Trigger warning.
I am bound to offend someone who is reading this column.
Offending someone in this modern ‘woke’ world is not kosher as we all strive for a safe place where we can be seen and felt heard.
In an environment of diversity and inclusivity where everyone should play nicely in the sandbox.
You can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the news without seeing that word ‘woke’ or ‘wokeness’
I see it as political correctness on steroids.
Wokeism is the new black.
Speaking of which, according to Wikipedia, woke is an adjective derived from African-American vernacular English meaning “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination”.
The word became part of our vocabulary alongside the Black Lives Matter movement and draws attention to systemic racism that exists in America while being alert to the ways in which racism can be subtle.
According to American author and scholar Thomas Sowell, “wokeism is weaponized personal grievances masquerading as a general social concerns,,,it only knows outrage”.
Comedian Chris Rock, the recipient of an Oscar slap last year which reverberated around the world, has something to say about subtleness and outrage in his new Netflix show called Selective Outrage.
He rants “Everybody’s scared..racism ain’t gonna stop”.
He warns the predominantly black audience to be aware of ‘woke traps’ such as ‘woke-ass’ tweets on phones made by “child slaves”.
Or a company who says they don’t support racism, sexism or discrimination but sells overpriced yoga pants which neither the poor nor marginalized person can afford or fit into.
“I don’t need your $100 yoga pant politics…give me $20 racist pants” he raves.
But God bless America for it isn’t just black men who rant.
Have you heard Florida governor Ron deSantis’ tirade against what he calls “the left imposing their pathologies…and woke ideologies which have infected so many institutions”. He tells his partisan audience their freedom is at stake and strikes fear that they will be…
“living under an oppressive wokeocracy”. His word, not mine.
There you have it…wokeism has further alienated and polarized the country. It appears this is fast becoming a far-left versus the extreme right dichotomy.
This polarization only serves to lump people into homogenous categories where they can only be identified by arbitrary characteristics.
The toxic rhetoric in the US is both dangerous and divisive.
In my humble opinion, this seems like the opposite of inclusivity.
Doesn’t anyone remember the words of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King when he dreamed of “a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character?”
I wonder what he would think of this wokeness mania today.
On a lighter note, (pun intended), you’ll be happy to hear that wokeism was alive and well at the recent Academy Awards show where diversity and inclusiveness was king.
In the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards, black actors complained there wasn’t enough black representation in the nominations this year.
Sorry, but honouring black talent was so last year. This year it’s the Asians (mustn’t say Orientals) in the spotlight. And the lesbian, The gays. The older woman with grey hair. And no fat-shaming as the best actor award went to a Canadian who played a morbidly obese character.
Best song went to an Indian from India!
But the Academy made it clear they are done giving the highest awards to actors portraying dead musicians.
I’m still all shook up that Austin Butler didn’t receive the glossy, gold, gender-neutral statuette for his iconic portrayal of Elvis.
I guess dead musicians just aren’t woke enough.
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