “clapter”, where audiences clap at political points instead of laughing at jokes, is dead. Comedians who were once “cancelled” or ostracized are selling out arenas in 2025. Louis C.K.’s “Ridiculous” tour sold out massive venues like the Fox Theatre and even international arenas, proving that the public decides who is funny, not the media.
Look at Shane Gillis. Fired from SNL in 2019, his 2025 Netflix sitcom Tires (Season 2) scored a perfect 100% critic score and a 92% audience score, sitting at #2 on the streamer. Even Jerry Seinfeld made waves by calling out the “extreme left” for ruining TV comedy, a sentiment that resonated deeply with older audiences. We can finally laugh again without looking over our shoulders.
The Death of “Latinx”
Few linguistic inventions have failed as spectacularly as “Latinx.” Pew Research updated its data in 2024 and 2025 to find that only 4% of U.S. Hispanics use the term, while a staggering 75% say it should not be used. It turns out that rewriting an entire gendered language to suit academic sensibilities didn’t sit well with the actual people who speak it.
Politicians and corporations have frantically scrubbed the term from their vocabulary in 2025 to stop alienating Latino voters. This rejection highlights a broader fatigue with elite linguistic policing. Boomers always rolled their eyes at this one, and the data shows they were right to trust their gut.
Email Signatures Are Cleaning Up
The trend of putting pronouns (she/her, he/him) in bio sections and email signatures is vanishing. In January 2025, federal agencies received orders to remove gender pronouns from email signatures, citing a return to professional neutrality. The corporate world is following suit, realizing that these declarations often create more division than inclusion.
Research from 2024 found that the use of pronoun lists on platforms like Twitter (now X) was almost exclusively linked to left-wing political signaling. As the culture shifts, professionals are dropping the signals. It’s a return to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” standard of professional life that Boomers thrived in: do your job, and leave your personal identity at home.
Return-to-Office Mandates Are Sticking
The “digital nomad” laptop class is facing a rude awakening. Major employers like Amazon and the Federal Government enforced strict 5-day in-office mandates in 2025, signaling the end of the era of remote work entitlements. Management wants eyes on employees, and they want collaboration to happen in person.
Who loves this? You guessed it. According to HR Daily Advisor, Baby Boomers have a 83% approval rating for RTO mandates, significantly higher than Millennials (37%) or Gen Z. They value face-to-face interaction and mentorship, and they believe work is a place you go, not something you do from your couch.
“Heroin Chic” Replaces Body Positivity
The “Health at Every Size” movement is losing ground to a harsh reality: thin is back in. Fashion weeks in 2025 saw a drastic reduction in plus-size models, with casting directors reverting to the “heroin chic” aesthetic of the 90s.
What drove this? The explosion of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. The widespread availability of weight-loss medication has shifted the cultural ideal back toward leanness, decimating the body positivity narrative that dominated the 2010s. While the health implications are debatable, the cultural shift validates the Boomer era’s diet-culture norms over the recent push for total acceptance.
The End of “Cancel Culture” Panic
Finally, the weaponization of social shame is losing its power. 2026 is being dubbed the “Year of the Uncancellation,” as public figures shrug off online mobs and continue to thrive. The fear that a single tweet could ruin a career has dissipated as the public becomes desensitized to the outrage cycle.
People like Bill Burr and Joe Rogan continue to dominate the charts despite, or perhaps because of, constant controversy. Public opinion polls show a growing fatigue with “call-out” culture, with more Americans viewing it as punishment rather than accountability. For Boomers, who grew up with the adage “sticks and stones,” this thicker skin is a welcome return to normalcy.
Key Takeaway
The data from 2025 paints a clear picture: the “woke” cultural experiment has hit a hard ceiling. From the collapse of DEI departments and the rejection of “Latinx” to the box office failure of preachy movies, Americans are voting with their wallets and their attention. For Baby Boomers, this isn’t just a trend; it’s a vindication of a worldview that values merit, resilience, and common sense.
As we move forward, we are seeing a correction that prioritizes competence over identity, and frankly, it’s about time. The pendulum always swings back.
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
20 Odd American Traditions That Confuse the Rest of the World
20 Odd American Traditions That Confuse the Rest of the World
It’s no surprise that cultures worldwide have their own unique customs and traditions, but some of America’s most beloved habits can seem downright strange to outsiders.
Many American traditions may seem odd or even bizarre to people from other countries. Here are twenty of the strangest American traditions that confuse the rest of the world.
20 of the Worst American Tourist Attractions, Ranked in Order
20 of the Worst American Tourist Attractions, Ranked in Order
If you’ve found yourself here, it’s likely because you’re on a noble quest for the worst of the worst—the crème de la crème of the most underwhelming and downright disappointing tourist traps America offers. Maybe you’re looking to avoid common pitfalls, or perhaps just a connoisseur of the hilariously bad.
Whatever the reason, here is a list that’s sure to entertain, if not educate. Hold onto the hats and explore the ranking, in sequential order, of the 20 worst American tourist attractions.
