I think you might be missing and underrating the actual huge damage the "woke" dynamic is responsible for. For starters, I believe it's the biggest single factor that accounts for Trump's victory by a LANDSLIDE. (I voted for Jill Stein). I believe I am not alone among "unwoke" older people from a leftist, not right wing, background who would NEVER have voted for a Democrat this month. I am NOT happy that Trump won. I AM happy that Harris lost. The country, especially younger people, is not "moving to the right." The reality is that there is no left. And anyone with a clear head but who actually accepts the mis-labeling of today's Democrats or liberals as "left" are rational in rejecting it and seeking something else. They are rational in rejecting people who feel and IMPOSE that correct pronoun usage should be a mandated social norm or that untested "vaccines" should be arbitrary with no personal choice at the cost of your job. All while they unconditionally support a murderous terrorist state at the same time. Sure there are individual nuances among people. But the general trend of no faith in the "liberal establishment" seems obvious. Including a rising disenchantment among blacks, Latinos and other "oppressed minorities" who noticeably voted for the "right" in increasing numbers. The "woke" reaction to this last fact would be to say, "Oh, but they just don't understand." It's not really rudeness, I think, it's more like patronizing or condescension that upsets people. With all this, I believe there are actually MORE younger people than older people that are repulsed by the genocide going on .
My favorite "woke exposer" is lifelong LEFTIST Cindy Sheehan. This linked post shows vivid, concrete examples of what "being woke" is and its effects on people. Most of all, the clip about "Whoopi and the Bakery." It's pretty self evident.
I am not sure that white men are being "made" to feel bad. I have noticed that some white men feel that they are being ignored or left out whenever there is a push to hire more people of colour or more women. I think that if white men or women feel they are being pushed aside, it is because they have had the spotlight, have been the "norm" for too long. "Woke" is a right wing term. The rest of us just look at it as justice, equality, fairness. The first time I was ever accused of being "woke" by a right wing thinker, I had to figure out what woke even meant. It is a ridiculous accusation, really.
The term really confuses me, but I keep reading posts and hearing from people leaving left groups or parties -- or so called left, since I think that terms been co-opted as well -- because they were so tired of being belligerently called out.
It does seem like a term of the right, yet I've seen people who consider themselves progressive do this. Apparently it's done a lot on university campuses.
I'm really tired of the divisiveness of this kind of behaviour, but maybe I'll drop the term woke, because honestly, I don't understand it.
Thank you for your thoughts I love reading your substack and I agree we need to come together, respect each other, and be kind. I think, however, the term “woke” has been hijacked by the far right. My understanding of the term, and I could be wrong, is that it describes someone who has awakened to reality. I would not consider anyone who disparages anyone’s identity as “woke”. The right has co-opted the term. I think describing people who are insensitive towards others as the “woke crowd” buys into the Rights co-option of the term. I’m unsure who the “woke crowd” that you refer to is.
Thanks for this, Lois, because I don't actually understand the term either. But I've been told by a number of younger people that 'woke' often implies calling out in a way that is quite rude, and has a lot of them moving to the right. Maybe I'll edit the post and use another term. It seems like it might be triggering, and I'm not sure that it's accurate.
I think that is people being manipulated by those who want the term woke to indicate someone who is self righteous or whatever. Even before the term woke became a thing, people would accuse those seeking justice and fairness of being self righteous or idealistic or do gooders or some such thing. Anything to avoid looking at themselves as lacking in empathy.
I agree with your assessment that we will need to disagree agreeably and be a broad tent if we are to solve the crucial issues of our time. But like others have pointed out in the comments section, the right-wing media machine has successfully managed to bastardise the term “woke” and blame its perceived ideology on the loss suffered by the Democrats in America.
No one on the left claims to practice woke-ism. Such a term is rightly offensive to anyone who knows what woke actually meant before the right started to bastardise it. I understand your intention with this post was not to offend but to unite. But I think we need to be careful with allowing right-wing attack slogans on the left to become acceptable language.
There was a guy on Twitter, whose name eludes my brain at this moment, who admitted that the debates around CRT and “woke culture” were concerted efforts by the right to put the left on the defensive in America. This highlights the need to avoid falling for the traps set by those on the right.
The Democrats in the US lost that election because of their position on the Genocide in Gaza, refusal to give the working class anything to believe in and bowing down to corporate greed. This all culminated in them losing to Trump and as a result of this defeat, right-wingers feel validated and have used this time to justify their views. Mainstream media has mopped up some of this drivel and is packaging it as objective analysis of why the Democrats lost. This has been particularly successful because of the poor morale among the left worldwide. I hope that the left can see through this nonsense and fight for the working class worldwide while also standing to the racist and hateful views of the right.
I agree with your assessment of why the Democrats lost, and this moving to the right by what was once progressive seems to be prevalent among western nations.
