In The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, British author and journalist Douglas Murray takes readers on a bold and unsettling journey through the fault lines of Western society’s current culture wars. Published in 2019, the book explores how once well-meaning movements around social justice and equality have evolved—some might say devolved—into something more dogmatic, divisive, and authoritarian.
Murray’s central argument is that our societies have entered a phase of collective psychological instability—what he calls “crowd madness”—where rational discourse is being replaced by ideological hysteria. He focuses on four core areas of modern life where he believes this dynamic is most visible and dangerous: gay rights, feminism, race, and trans identity.
This is a book that challenges orthodoxies, urges skepticism, and calls for nuance in a time of cultural absolutism.
A World Turned Upside Down: The Book’s Premise
The title The Madness of Crowds echoes Charles Mackay’s 19th-century work on mass delusions (Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds), and Murray uses the comparison to suggest that our culture has entered a similarly irrational period. He argues that:
- Public discourse has become increasingly tribal and hysterical.
- Certain identity groups have become sacrosanct, placing them beyond criticism.
- Activists and institutions are rewriting moral frameworks around oppression and privilege, often with unintended consequences.
- Victimhood is currency, and competing for it has created a zero-sum game in society.
Rather than offering solutions, Murray provides a deep critique of the current trajectory, asking readers to pause, think critically, and resist ideological extremes.
Chapter 1: Gay
Murray, a gay man himself, opens with a surprising critique: the battle for gay equality has already been won in the West. Yet rather than celebrate and move forward, some activists continue to push for visibility and validation in increasingly extreme forms.
He highlights examples where:
- Corporate overreach in pride movements becomes hollow virtue signaling.
- Celebrities and academics face backlash for expressing unorthodox views.
- The LGBTQ+ acronym keeps expanding to the point of absurdity, making it difficult to define or defend coherently.
Murray’s concern is not with gay rights, but with how the movement has shifted from seeking tolerance to demanding conformity of thought, especially in academic and media spaces.
Chapter 2: Women
The chapter on feminism explores the MeToo movement, gender pay gap narratives, and the shifting definition of sexism.
Murray acknowledges the importance of confronting abuse and inequality, but argues that:
- MeToo often collapsed due process, equating accusations with guilt.
- The conversation around gender pay disparity is often oversimplified and weaponized.
- Men are now often spoken of in blanket terms as oppressors, creating a climate of fear and resentment.
He also critiques intersectional feminism, which attempts to layer different kinds of oppression into a rigid hierarchy, often leaving no room for individual nuance or dissent.
Chapter 3: Race
Race, perhaps the most volatile subject in the book, is where Murray treads carefully—but critically.
He argues that modern conversations on race:
- Often treat white people as inherently complicit in systemic racism, regardless of personal behavior.
- Create an unforgiving moral code that forces people into perpetual apology.
- Devalue personal achievement by reducing individuals to racial categories.
Murray is particularly critical of ideas like white fragility and unconscious bias training, suggesting they amount to ideological indoctrination rather than tools for healing or understanding.
He supports anti-racism in principle but opposes the totalitarian and divisive way in which some of its ideas are now enforced.
Chapter 4: Trans
Perhaps the most controversial chapter, Murray explores the rise of transgender activism and its clash with reality, science, and civil liberties.
He does not deny the existence of gender dysphoria or the need for compassion toward trans individuals. However, he questions:
- The speed and extremism of recent demands, especially around language, pronouns, and legislation.
- The push to medically transition children, sometimes without parental consent.
- The idea that “gender is a spectrum” and entirely divorced from biology.
Murray criticizes how dissenters—including doctors, feminists, and academics—have been silenced, deplatformed, or fired for expressing concerns. He sees this not as progress, but as a new orthodoxy enforced by fear.
The Common Thread: Power Through Victimhood
A central theme running through the book is how victimhood has become a new form of power. Murray argues that in today’s culture:
- Individuals gain moral authority by claiming oppression.
- Entire institutions shift their policies based on emotional outrage rather than evidence.
- Public shaming and “cancel culture” have replaced honest debate.
He warns that these dynamics are not sustainable. Societies cannot function when people are incentivized to compete for victim status, or when debate is shut down by accusation rather than argument.
The Role of Technology and Academia
Murray also touches on the role of social media, which amplifies outrage and makes complex conversations shallow and combative. He suggests platforms like Twitter and TikTok are particularly adept at fueling the madness by rewarding virality over truth.
He also criticizes universities for becoming activist training camps, where students are taught not how to think, but what to think. Safe spaces, trigger warnings, and speech codes all contribute to a culture where free inquiry is dangerous, and ideological purity is paramount.
A Call for Sanity: Forgiveness and Humility
Despite its provocative tone, the final message of the book is one of reconciliation. Murray argues that to escape this madness, we must:
- Relearn the value of forgiveness, both personal and societal.
- Abandon the pursuit of moral certainty and ideological purity.
- Recognize that most people live complex, contradictory lives that defy simple labels.
He urges a return to liberal humanism, where people are judged as individuals rather than as avatars of a group, and where disagreement is not seen as hate.
Conclusion: Why This Book Matters
The Madness of Crowds is a controversial and polarizing book—but it’s meant to be. Murray isn’t trying to placate or appease. He’s asking the reader to question the sacred cows of our time and to think critically about the cultural revolutions unfolding around us.
Whether you agree with him or not, his critique resonates with a growing number of people who feel that public discourse has become hostile, tribal, and irrational. His call for rationality, empathy, and open dialogue is a reminder that liberal societies must constantly negotiate the tension between justice and freedom—and that when the crowd becomes mad, reason must be our refuge.
TL;DR:
- The Madness of Crowds critiques modern identity politics in four areas: gay rights, feminism, race, and trans ideology.
- Murray argues that rational debate has been replaced by ideological extremism and social hysteria.
- Victimhood is used as a form of moral power, and dissent is often punished.
- The book warns against cancel culture, social media mobs, and institutional cowardice.
- Murray’s solution is a return to forgiveness, individualism, and intellectual humility.
