Why is it so easy to signal things like wokeness, left-leaning, or right-leaning, but so hard to signal the pursuit of meaning, building something that will last, or that you're a hopeless romantic?

I’d imagine it’s a theater vs drama thing (in a James Carse sense). The former has a script and is largely meant to be performed, with winners and losers, right and wrong. The latter is a present-moment, first-person experience that unfolds indefinitely. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_and_Infinite_Games

a jiraffe on the internet • nf.td/morereese

Super interesting point! There is definitely a difference in the lived experience between these two mindsets. Maybe the signal can be found in that difference.