Is the world finally waking up to wokeness? It certainly seems that way. Or at least many are beginning to open their eyes.
The idea of wokeness began with noble intentions — to raise public consciousness about the enduring impact of racism, sexism and inequality. But, emboldened by the rise of the #MeToo and BLM movements, it quickly evolved into a severe form of political correctness, forced upon the public, with little tolerance for argument or debate.
The “woke” insisted that people of color be called “BIPOC,” artistic license be deemed “cultural appropriation,” and Latinos be referred to as the gender-neutral “LatinX” — a term few Hispanics like and almost never use. Gender itself was declared to be as elastic and expansive as possible, along with an endless array of pronouns to express every sexual identity.
Embraced by progressive politicians and enshrined in Democratic platforms, anyone who questioned — or felt mildly curious about — these commandments was mocked, ridiculed and ultimately canceled.
Revelations of dodgy spending by the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, co-founded by Patrisse Cullors, resulted in unprecedented scrutiny of the organization by left-leaning media.
Now, fed up with virtue signaling and spooked by the specter of a Republican shellacking come November, more sensibly minded progressives are finally asking whether wokeness matters that much, after all.
There was a time when the BLM movement was sacrosanct. Now, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is being scrutinized for its dubious finances, not just by right-leaning publications, but by progressive pillar New York magazine, which recently exposed the organization for secretly buying a $6 million house in Los Angeles.
As the Supreme Court seems poised to reverse Roe v. Wade, the “woke” mandate of always using gender-inclusive terminology now feels like an overreach, when those born with a uterus are the ones most affected. After former first lady Michelle Obama shared a post using the term “womxn” to voice her support for abortion rights on Instagram, a torrent of criticism followed.
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover was motivated by his view that “language policing” has gone too far and it was time for a reset. “I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law,” Musk tweeted in late April. “The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all,” he added in another post.
Musk has made clear that Twitter will almost certainly revisit its member-banning policies if his takeover bid is ever completed. So what if the company’s lefty employees are already whining — it’s out with outraged moderators and managers, in with Donald Trump’s account being reestablished (even though Trump said he will remain off the platform.)
After staffers walked out over Netflix’s “transphobic” Dave Chapelle show, the streaming giant has told employees they’re free to quit.
REUTERS
Eight months after Netflix staffers staged a walkout to protest Dave Chappelle’s show “The Closer” as transphobic, the streaming platform essentially told their workers they can get on board with the company’s content — or, well, quit. Netflix’s HR department said the streaming giant “would let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices.”
Despite polling that suggests one-third of voters consider themselves “woke,” the overall numbers aren’t encouraging for Democrats come November. A 2021 Pew poll, for instance, revealed that 57% of Americans feel that “people today are too easily offended by what others say.” Meanwhile, an Ipsos/Axios polls noted that some 70% of Americans oppose the “defund the police” movement, a central woke tenant. CNN, hardly a bastion of anti-wokeness, went so far as to declare in a mid-2021 headline, that “wokeness is the biggest threat to Democrats in the 2022 election.”
When former first lady Michelle Obama posted an Instagram missive featuring the gender-neutral word “womxn” in support of abortion rights, there was a backlash.
They may be onto something: Earlier this year, three San Francisco school board members were sent packing in a special election following widespread frustration over their focus on renaming — rather than reopening — public schools allegedly linked to racist or sexist historical figures (including my own alma mater, George Washington Senior High School).
Woke-lebrities like BLMGNF’s now-discredited founder Patrisse Cullors have found there’s power and privilege — lots of it — in telling other people how to think. Choice — particularly choice of thought — has always stood as an existential threat to wokeness in all forms. But I already know how to think, and I suspect plenty of other folks out there already know how to think too.
Latino voters, particularly in Southern Texas, are increasingly conservative and often un-woke. Many reject the woke term “LatinX,” which data says few actually use and some 40% find offensive.
REUTERS
Now, level-headed lefties like Democratic strategist James Carville and cable king Bill Maher are making the case for a centrist rethink.
After disastrous Democratic performances in last November’s Virginia and New Jersey elections, Carville blamed “stupid wokeness” and added that progressive members of his party “need to go to a woke detox center.”
And, this month, as states across the nation considered severe abortion restrictions, Maher said: “Louisiana wants to pass a law that says flat out if you get an abortion, you get charged with murder. Wow.
“Suddenly getting the right pronoun doesn’t seem so big, does it?”
* Article from: The New York Post
