What is this thing called ‘woke’?

Conservatives and some liberals are upset about an ideology called “woke.”  Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida says Florida is a place that “woke” comes to die.

Many of my friends say there is no such thing as “woke.”  They say it is just an insulting re-branding of long-standing liberal ideals of individual freedom and social justice.

I don’t agree.  There has been a cultural /ideological revolution in 21st century USA, and “woke” is the blanket term used to refer to its many facets.

You don’t think there has been a revolution?   Consider the following statements.

• Marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman.
• A woman is an adult human female.
• Every American citizen has the right to equal treatment regardless of race,  religion or ethnicity – no more and no less.
• It’s OK to be white.

None of these statements would have been considered controversial 15 or 20 years ago.  Most people would have been baffled as to why you would have bothered to say them.

Or consider these words and phrases: Whiteness.  Gender assigned at birth.  Heteronormativity.  Intersectionality.  Cisgender.  Misgender.  Gender binary.  Identity group.  De-platforming.

These represent a new vocabulary for a new way of thinking.  

My purpose in writing this particular post is not to refute all the ideas that come under the heading of  “woke,” but to point out that they represent fundamental changes in thinking about important things.

Some parts may be good, some parts may be bad, some parts may be good up to a point and counterproductive beyond that point, and some points are used by plutocrats and militarists to divide and rule.

It is unreasonable to expect people to adopt this new way of thinking without giving them a reasoned argument in favor.

And it is a grave mistake to enlist in a new culture war without understanding exactly what the stakes are.

The dictionary definition of woke is “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)”.  Of course this is a good thing, not a bad thing.

“Woke” is also a black slang word, meaning “alert to what’s going on, not naive, especially about hidden racism and racial prejudice.”   This also is a good thing, not a bad thing.

I feel bad about appropriating a term from African-American culture and using it to mean something completely different.  But I think most readers of this blog have some idea of what “woke” means, and I would have to give a couple of paragraphs of explanation if I used an alternate phrase like “the cultural revolution” or “the new ideology.”

What follows is my personal understanding of the key concepts of the new ideology.  It is subjective, but it is based on reading and experience, not pulled out of the air.

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People can be defined as oppressors or victims based on identity.  These identities are based on certain binaries, including white/black, native/immigrant, male/female, straight/gay, cisgender/transgender and able-bodied/handicapped.  If you find yourself in an oppressor category, you have an inherited burden of guilt you can only get rid of by joining the liberation struggle of the oppressed.

Equity is more important than equality.  That is, equitable representation of oppressed groups is more important than equal treatment of individuals (which can be a mask for lack of equity).

Justice for the collective is more important that rights of the individual.   Allegedly fundamental rights, such as freedom of speech, should be set aside if they allow the spreading of harmful ideas.

Race and racial prejudice are baked into American culture.  Racism can never be got rid of, only compensated for.

White supremacy can simply be acceptance of traits common to most white people as normal for everyone.  “Whiteness” as such is a problem, because it excludes non-whites.

Sex and gender are matters of choice, not biology.  A male can become a female, a female can become a male, or either one can define themselves in an entirely new way.  Acceptance of one’s choice is a basic civil right. 

Use of harmful language and images is a form of oppression.

Facts and figures do not override the lived experience of oppressed people.

All issues should be seen through the lenses of racism, sexism and other forms of oppression of the marginalized.  The important thing about environmental pollution, unemployment, low wages and our continuing wars is the disparity between the harm they do to poor people and minorities and the lesser harm they do to dominant groups.

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I am not an adherent of this new ideology.  I have tried to state its tenets, as I perceive them, in as fair a way as I can.  

As I wrote, this post is not an argument about the merits of these ideas, either pro or con.  

I merely point out that they are a break from old-time 20th century liberalism and progressivism, which is based on equal rights for all and special privileges for none.

I also point out that they are not obvious, once the underlying assumptions are brought to the surface.

My plea is for adherents of the new ideology to openly articulate their principles and give reasons for them, and not to expect nor demand automatic acceptance.

And also for opponents of the new ideology to understand what they are opposing and give reasons for their own principles.

LINKS

Of Course You Know What ‘Woke’ Means by Freddie DeBoer.

How DEI Is Supplanting Truth as the Mission of American Universities by John Bailer for The Free Press.

Unlearning the language of Wokeness by Sam Adler-Bell for New York Intelligencer.

The Trouble With Disparity by Walter Benn Michaels and Adolph Reed Jr. for Nonsite.org.

Tags: LGBT Identity, Sex and Sexism, The Great Awokening, Trans Gender