Okay, I am taking a page from Ms. Schwan, but this column is not about her, just about my personal feelings lately. I think pride month is a perfect time to reflect on them. I love all my rainbow friends, know I love you.
For the record, I am NOT a father or intend to be, but those that are, happy ties.
Lately the right wing radio sh!t show has decided to attack ‘Woke Culture’ and we will get to that in a moment, but as I reminded friends the other night, getting rid of the ‘R’ word was a successful campaign, because it was played out well, I can’t say that for the current state of woke.
I don’t care if you are queer, had an abortion, smoked pot or ran a stop sign. The great part about America is we get to try things. Sometimes more than once.
I have to tell you that I am not confused by the ACA, BLM or the Proud Boys. I get it, but the woke culture really gets under my skin.
If you are offended maybe you should just stay home. I understand your grievances when it comes to someone saying something you are offended by, that’s life learn from it. My favorite founding father, Ben Franks said it best;
If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.
I would not want to live in that world, and you should not want to either.
The Woke Culture, which received a surge with the tragic death of George Floyd, has since been collaterally and effectively attacked in recent months first by a fear that the police were going to be defunded and now more recently by the critical race theory debate. These insurgent thoughts, which have been placed into the minds of million of Americans, has in some ways placed the Woke movement in a defensive posture, which in my opinion only further fuels a political correctiveness – an element of that movement as well as most movements found on the left side of the aisle in our country – and thus, causing many in that movement to be over sensitive or offended.
But it is important to note, however, that the right practices political correctiveness as well when they are offended that someone would kneel during the National Anthem for instance. But the difference is, that a discussion of the flag still has a majority friendship with most Americans, while a discussion about racial equity sadly has a minority tolerance within a national community which is still dictated by white thoughts, indifference, and actions. This imbalance then causes issues of race which fight for equality to be at a disadvantage and their advocacies are more likely to be challenged and questioned if their advocacy appears judgmental or offended, while classic white thought is not.
So, the greatest threat right now to the Woke Movement is the effectiveness of the Right to use what I would call Madison Avenue tactics to challenge the issue of Woke, to diminishes it, and thus, change the political narrative surrounding it, which criticism of the Woke Movement and its offended responses are all products of.
This Madison Avenue approach, however, should not be a surprise to us either, because many on the Right are virulent capitalists who depend upon marketing to survive, to profit, and to get ahead and stay in power. And only when the Left begins to understand this marketing game and begins to practice it as well, will left of center positions like true Woke positions and policies prevail and overcome the current social malware tactics of the Right, that work to give, or try to give Woke a bad name.
( and Woodstock adds: “When you wrote: ‘… that work to give, or try to give Woke a bad name’, I think you just showed a classic example of how many try too hard to not offend…. just saying…. “….. #TrickyWaters )
“TrickyWaters”? That sounds like a great book title to commemorate next year’s 50th anniversary of Watergate. It succinctly combines the essence of Tricky Dick with Watergate, if you ask me. Or, would Dickgate be better?
In the words of Rodney King; “Can’t we just get alongâ€. There’s so much deviation in our culture that it’s hard to assess without being pretentious. Isn’t everyone a minority? There’s no longer a distinct race. There’s lots of mixed race.
General opinions vary widely. L3wis is one I grasp and use to formulate for myelf. I’m not Republican and disregard FOX news. I’m not Democrat and believe them to be to liberal. I’m Indy but with a wide conceptual tone. There’s been a problem with police cruelty that’s being corrected. A worse problem is gun violence. There’s to many guns and lack of control for someone who owns them.
Be you L3wis. You are not a father but I haven’t been a good one. We pay attention unlike most. Never run for public office if you’re not devious and corruptible. What’s important is accepting from the outside some of the mistakes yet being critical at the right time.
There are lots of Hispanics and Asians whose values deserve citizenship. They’re familial and religious. Ideals that the constitution defines to protect. Once enough people die from drugs or refuse the COVID vaccine, time to let some of them in.