And thanks for your explanation of woke. It makes a lot of sense. A way of putting down people who have progressive values.
"Solidarity means listening to each other, accepting each other where we’re at, providing mutual support, and being kind."
And not allowing ourselves to be talked into dividing ourselves by the oligarchs. They love to play up our differences and use them against us so that we bicker and quarrel over stupid little things while they get away with big time mass murdering in Palestine. We've got to remember we're all in this together!
In the west, people are being purposefully divided and conquered into a "Me First and Fuck You" society, partly through technology that keeps us from communicating face-to-face (which is ironic when social media is "supposed" to be about building community), and partly through a rampant consumerism that, supported by pervasive advertising and media messaging, promises to fulfill your every need. In other words, you don't need a friend, you need a new smartphone or a flatscreen tv. On top of that, there's this Orwellian perversion of language that insists on labelling everything you say or do according to some kind of polemic (left/right, anti/pro, democratic/fascist) and turns words into weapons of mass destruction. I don't know where this is heading, but unless people wake up and start thinking instead of purely reacting, they're going to have learn their lessons the hard way. And it's not going to be fun!
And it's so pervasive, Diane. I live in a region that is very community oriented, and we're becoming divided. I'm involved in a project where we put out a monthly column that's pro climate science, as well as pro community. It's incredible how disruptive some people can be, and how polarizing this kind of behaviour is.
I'd love to see the kind of in your face, take up all the oxygen, belligerence become socially unacceptable. It's so destructive.
And so much news is being twisted into falsehood, the latest Amsterdam Israeli invasion being one of the latest examples.
I'm so grateful for friends who value listening, nuance and caring about the world around us.
Thank you for this article. It's necessary to expose the manipulation. I actually noticed the gaslighting some years ago already, when I had some encounters with the Dutch police. "No, you are not right, you are NOT feeling/seeing that, it is not possible."
I think you might be missing and underrating the actual huge damage the "woke" dynamic is responsible for. For starters, I believe it's the biggest single factor that accounts for Trump's victory by a LANDSLIDE. (I voted for Jill Stein). I believe I am not alone among "unwoke" older people from a leftist, not right wing, background who would NEVER have voted for a Democrat this month. I am NOT happy that Trump won. I AM happy that Harris lost. The country, especially younger people, is not "moving to the right." The reality is that there is no left. And anyone with a clear head but who actually accepts the mis-labeling of today's Democrats or liberals as "left" are rational in rejecting it and seeking something else. They are rational in rejecting people who feel and IMPOSE that correct pronoun usage should be a mandated social norm or that untested "vaccines" should be arbitrary with no personal choice at the cost of your job. All while they unconditionally support a murderous terrorist state at the same time. Sure there are individual nuances among people. But the general trend of no faith in the "liberal establishment" seems obvious. Including a rising disenchantment among blacks, Latinos and other "oppressed minorities" who noticeably voted for the "right" in increasing numbers. The "woke" reaction to this last fact would be to say, "Oh, but they just don't understand." It's not really rudeness, I think, it's more like patronizing or condescension that upsets people. With all this, I believe there are actually MORE younger people than older people that are repulsed by the genocide going on .
My favorite "woke exposer" is lifelong LEFTIST Cindy Sheehan. This linked post shows vivid, concrete examples of what "being woke" is and its effects on people. Most of all, the clip about "Whoopi and the Bakery." It's pretty self evident.
https://cindysheehan.substack.com/p/whoopsi-goldberg-done-did-it-this?publication_id=836416&post_id=151776861&isFreemail=false&r=102on&triedRedirect=true
I am not sure that white men are being "made" to feel bad. I have noticed that some white men feel that they are being ignored or left out whenever there is a push to hire more people of colour or more women. I think that if white men or women feel they are being pushed aside, it is because they have had the spotlight, have been the "norm" for too long. "Woke" is a right wing term. The rest of us just look at it as justice, equality, fairness. The first time I was ever accused of being "woke" by a right wing thinker, I had to figure out what woke even meant. It is a ridiculous accusation, really.
The term really confuses me, but I keep reading posts and hearing from people leaving left groups or parties -- or so called left, since I think that terms been co-opted as well -- because they were so tired of being belligerently called out.
It does seem like a term of the right, yet I've seen people who consider themselves progressive do this. Apparently it's done a lot on university campuses.
I'm really tired of the divisiveness of this kind of behaviour, but maybe I'll drop the term woke, because honestly, I don't understand it.
Not much light to take or see this world right now.
And so forever shukran ♥️
Breaking a crack in the dark, with words of truth and love.
