This is actually really scary. As American universities become less powerful I shudder to think of what kind of radical politics and cultural narratives will sweep the nation.
Isn't this exactly the opposite of the current state? That the overwhelming power of Universities in the US is what spreads cultural and political movements? I think you could argue that the entire Woke enterprise is centered on Universities particularly elite ones.
It is my understanding that the "woke" movement in universities is generally driven by the students and not the faculty. Now I personally never saw any of this shit when I was in college, but from what I've read of various newspaper stories, it seems that almost all of the outrage-du-jour stories generally start with the students complaining about something, not the faculty or administration doing something reprehensible.
Can you argue that is the source and/or the majority of the people? Maybe the views of a small number of academics have been amplified by those who have opposite political views and a dedicated audience
Not a Historian but it seems pretty clear that a lot of activism comes directly out of Universities. Berkeley is famous in that regard for example. These movements do tend to ripple across the country.