"Woke"- The Radical Idea That People Might Give A Damn About Others
Because human beings were meant to be self-absorbed assholes...right??
I may be an atheist, but that doesn’t mean I don’t share some of the same values as legitimate Christians. And by “legitimate” Christians, I’m referring to those endeavoring to live the teachings of the Lord and Savior these profess to revere.
Again, I don’t believe in God or Jesus Christ. Still, I can and do get behind values like kindness, compassion, peaceful coexistence, tolerance, inclusion, understanding, and acceptance- all core beliefs of Christianity. Or at least they were until the American Taliban came along and remade Christianity into something firmly grounded in hatred, homophobia, racism, Islamophobia, religious intolerance, exclusion, and misogyny. Again, it’s about making room at the table for others and ensuring there’s enough to go around. Or not, if you happen to call the American Taliban home.
Legitimate Christianity is a faith based on joy and happiness. American Taliban Christianity is predicated upon fear and anger. They also harbor the suspicion that “The Other” may be getting things that are supposed to belong exclusively to White Conservative Christian heterosexuals. It’s about keeping those who are “less than” out so that those who are “worthy” can hoard as much as possible for themselves.
Because sharing is for losers and Liberals.
American Taliban Christians are politically Conservative, so much so that they’ve invented a word intended to denigrate those who show respect and compassion for others:
“Woke.”
“[H]having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices….”
So all “woke” really refers to is the idea that one isn’t a self-absorbed asshole and can be aware of what is happening outside of oneself…and give a damn about it? And to the American Taliban/Conservative way of seeing the world, that’s a bad thing?
You’ll have to pardon me as I endeavor to wrap my head around the idea that the “proper” way to navigate one’s way through life is to be a self-centered asshole concerned only with the aggregation of personal wealth. Even as you deny the same to those whom you deem “unworthy,” of course.
Wow, what a shallow and hollow existence that must be, eh? To care for no one but yourself and perhaps only your immediate family. To live in a dog-eat-dog world, where everyone must fend for themselves and those who weren’t fortunate enough to be born into the Lucky Sperm Club are left on their own.
I wonder what it must be like to live a life devoid of compassion, kindness, and joy, to go through life as a borderline sociopath, caring only for yourself and what impacts you directly. Because “woke” breeds dependency and laziness. “Woke” is un-American and leads to the breakdown of time-honored American values. “Woke” leads to the decay of the American family. And “woke” leads to the exclusion of God from the public square.
Except none of that is true because what “woke” means is giving a damn about others. “Woke” really means just being a decent, caring, compassionate human being.
“Woke” is versatile Conservative catch-all epithet:
“Woke” is Republican-speak for those of us who believe every America adult should have a voice in the electoral process of this nation,
for people who don’t believe a human being’s body, gender identity, or sexual orientation are anyone else’s business,
for we who are sickened at the violence against the Asian community: the direct result of the irresponsible rhetoric of a Republican president,
for Americans who are disgusted that a cancer diagnosis now often necessitates a gofundme page, because we are making illness a financial death sentence,
for people who will not abide the assassination of unarmed people of color by members of a police force infected with white supremacy,
for those who grieve the way this nation is ravaged by preventable gun violence because those who profit from it have such a stranglehold on our lawmakers—
for those of us who exhibit the slightest empathy whatsoever toward migrant families or the working poor or people of color, when we see how hostile our nation has been to them and how oppressive it still is.
“Woke” reflects words and concepts like agency, free will, healthcare, peaceful coexistence, gun control, personal safety, empathy, respect, acceptance, tolerance, and…well, you know as well I do that I could turn this into a very long list.
“Woke” includes the things that make America a place worth living, where people give a damn about and look out for one another. It’s about vibrant neighborhoods and law enforcement that can be trusted to look after citizens instead of their self-interest. It’s about government bodies serving the people instead of lining their pockets.
