woke

Is Everything Political These Days?

Fandango14 Comments

This came in the mail yesterday.

What the hell? The front of the envelope asks me if my cellphone provider has “gone woke” and is “supporting Democrats and a woke liberal agenda.”

The back of the envelope implores me to “stop supporting ‘woke’ liberals with my payments.” It advises me that I can pay “half the price of the competition with none of their left-wing politics.”

And the icing on the cake is a ringing (pun intended) endorsement from Fox News ultra-conservative on-air personality, Sean Hannity.

Politics seems to be invading every aspect of our lives these days and it’s very annoying.

I threw the unopened envelope into the recycling bin. Why? Well, first of all, my cellphone provider is not one of the “Big Three.” Second of all, I judge my cellphone provider based on the quality of the services it provides, not its alleged politics.

Finally, and most important, I am a woke liberal Democrat and I am proud of it.

WDP — “Woke”

Fandango29 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What is a word you feel that too many people use?
View all responses

I actually don’t mind the word “woke.” Back in the day, the word meant something you did in the morning after you were done sleeping. Or maybe it meant you had a sudden realization about something, as in “I woke up and smelled the coffee.”

Today, according to Merriam-Webster, woke means “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” And because this awareness is associated with those on the left, those on the right have turned the word into a political football. So my problem is not the word itself but how it’s being used.

The word has become a battle cry for Republicans in their war to fight social change. Florida Governor (and presidential wannabe) Ron DeSantis and his “anti-woke” movement, he is doing everything he can to kill, at least in Florida, the “woke” political ideology of the left that focuses on social justice politics, critical race theory, and equality.

I’m tired of how Republicans in this country are fighting tooth and nail against equal rights for anyone who is not a white, male, heterosexual Christian by trying to rollback rights, ban books, and whitewash history. They seem to want to put America back to sleep and I think it’s time for them to wake up and smell the coffee.

Fandango’s Provocative Question #206

Fandango68 Comments
FPQ

Welcome once again to Fandango’s Provocative Question. Each week I will pose what I think is a provocative question for your consideration.

By provocative, I don’t mean a question that will cause annoyance or anger. Nor do I mean a question intended to arouse sexual desire or interest.

What I do mean is a question that is likely to get you to think, to be creative, and to provoke a response. Hopefully a positive response.

Today’s provocative question is about the word “woke.” A conservative writer was recently asked during a televised interview about her new book to define the term “woke.” The interviewee had a brain freeze and was unable to explain the meaning of the word. So I thought I’d toss it out to you, my provocative question readers.

What does the word “woke” mean to you? Is being “woke” a good thing or a bad thing? Do you consider yourself to be “woke”? Why or why not?

If you choose to participate in Fandango’s Provocative Question, you may respond with a comment or write your own post in response to the question. Once you are done, tag your post with #FPQ and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments. But remember to check to confirm that your pingback or your link shows up in the comments.