To Whom It May Concern,
Please stop using terms such as ‘woke’ and ‘anti-woke.’ It makes you sound desperate and not nearly as cool as you think it does. In fact in most cases it makes you sound stupid. In other cases you’re just pretending not to be racist. Fools and extremists exist on both sides of the cultural, social, and political spectrums. I get it. You need some lowest common denominator type phrase to make your fear based marketing campaign work. But beyond sounding dumb, these political catchphrases don’t help solve real problems.
Some White folks co-opted outdated terminology from the African American community a few years back. And while initially a group of self righteous progressives referred to themselves as ‘woke,’ these days it’s the ‘anti-woke’ folks hollering the loudest. This tantruming was both predictable and a derivative of decades of behavior in certain communities. Regardless of who uses these terms they sound like out of touch parents trying to sound hip and cool by using adolescent vocabulary. Either way neither group is fire nor lit.
Conservatives have begun using ‘anti-woke’ as a catchphrase for all their anti-anti racist messaging and as a safety blanket to coddle themselves against a changing world they can't handle. Now whole states refer to themselves as sanctuaries for the ‘anti-woke.’ I guess this is better than all of their anti-CRT blathering. At least with ‘anti-woke’ they can almost define and explain what they’re talking about. No one could actually define and pinpoint what Critical Race Theory is and how it was being used in schools. As a student pointed out not long ago - if you’re anti-anti racism, isn’t that just being racist.
One aspect of the anti–woke culture war focuses on stoking fear around DEI issues and curriculum in schools taking away from “real” learning. This is bullshit for two reasons. First, it assumes that real learning actually takes place in school. The formal curriculum of school pales in comparison to what students take away from the layers of informal curriculum in their school experience. For the sake of the drill and kill fans, let’s say that schools provide meaningful learning experiences. This brings us to my second reason this conservative rally cry is crap. Students outside the myths of history and narrow confines of power and privilege - those conservatives work so hard to strip of representation and push to disenfranchise - struggle in schools that ignore who they are and in which they don’t feel safe. Students of Color, Queer/Questioning/Trans students do better academically in schools that support their identity and safety. And to make matters worse for conservative extremists, mainstream students do better academically in those same schools. Embracing differences and pushing for equity does run counter to high quality academics. DEI/JEDI work and academics are not mutually exclusive.
Now on the other hand, there is a segment of liberals who are just as misguided and ineffective. This group gets ‘triggered’ by everything. This group actually uses the term ‘triggered.’ They go from zero to pissed off in no time. They default to aggro and get into people’s faces quickly. Let me say a few things here. First, there are a lot of things for members of various communities (BIPOC, LBGTQ+, women across the board, etc.) to be pissed off and rage against. Second, I am a man of privilege and recognize there is a lot I don't know and need to learn. I also recognize that bell hooks (1996) made some strong points in support of Black Rage and that there is a time and place to burn the house down. However, if we want students to learn more deeply and support the transformation of our communities into equitable and just places for all - zero to aggro may not be the most successful way to go right from the start.
Learning requires opportunities to fail. If we react to someone’s mistake too forcefully or aggressively we rob them of a chance to learn. Perhaps they then walk on the proverbial eggshells - afraid to say or do anything that may get them yelled at. Worse, if we react too strongly we back them into a corner from which they will refuse to learn from that moment onward. None of this helps transform the dynamics of equity and power.
White and older folks are not the quickest on the uptake. There’s a lot of things changing fast and it really is hard to keep up. As a result we sometimes have to go slower with them. If we go too fast or too loud, they retreat into their shell and either hide or get super defensive. People with power and privilege, on the other hand, rarely give up their position willingly. So if you’ve given someone a chance to come correct and they still aren’t getting it - well, then it’s time to rip the bandaid off.
Let’s just be clear - ‘anti-woke’ is coded language for intolerance and an excuse for mobs of people to destroy the lives of others. Supporters of the Anti-Woke movement just can’t handle things. They fear change. They fear those they don’t understand. As a result, they cling to outdated ideas and myths of history while worshiping false idols that support religious intolerance. The anti-woke mob has more in common with the Taliban than they do with American democracy.
We can and should have conversations. There are no shortages of conversations to be had - about the most effective ways to discuss racism in schools, gender and sexuality, etc. These discussions can be difficult, but they can also be supportive and respectful. Hiding your head in the sand is not an effective solution. So while Florida evolves into a delusional dystopian state under the pretense of freedom and other states call their morality police on those they don’t understand, perhaps the rest of us could have a respectful conversation.