Racist is a black man getting the life choked out of him for nine minutes (seriously stare at your watch for nine minutes) for allegedly trying to use a counterfeit twenty while white cops just stand around and tell the people who are telling the kneeling cop he’s killing the guy to back off, and if it wasn’t filmed those cops would a got off scot free, racist is a white man that shoots and kills 11 people in a church gets a free cheeseburger from the cops, racist is a black kid in a park playing with a toy gun getting shot and killed within two seconds of the cop rolling up (seriously 2 seconds! Cop must a been a quick draw artist, or more likely, he was ready to shoot when he rolled up) and the cop getting off scot free, racist is a white guy that kills 11 random people with an AR15 and gets arrested without a single shot being fired while a black man gets shot 60 times (apparently they think they’re John Wick) for running a red light and the cops get off scot free.
Woke is you think that’s racist and government ought to do something about it.
Racist is passing laws that replace black Democratic election officials in Detroit and Atlanta and Houston with white Republicans from other counties, gerrymandering districts specifically to deprive black people from power, and bragging about it, passing laws that specifically target black and low income voters to make it harder for them to vote, because they are Democrats, closing down precincts in black neighborhoods so they have to wait in line for hours and hours to vote, then making it illegal to give them food and water while they’re waiting, while leaving all the precincts in place in white suburbs, and bragging about it. I live in California, population 40 million, and I’ve never waited longer than 30 minutes to vote. There’s no reason it has to take 8 hours in Georgia other than racism.
Woke is you think that’s racist and government ought to do something about it.
Racist is a Senate where 50 Democrats represent 200 million people, and 50 Republicans represent 150 million, (it’s even worse when you drill down, a California Senator representing 40 million gets the same vote as a Wyoming Senator representing 585,000) and the Republicans stop the Democrats from passing laws like the VRA that address systemic racism. Honestly the Senate is the most racist institution in America. It’s as bad as the KKK. Worse even because we accord it the facade of being a legitimate organization when it’s really an illegitimate rump minority. And the Supreme Court is even more illegitimate than the Senate.
I could go on and on and on but now I’m too depressed. I’ll just finish by saying I’m woke and proud of it. I wear it as a badge of honor.
You said it all, friend. We live in Georgia, and we are proud to be woke, too. It did not use to be so bad here, but our term-limited governor is piling it on now. We think he has plans to kiss up to Trump so he can run for higher office. And yes, racism still runs deep here. Woke people are needed more than ever. We are proud of you.
For the population of CA, it's even worse--2 U.S. Sen. for the same population as 21 smaller states combined! An effect of how the Senate was set up originally. Senators were chosen by the legislatures of each state, thus in effect representing the interests of the dominant wealthy. Also diluting the collective power of dangerous masses. You know, the ones who might just decide their economic stagnation and their political impotence might have to do with political power being structured to repress them.
A.A.R.P. has been called woke. I don't know how helping seniors get the most for their buck and staying healthy qualifies as woke and I'm sure the hater who made the comparison doesn't have the brain power to give a good explanation
Jim, sorry to say that you are wrong. Woke was a term used before the U.S. CIVIL WAR!
Yes those abolitionists were telling people to WAKE UP. The Smithsonian Institution has a section on this, that’s how I first learned about being Woke.
Yes I am woke and don’t believe in slavery but the orange man hopes to take us back into the dark ages of the United States with a constitution written by white men for white men.
When anyone uses a particular word to describe something, or say something, or do something ask yourself - Why that word? What is behind their reason to use that word? What are they trying to accomplish by using that word? Dig deeper and ask yourself will the use of this word make things better or worse? A book that speaks to some of this is "At A Loss For Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage" by Carol Off, former host of "As It Happens" on the CBC.
The term has been converted from a warning to be aware of oppression and exploitation by race and class into a right wing stop thinking signal. Yeah, we the working class and/or BIPOC sure are relieved all our problems no longer need attention.
It's also a stop for empathy. Right wing TV preachers push a Calvinism where the saved are an elect successful in this life because already chosen by God for the next. So the wealthy and powerful are to be admired and the marginalized poor ignored or even denigrated. Same preachers say lib scolds citing "do unto others" and "love thine enemies" are a dangerous distraction; to listen to this is to collaborate with evil. After all, the devil can quote scriptures, too.
Speaking of "woke".... the democrat party in Texas needs to wake up and get behind one candidate...there is only so much democrat donation money to get to candidates and democract candidates fighting each other only drains resources....let's fight the republicans, not each other...I'm not donating until we have one candidate
I've always snickered a bit about the 'woke' derision coming from the fascists. I always thought it was a positive description of basic free thinking, especially because the people yapping about 'wokeness' the loudest clearly seem to be in a trumpcoated, manipulated, and delusional coma.
My new favorite inspirational article, Jim! I'll be rereading this every day to shore up my courage to stand firm throughout this absurdist moment that we're experiencing.
Here’s how I see it.
Racist is a black man getting the life choked out of him for nine minutes (seriously stare at your watch for nine minutes) for allegedly trying to use a counterfeit twenty while white cops just stand around and tell the people who are telling the kneeling cop he’s killing the guy to back off, and if it wasn’t filmed those cops would a got off scot free, racist is a white man that shoots and kills 11 people in a church gets a free cheeseburger from the cops, racist is a black kid in a park playing with a toy gun getting shot and killed within two seconds of the cop rolling up (seriously 2 seconds! Cop must a been a quick draw artist, or more likely, he was ready to shoot when he rolled up) and the cop getting off scot free, racist is a white guy that kills 11 random people with an AR15 and gets arrested without a single shot being fired while a black man gets shot 60 times (apparently they think they’re John Wick) for running a red light and the cops get off scot free.
