“Ignorance is bliss. But one day, people will realize the sheer scale of destruction humans do on earth. We can all do our part to improve what we can.” ― Torron-Lee Dewar.
By Jack Bernard
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | An objective source, the Oxford Dictionary, defines woke as “aware of social and political issues, especially racism.” However, the political right in America uses this term and has chosen to attack those of us who acknowledge our many social, political and environmental problems.
In Governor Ron DeSantis’ words: “You’ve got to be willing to fight the woke,” which he incorrectly defines as “cultural Marxism” and “a war on the truth.” But DeSantis and similar disingenuous politicians who accuse liberals and activists of being woke are in reality asking their fellow Americans to ignore science and facts. Just go back to sleep, and remain ignorant.
For example, Torron-Lee Dewar is correct about the myopic view that many conservatives have towards environmental change. It is very easy for right-wing politicos to just say that excessively hot days are completely normal. That severe storms are just caused by Mother Nature, no problem. That increasing pollution is just uncontrollable, a fact of life. And biased right-wing advocacy media reinforces these emotional positions.
However, just because we don’t fully understand climate change does not mean that we should be “unwoke, ignoring its dire consequences. Yet a 2021 report stated that there were 30 Senators and 109 House Representatives who did not believe in climate change. These “unwoke,” conservatives included Senator Mitch McConnell, now Senate Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
But that is not the only topic where MAGA politicians have chosen to stick their heads in the sand like proverbial ostriches. In DeSantis’ words: “We will fight the woke in education.” He and his imitators want us to ignore negative historical facts and refrain from teaching them in our schools and having truthful books in our libraries.
In their way of thinking, the Confederacy was noble and glorious, fighting for state’s rights. The Civil War had nothing to do with slavery. But according to Dr. William Davis, a conservative Southern historian and Civil War expert, “It is impossible to point to any other local issue but slavery and say that Southerners would have seceded and fought over it.” And that view is spelled out specifically by Confederate leaders in the Confederacy’s Constitution, which clearly defines black slaves as “property.”
The unwoke politicians on the right also want us to ignore historical bigotry and kill “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” programs meant to finally make our society more just. Per them, people of color don’t have the same economic prosperity as whites solely because they are unmotivated. Let’s just close our eyes to centuries of persecution and discrimination; let’s just stay “unwoke” to the truth.
So far, DeSantis and the other cultural warriors are not winning (with the exception of GOP voters). The majority of Americans, including independents, view being woke as a positive.
But the war on “woke” has not yet been won. We must all continue to fight for facts, truth and progress.
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