Wokeism

Florida Governor, and presidential candidate-in-waiting, Ron De-Santis has declared all-out war on “wokeism.” Last year he declared, “I think what you see now with the rise of this ‘woke’ ideology is an attempt to really delegitimize our history and to delegitimize our institutions.” He added, “I view the wokeness as a form of cultural Marxism.”

Really?? The old commies are back under the bed?

Initially, according to Wikipedia, “in activism and politics, ‘woke’ [meant] ‘alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.’ Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexism, social justice, and the notion of white privilege.

“The term has become a growing awareness regarding the extent of historical discrimination faced by African Americans.”

Conservative columnist David Brooks wrote in 2017 that “to be woke is to be radically aware and justifiably paranoid. It is to be cognizant of the rot pervading the power structures.”

So, what is so insidious about this ideology that DeSantis and others are denouncing it as evil?

DeSantis’ general counsel, Ryan Newman, admitted the term means “the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them,” but he added that DeSantis doesn’t believe that there are systemic injustices in the United States.

Oh?!! Hasn’t DeSantis heard of the violence and murders enacted on Black Americans because they are black?

The rest of us have. So, the opponents of “wokeism” refute that racism that still infects our country, but what actual damage does this “ideology” do to our society?

DeSantis, Newman, Trump, and all the deniers of the problem of systemic racism continue to live their lives free of the “harm” “wokeism” supposedly does. They are unchallenged by it. They are unblemished!

Except in the eyes and hearts of those of us who really are awake.

They’re free to continue their “performative activism” against “woke” – activism done to increase one’s social capital rather than because of one’s devotion to a cause.

They’re also free to downplay a real-life threat to our country, Russian aggression in Ukraine.

In contrast to their war against “woke” both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have said defending Ukraine was not a vital U.S. interest!

To Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, DeSantis said: “While the U.S. has many vital national interests – securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural and military power of the Chinese communist party – becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” adding, “Russia would definitely not have raided and attacked Ukraine if I was your president.”

Really? Given his downplay of that “territorial dispute,” how would a President DeSantis have stopped Vladimir Putin’s invasion? With no interest in supporting Ukraine how could anyone expect Ron DeSantis to stand up to the “Chinese communist party”?

China certainly won’t.

Conservative columnist Bill Kristol, a Trump critic, asked, “Will Republican internationalists and hawkish elements in the party’s donor class rally to candidates like Pence, Haley, or Christie now that DeSantis has joined Team Tucker on Ukraine? Or will they once again submit, and embrace dangerous demagoguery?”

How is “wokeism” a greater threat than Russian aggression?

The only harm I have ever heard any parents allege is the fear that it might make their children feel guilty.

Well, Mom and Dad, I expect that your children have already done many things that have caused you to admonish them and subject them to guilt.

If not, you are not doing your job as a parent.

Psychologists will tell you that guilt “originates from a process of self-evaluation and introspection.” From guilt we develop sympathy, “a sense of shared similarities together with a profound engagement.” From sympathy we learn empathy, “the cognitive and emotional reactions of an individual to the observed experiences of another.”

We learn compassion when we recognize the suffering of others, whether from disease, hunger, war, natural disaster, or racial and ethnic bigotry.

Even from just a skinned knee. These are values we expect every responsible parent to instill in their children in rearing them to be good citizens.

We have many laws and rules to carefully enumerate all the behaviors society will not tolerate.

But we really need only one for an honest and enlightened populace. In Christianity it can be found in Matthew 7:12. “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” In Luke 6:31 it is “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.”

We call it “The Golden Rule,” and it is not exclusive to Christianity.

It can be found in Judaism in Deuteronomy as “love the stranger.”

It appears in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Isocrates, and Seneca.

It even can be found in “The Analects” of Confucius who predates Jesus by 500 years!

The biggest threat to our democracy is certainly not “wokeism.”

It’s not even Russian aggression. It is politicians delegitimizing our core values. Instead of strengthening our Union, they seek to agitate our fears and divide us.