But as always, the crackers and racists like the Trumps and DeSantis' coopted the word to use as their own. But let's not let James Carville off the hook either. This racist disguised as a white liberal went on a CNN diatribe against wokeness that gave fuel to the neo-Nazis of the GOP. Rather than defend a word that spoke truth to power, Carville showed himself as a keeper of the white, male dominant culture in American politics.
I remember hearing Carville going off on "wokeness" and feeling he'd betrayed the values of social justice for his view of political expediency. Rather than defend the values and dismiss the hate of the right wingers, he provided them political ammo for the unforeseeable future. He helped the wedge issue, culture haters create the nihilistic view of critical race theory. He helped racists parents and politicians claim educating Americans about the holocaust of American slavery would do damage to their children. Learning the true history of the American people might cause their children irreparable guilt. He helped those wanting to ban books that showed diversity in school textbooks, libraries and public libraries.
I also remember Carville's hateful rant and feeling my skin crawl in watching the fake progressive, liberal white man being allowed to go unchallenged for his racist comments. The political narrative of America has been dictated by the dominant culture of the white European settlers who brought slavery to our shores. Rather than set the record straight and consistently challenge the hateful speech and thinking of the ultra right and faux liberals, the Democratic party has remained passive and inept. This party, that claims to represent the communities of color, the disenfranchised and poor, is in fact, an extension of America's racist history. They are wolves in sheep clothing betraying the very constituency they claim to protect.
Carville, Trump, McConnell, McCarthy, Graham, Clinton, Biden, Shumer, Pelosi, Bobert, Taylor-Greene all represent the founders of a racist, unjust, repressive system meant to keep power for the Euro-centric culture that has continued to ignore those not white. Or continued to repress, kill and incarcerate them at alarmingly disproportionate rates.
Wokeness bashing has become the daily battle cry for the MAGA crowd and the Tea-Party, Don't Tread on Me white patriots. Patriots who push conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory. Who find it quite acceptable to attack their own Capitol if they don't like outcomes of elections. They would have us believe they are the victimized and ignored white American exceptionalists. They refuse to accept or are unable to understand the history of repression in this nation of white entitlement since its founding days. They literally want to "whitewash" all history their children will be taught in their schools. They'll bully teachers and educational boards to get their way. They'll go on book burning witch hunts to "weed" out anything they feel may subject their kids to the truth.
They claim cancel culture when their lies are rejected or speakers for them are opposed. And yet, they have an entire television networks pumping out lies and misinformation against the truth tellers. Tucker Carlson and other Fox Network stooges of Rupert Murdoch and ass kissers of Trump have a daily hit list of "woke" opponents they want to cancel. And networks trying to go even darker than Fox.
They, however, want to cancel voting rights and civil rights They want to cancel the truth of slavery. They want to cancel the reality of gayness, lesbianism, transgender humans, same sex marriage, women's right to control their bodies or any concept they feel may expose the diverse reality of the world.
This rhetoric has led to violence against blacks, Latino, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish and LGBQT communities. It has led to violence against women wanting to control their bodies. Violence against doctors helping women do so.
They claim to love children but cut programs to help feed them. To provide them healthcare. To house them. To protect them from shootings in their school.
These are the 2nd Amendment defenders. The NRA crowd refusing to allow laws to control the proliferation of deadly assault weapons and guns leading to daily mass killings. There are radicals pushing for a violent civil war to create a safe haven for the victimized Anglo-Saxon martyrs. Anyone or anything not recognizing their viewpoint are targets both figuratively and literally
They claim to be victims as they arm up with their AR-15's, Glocks and large capacity magazines. Victims seeking prey along the Mexican borders. Victims infiltrating Black Life Matters rallies to perpetrate violence and chaos. Victims who consistently get fair trials, Victims getting slaps on wrists for their violence, Victims free from consequences when they kill black kids in hoodies simply walking
"their" streets. Victims populating all big city police forces that brutalize communities of color.
"their" streets. Victims populating all big city police forces that brutalize communities of color.
But being woke is their greatest fear. Of course it is. And the more they rail against wokeness, the more those seeking justice and diversity must stay truly "woke". They have revitalized wokeness if we choose to challenge their absurd and deliberate ignorant use of the word . And demonstrate its true meaning.
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