Woke is you think that’s racist and government ought to do something about it.
Racist is passing laws that replace black Democratic election officials in Detroit and Atlanta and Houston with white Republicans from other counties, gerrymandering districts specifically to deprive black people from power, and bragging about it, passing laws that specifically target black and low income voters to make it harder for them to vote, because they are Democrats, closing down precincts in black neighborhoods so they have to wait in line for hours and hours to vote, then making it illegal to give them food and water while they’re waiting, while leaving all the precincts in place in white suburbs, and bragging about it. I live in California, population 40 million, and I’ve never waited longer than 30 minutes to vote. There’s no reason it has to take 8 hours in Georgia other than racism.
Woke is you think that’s racist and government ought to do something about it.
Racist is a Senate where 50 Democrats represent 200 million people, and 50 Republicans represent 150 million, (it’s even worse when you drill down, a California Senator representing 40 million gets the same vote as a Wyoming Senator representing 585,000) and the Republicans stop the Democrats from passing laws like the VRA that address systemic racism. Honestly the Senate is the most racist institution in America. It’s as bad as the KKK. Worse even because we accord it the facade of being a legitimate organization when it’s really an illegitimate rump minority. And the Supreme Court is even more illegitimate than the Senate.
I could go on and on and on but now I’m too depressed. I’ll just finish by saying I’m woke and proud of it. I wear it as a badge of honor.
I’m Woke too. Decent people are. Thank you for your excellent, well laid out comment.
You said it all, friend. We live in Georgia, and we are proud to be woke, too. It did not use to be so bad here, but our term-limited governor is piling it on now. We think he has plans to kiss up to Trump so he can run for higher office. And yes, racism still runs deep here. Woke people are needed more than ever. We are proud of you.
For the population of CA, it's even worse--2 U.S. Sen. for the same population as 21 smaller states combined! An effect of how the Senate was set up originally. Senators were chosen by the legislatures of each state, thus in effect representing the interests of the dominant wealthy. Also diluting the collective power of dangerous masses. You know, the ones who might just decide their economic stagnation and their political impotence might have to do with political power being structured to repress them.
Dear Run - Nothing to add buy You damn betcha!
spelling error. I have arthritis and fingers don't always behave. The previous post should have read "Dear Run - Nothing to add but You damn betcha!
See the 3 dots at the top right corner? Click there to edit. As a horrid typist also with less than flexible aged fingers, I use it a lot
A.A.R.P. has been called woke. I don't know how helping seniors get the most for their buck and staying healthy qualifies as woke and I'm sure the hater who made the comparison doesn't have the brain power to give a good explanation
Unfortunately many of those haters work in the White House.
Hater seems to be the main qualification for the job, willingness to go along with any wrong is high on the list.
woke seems to me at its musical beginning to mean "wake up!" and stay awake and alert!
Right Wing Authoritarians are high on their own supply (of warped concepts) and getting higher.
Jim, sorry to say that you are wrong. Woke was a term used before the U.S. CIVIL WAR!
Yes those abolitionists were telling people to WAKE UP. The Smithsonian Institution has a section on this, that’s how I first learned about being Woke.
Yes I am woke and don’t believe in slavery but the orange man hopes to take us back into the dark ages of the United States with a constitution written by white men for white men.
The orange man is a danger to us all.
Matt in Oregon.
When anyone uses a particular word to describe something, or say something, or do something ask yourself - Why that word? What is behind their reason to use that word? What are they trying to accomplish by using that word? Dig deeper and ask yourself will the use of this word make things better or worse? A book that speaks to some of this is "At A Loss For Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage" by Carol Off, former host of "As It Happens" on the CBC.
The term has been converted from a warning to be aware of oppression and exploitation by race and class into a right wing stop thinking signal. Yeah, we the working class and/or BIPOC sure are relieved all our problems no longer need attention.
It's also a stop for empathy. Right wing TV preachers push a Calvinism where the saved are an elect successful in this life because already chosen by God for the next. So the wealthy and powerful are to be admired and the marginalized poor ignored or even denigrated. Same preachers say lib scolds citing "do unto others" and "love thine enemies" are a dangerous distraction; to listen to this is to collaborate with evil. After all, the devil can quote scriptures, too.
Thanks Jim. YOUR words are sanity to me.
Hey. Pay attention. Propaganda works better than you may think.
Speaking of "woke".... the democrat party in Texas needs to wake up and get behind one candidate...there is only so much democrat donation money to get to candidates and democract candidates fighting each other only drains resources....let's fight the republicans, not each other...I'm not donating until we have one candidate
I've always snickered a bit about the 'woke' derision coming from the fascists. I always thought it was a positive description of basic free thinking, especially because the people yapping about 'wokeness' the loudest clearly seem to be in a trumpcoated, manipulated, and delusional coma.
My new favorite inspirational article, Jim! I'll be rereading this every day to shore up my courage to stand firm throughout this absurdist moment that we're experiencing.
Better woke than warped.
Thanks for republishing this. I tell folks that story a lot and I’m glad to know I got it right 😊🙏
Yes Sir!
That Jim is the best substitution word for "WOKE" if heard to date....