Please Explain to Me How Being “Woke” Is a Bad Thing?
If the choice is “woke” and aware vs “asleep” and clueless, I don’t get it.
I have been seeing a lot about this whole notion of “woke” culture from the far right being portrayed as a bad thing.
What is “woke” culture, anyhow?
A quick search online brings me to this conclusion – “woke” culture is where people, businesses, and other entities not impacted by certain injustices – for example, white people who will never endure what black people do – start to be aware and actively participate in demanding fair treatment, equality, and the like.
Somehow, this has gotten weaponized – mostly by politicians – to pass laws that are negatively impacting voting rights, abortion, LGBTQA+ rights, and anything else not male and white. “Woke” is seen by these people as pushing an alternative view of the way the world works. That includes the topics of LGBTQA+ rights, critical race theory, and anything else where – to be blunt – white people have always dominated.
But what would the opposite of woke, in this content, be? Unaware? Ignorant? Clinging to the past? Because I cannot for the life of me place a legitimate reason to be the opposite of aware – which is what “woke” is.
Let’s get literal a moment
When you are awake you are capable of being consciously aware. Note – I write capable, here, because there are plenty of people who live life awake and not consciously aware.
Some do so by choice. They allow themselves to be lived by life and just go with the flow. Others allow themselves to run on autopilot, letting their subconscious mind take the wheel and do the driving.
When you are asleep – literally – you’re not consciously aware. Nor are you capable of being consciously aware. And for some people, their subconscious minds in sleep take them to all kinds of places – many of which are undesirable.
Nightmares and unpleasant dreams. Stress dreams. Anxiety dreams. Unconsciously chewing on past events and future fears. Not fun at all.
The first step you need to take control of your life is to be awake. Literally. Not just not asleep, but consciously aware of both yourself and what is going on around you. In other words – mindful and practicing mindfulness.
This can be applied to all matters of who, what, where, how, why, and when you are. This is both literal and metaphorical.
This means that you must be awake. Or “woke”.
Please tell me again how “woke” is or can be a bad thing?
To be woke is to be aware
I am a middle-aged, white, mostly straight, cis-gendered male. The only distinction I have in this regard is that I was raised Jewish (and still, culturally, am).
Thus, I know that I will never fully know or understand the plight of a woman, a black person, an immigrant, any other POC, anyone LGBTQA+, Muslim, or anything not white and male. I can’t.
However – that doesn’t mean I do not fully support the things that will help people I am not and never will be. That’s why I went to the protest at the Supreme Court the day the pending decision was leaked. It’s why I won’t eat at Chik-fil-a at all. It’s why I try not to buy products from companies that support taking away rights, limiting freedoms, or harming the planet.
I guess that makes me “woke”. I’m aware of those doing harm and have compassion and empathy for the people who will be harmed as such.
Explain to me how this is a bad thing?
Anything that harms anyone harms all of us, people. It’s that simple. Abortion happened before Roe vs Wade. It will happen if they repeal it – but now a lot more lives will be lost, and the prison system will become even more overwhelmed as new classes of people go to prison. The history of the United States is not all about the white guys – it involves people of color, too. That’s why critical race theory matters.
Knowledge is power. When you are awake do you gain more knowledge? Of course! And therein lies the truth of the lie.
The “woke” have a clue
One of the greatest tragedies of the information age is how much disinformation is out there. Worse, not just out there – but spread. Worse still, the line between legitimate and fake news sources is so badly blurred that people are falling hook, line, and sinker for propaganda and other outright bullshit.
The idea that being “woke” makes someone less is ludicrous. Unless you are awake you gain nothing. You can’t learn anything – hell, you can’t do anything unless you are awake.
“Woke” is the same. You don’t just learn to a certain point and then stop. Much as some people want us to think this is so, you don’t stop learning after formal schooling and college.
One of the biggest reasons they want to keep critical race theory out of schools – as well as lots of other important things like sex education, music, and other arts – is to keep you unaware. The last thing “they” want is for you to be awake and aware. Why? Because they lose the shaky, false power they have.
To be fair, our society needs laws and a degree of order. But do we need career politicians, long out of touch with reality and real people, or these meritless, clueless talking heads making those laws? Hell no. All of their so-called power is artificial. And they play on the fears of people to attain it.
One of the biggest causes of fear is a lack of knowledge. We tend to be afraid of things we don’t know. Thus, if you are “woke” you have a clue. If not, you don’t.
How much easier is it to control a person half-asleep, unaware, and afraid? Very.
So, explain to me again how “woke” is in any way bad?
You see what’s really going on out there
That’s the problem. Critical race theory acknowledges black people, their struggles, and their place in our history. Increasing LGBTQA+ equality and protection recognizes that not straight, not cis-gendered people exist. Taking away legal abortion dismisses the bodily autonomy and equality of women.
Guess what? Black people have been just as much a part of American history as white people. Oh, and you also need to include the indigenous peoples, Asians, Hispanics, and all the other non-white non-male participants in our society, too. Not-heterosexual is a matter of wiring – it just is, like being tall or short. And women are equal to men in most ways, and frankly superior in many, too.
How is “woke” culture a bad thing? I’m suspect because it is an awake and consciously aware culture. And a society that’s awake and consciously aware becomes dangerously empowered. That removes the need for lots of demagogues, talking heads, and various other people in power or seeking it.
Do you like not having control of your life? I am going to venture a guess and say no. You desire to be in control of your life. Can you be in control if you are not awake? No. Hence, you need to be woken up to take control.
“Woke” and aware and able to take control – versus “status quo” – I guess – and asleep without control? Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Please explain to me how being “woke” – and thus in control and consciously aware – is a bad thing? The truth is that it’s not at all. In fact, it looks like a positive to me.
Thank you for coming along on this ride with me.
This is the four hundred and thirty-second entry of my Positivity series. I hope that these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog, and spread the positivity.
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