By J. Peder Zane for RealClearPolitics
He is awake. She is awake. So are they, them, ey, ze and xeir.
Know what I mean?
Of course you do. The dominating hot word in today’s political lexicon – woke is here, there, everywhere. From Whoopi’s Lips to your ears. I say it all the time – way too much, according to my wife – but no one ever asked me: what the hell are you talking about?
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The word becomes a problem for woke-noscenti as more people know about the alphabet soup movement – DEI, CRT, ESG, QIA+, etc. – the less they like it. What to do? Deny, hijack and demonize, of course. Seize the pen of a conservative writer stop efforts to define the term during an interview, they argue that the alarm clock is a make-up, meaningless insult wielded by the right to oppress minorities. Seeking to end any discussion of their movement, Touré banned it because the new “n-word”.
It doesn’t matter that all language is invented – words are just symbols we create to be able to talk about things and ideas – and that the term “awakened” was invented by African Americans to describe the road-to-damascus when the scales fall from the eyes and the supposedly oppressive structures of society become clear.
Yet it may seem difficult to precisely define this hydra-headed beast that seeks to redefine all aspects of human relationships and understanding, from race, gender and science to politics, culture, family and identity. Its tentacles are so extended that even some writers which are criticism of the movement throw up their lexicographical hands.
Honestly, it’s probably enough to apply Judge Potter StewartUnderstanding Pornography by: “I won’t try to define the types of material any further today…but I know it when I see it.”
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The current insistence that has awakened is not even a word, however, provides a clarity of abandonment of the game. At its core, wokism relies on the power to command perception and language. This word that you know and discuss all the time, it does not exist. Full stop. The consequent political debates that capture our attention – for example, battles over critical race theory or gender-affirming care for children – are mere skirmishes in the much larger effort to control thought; once that’s done, anything is possible. Hence his main request: Will you believe me or your lying eyes?
To paraphrase Raymond Carverwhat are we talking about when we talk about revival?
Woke describes the ongoing cultural revolution that defines reality by its utility in achieving left-wing goals.
The primary weapon of the awakened, who dominate society’s favored channels of communication – academia, publishing, entertainment and the media – is the article of faith that almost all of reality is socially constructed, a creation humanity rather than nature, to allow those who have power to subjugate “the other”. The truth is not the goal of an endless quest to describe what is, but simply what they claim to be. When there is no hard and fast truth, anything is possible. Facts are not stubborn things, but malleable building blocks that gain or lose authority based on their utility in constructing preferred narratives.
So the awakening keep coming up with versions of events which are at odds with the known record. They told us that the summer 2020 riots were “mostly peaceful”; this antifa was just an idea; that the nation is invaded by white supremacists and Christian nationalists. They insist that women earn a fraction of the salary that men receive for doing the same work; This unarmed blacks are shot dead by police at rates much higher than other Americans; that all the disparities between blacks and whites in richness, health, And education are entirely due to racism. And they claim that critical race theory is only taught in some law classes, that math is racist and sexist, men can menstruateclimate change is a existential threatand Governor DeSantis wants to stop Florida teachers from saying the word “gay.”
The crucial dynamic is not just the assertion of weighty claims, but their continued promotion after they have been debunked. The New York Times, for example, not only declared in its “1619 Project” that the American Revolution was fought to preserve slavery, it ignored complaints from leading historians that it was wrong.
As the TV’s Dr. House observed, “everyone lies.” But waking lies have a larger purpose beyond gaining a temporary advantage. It is a strategy to define reality. Yes, people have always argued over the truth, but history shows that societies ruled by a rigid and cursed ideology of facts crush freedom, human dignity and progress in order to coerce submission.
This soul crushing dynamic is inevitable because people are not blind – they can see that they are being lied to. This is the main reason why American politics has become so angry and divisive. The awakened left tries to impose a false vision of the world. When people push back, they are silenced, demonized and nullified. Dissent is not an option as the entire awakened project depends on accepting their worldview.
Woke is not just a word, it’s a revolution.
Syndicated with permission by RealClearWire.
J. Peder Zane is a RealClearInvestigations editor and columnist. Previously, he worked as a book review editor and book columnist for the News & Observer (Raleigh), where his writing has won several national accolades. Zane has also worked at New York Times and taught writing at Duke University and Saint Augustine University.
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