Why the American Taliban has a problem with “woke” is something I can’t wrap my head around unless they see a dysfunctional America as their only path to power…which may well be the case.
When you have nothing positive to offer, “divide and conquer” is probably the best you’re going to be able to do.
When you have nothing to offer save for division, hatred, and misery, it makes sense that you’d want to run down those who want to focus on making America a better place. And, yes, some have been so thoroughly propagandized by Fox News that they’d vote for a hemorrhoid if it had an (R) behind its name. They neither know nor care about what the Left is doing to repair the damage being done by Conservatives, American Taliban Christians, and Republicans. All they know is what they’re told by Fox News all week long and their preachers on Sunday mornings- that only Conservatives and Republicans can save America.
The truth is that Republicans and Conservatives can’t govern, have never been able to govern, and almost certainly will NEVER be able to govern. All you need to do is to look at history, especially that of the recent variety, to learn how true that assertion is. When allowed to control the levers of power, Republicans have consistently dropped the ball.
And if you don’t believe that, you could look at the 15 rounds of voting it took for Republicans to elect Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker. That they spent so much time and energy on in-fighting and fraternal conflict should serve as a preview of their governing strategy over the next two years.
It’s not a pretty picture.
So, yes, “[w]oke” is Republican-speak for anyone who gives a damn about other human beings on the planet. And some Christians and political Conservatives have a significant philosophical problem with that.
Why?
I can’t help but wonder what the Jesus Christ they profess to revere would’ve done. Wouldn’t He have “given a damn?” Wouldn’t He have cared about those who were struggling and hungry? And wouldn’t He have cared for those considered to be “less than?” After all, didn’t Jesus minister to the sick and the hungry? And didn’t He wash the feet of his disciples?
I may be an atheist, but I remember enough of my Sunday School lessons to know that the Jesus Christ these folks claim to believe in would’ve cared for those in need. That’s far more than those denigrating “woke” leftists would bother to do.
I’m hardly one to be judging the quality of someone’s Christian faith, but I can recognize true Christianity when I see it. And I can damn sure recognize hypocrisy, which folks like Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) possess in abundance.
Instead of trying to get their own houses in order, the American Taliban and Conservatives focus their faux holiness on others they believe to be “less than.” Of course, the most obvious target is the LGBTQ community, most of whom want only to be allowed to be their most authentic selves and lead lives that have meaning and purpose. Why so many others feel moved to meddle in how the LGBTQ community lives and deny them fundamental human rights remains a mystery to me.
Unless, of course, their meddling has more to do with their own insecurity. Are they, deep down, insecure about their sexuality? Do they fear what they might learn about themselves if they dig beneath the surface? Does their desire to oppress others reflect their unwillingness to suppress their fear of themselves?
And does that drive them to be genuinely, abjectly awful human beings?
It’s woke to want fair elections.
It’s woke to be anti-racist.
It’s woke to be anti-fascist.
It’s woke to trust Science.
It’s woke to wear a mask in a pandemic.
It’s woke to be the parent of a bullied child.
It’s woke to want to be addressed with the gender you identify with.
It’s woke to want a less-polluted community.Anything that brings equity gets this label from the Right because inequity is its only goal.
Whoever you are, whatever you believe, and whatever you may call it, being “woke” means that you care- about others, about injustice, about climate change, about reproductive rights, about LGBTQ rights…. You give a damn. You stand for equality, for human rights, for equality of opportunity. You stand for something because you care.
Those aren’t radical ideas unless you’re a member of the American Taliban and your version of Jesus Christ represents hatred, racism, exclusion, misogyny, homophobia, and Islamophobia. If that’s the case, your Christianity isn’t Christianity at all. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not the religion of love and peace I learned about during my Sunday School years. Instead, your faith represents a joyless, hateful amalgam of views that revolve around seizing, consolidating, and holding onto political power.
By any means necessary.
And I genuinely feel sorry for the joyless, hollow existence you must lead. How pathetic and sad that must be.
