Thursday, July 6, 2023

WOKE--What's in a Word?


Much as Communist or Socialist has been a handy scare-word since the Fifties for the Right to hang on anyone with progressive social views, now woke is the term of opprobrium that really gets their knickers in a twist, especially the knickers of Florida's governor.

Woke's a word politicians struggle to define--tricky because it can sound like moral theology.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, woke means 'alert to and concerned about social injustice and discrimination.'

What's so bad about that? Isn't it what most religions teach?

(Here's the thing that may have damned the term for the Right. Woke began as a term in Black slang and gained more widespread use as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. And we know what the Right feels about BLM.)

Through his spokespersons, we learn that Gov. Desantis defines woke as the belief that there are systemic injustices in America and that these injustices should be addressed. 

Fair enough. That's a good definition. And why wouldn't one want to acknowledge and work to correct these injustices?

Ron gets round this sticky dilemma of choosing not to address these injustices by simply declaring that there are none. Nope, we're all equal with equal opportunity, equal advantages, equal treatment. 

Magical thinking at its finest.

6 comments:

Sandra Parshall said...

"Florida is where woke goes to die" -- that's all we need to know about that state. Why anybody would want to live there, educate their children there, or do business there is beyond me.

Susan M. said...

Stay "woke."

Marcia said...

I am woke. More of us should claim this to give it strength.

Anonymous said...

Sandra - Unfortunately, some of us are stuck here - lacking funds or assistance to go anywhere else. I was born here and have spent a large part of my life here, but I don't recognize the place I've known. Wasn't problem free, but for the most part it was a good place to live. Now, I keep looking for the FREEDOM deSantis is claiming for the state - harder and harder to find.

Vicki - Love the little birds. Your flowers and critters always bring my blood pressure down a notch or two.

Anvilcloud said...

It’s another word that people don’t know the meaning of (oops grammar).

Janet Morrison said...

Very well stated, Vicki. The Right has hijacked "woke" and twisted it to be something evil. Nevertheless, I'm woke and proud of it!