Viva la 🇵🇸, today and forever 🙏
Thanks, Najwan. Things can't remain this way, and I have to hope they will change for the better. 🙏
Thank you for your thoughts I love reading your substack and I agree we need to come together, respect each other, and be kind. I think, however, the term “woke” has been hijacked by the far right. My understanding of the term, and I could be wrong, is that it describes someone who has awakened to reality. I would not consider anyone who disparages anyone’s identity as “woke”. The right has co-opted the term. I think describing people who are insensitive towards others as the “woke crowd” buys into the Rights co-option of the term. I’m unsure who the “woke crowd” that you refer to is.
Thanks for this, Lois, because I don't actually understand the term either. But I've been told by a number of younger people that 'woke' often implies calling out in a way that is quite rude, and has a lot of them moving to the right. Maybe I'll edit the post and use another term. It seems like it might be triggering, and I'm not sure that it's accurate.
I think that is people being manipulated by those who want the term woke to indicate someone who is self righteous or whatever. Even before the term woke became a thing, people would accuse those seeking justice and fairness of being self righteous or idealistic or do gooders or some such thing. Anything to avoid looking at themselves as lacking in empathy.
Good point, Susan. I remember that.
Thanks for your reply I appreciate it! Perhaps the term woke has a different meaning for young people.
I keep trying to grasp what they're getting at, and am constantly told that it's a thing.
I agree with your assessment that we will need to disagree agreeably and be a broad tent if we are to solve the crucial issues of our time. But like others have pointed out in the comments section, the right-wing media machine has successfully managed to bastardise the term “woke” and blame its perceived ideology on the loss suffered by the Democrats in America.
No one on the left claims to practice woke-ism. Such a term is rightly offensive to anyone who knows what woke actually meant before the right started to bastardise it. I understand your intention with this post was not to offend but to unite. But I think we need to be careful with allowing right-wing attack slogans on the left to become acceptable language.
There was a guy on Twitter, whose name eludes my brain at this moment, who admitted that the debates around CRT and “woke culture” were concerted efforts by the right to put the left on the defensive in America. This highlights the need to avoid falling for the traps set by those on the right.
The Democrats in the US lost that election because of their position on the Genocide in Gaza, refusal to give the working class anything to believe in and bowing down to corporate greed. This all culminated in them losing to Trump and as a result of this defeat, right-wingers feel validated and have used this time to justify their views. Mainstream media has mopped up some of this drivel and is packaging it as objective analysis of why the Democrats lost. This has been particularly successful because of the poor morale among the left worldwide. I hope that the left can see through this nonsense and fight for the working class worldwide while also standing to the racist and hateful views of the right.
I agree with your assessment of why the Democrats lost, and this moving to the right by what was once progressive seems to be prevalent among western nations.
And thanks for your explanation of woke. It makes a lot of sense. A way of putting down people who have progressive values.
“Without solidarity we won’t survive this time,” writes Diana van Eyk. Being attacked by police daily, it starts to feel like that to us in Berlin
"Solidarity means listening to each other, accepting each other where we’re at, providing mutual support, and being kind."
And not allowing ourselves to be talked into dividing ourselves by the oligarchs. They love to play up our differences and use them against us so that we bicker and quarrel over stupid little things while they get away with big time mass murdering in Palestine. We've got to remember we're all in this together!
I agree. United we stand, divided we fall. And right now we can't afford to fall.
In the west, people are being purposefully divided and conquered into a "Me First and Fuck You" society, partly through technology that keeps us from communicating face-to-face (which is ironic when social media is "supposed" to be about building community), and partly through a rampant consumerism that, supported by pervasive advertising and media messaging, promises to fulfill your every need. In other words, you don't need a friend, you need a new smartphone or a flatscreen tv. On top of that, there's this Orwellian perversion of language that insists on labelling everything you say or do according to some kind of polemic (left/right, anti/pro, democratic/fascist) and turns words into weapons of mass destruction. I don't know where this is heading, but unless people wake up and start thinking instead of purely reacting, they're going to have learn their lessons the hard way. And it's not going to be fun!
And it's so pervasive, Diane. I live in a region that is very community oriented, and we're becoming divided. I'm involved in a project where we put out a monthly column that's pro climate science, as well as pro community. It's incredible how disruptive some people can be, and how polarizing this kind of behaviour is.
I'd love to see the kind of in your face, take up all the oxygen, belligerence become socially unacceptable. It's so destructive.
And so much news is being twisted into falsehood, the latest Amsterdam Israeli invasion being one of the latest examples.
I'm so grateful for friends who value listening, nuance and caring about the world around us.
"Woke" is just another word that has been corrupted into meaning its opposite, like. "democracy" or "Christianity."
Good one! Ouch, so true about the examples you give.
Thank you for this article. It's necessary to expose the manipulation. I actually noticed the gaslighting some years ago already, when I had some encounters with the Dutch police. "No, you are not right, you are NOT feeling/seeing that, it is not possible."
No. I will not make nice with bigots and racists. I punch them.