Overly-Woke

There is a danger in being overly woke. Woke being the term used to describe someone that is on the cutting edge of the zeitgeist of society. In modern times that means that they are very passionate about equity among all people regardless of race, sexual-orientation, or gender. In spirit this movement has only the best of intentions. It seems in practice it is running the risk of becoming another extremist movement.

Being aware and supporting ideas of equity is noble in my perspective. I think that moving towards a more equitable society is something that will alleviate many of the ills that currently plague the society. The problem is that the desire for equality seems to be so obvious a reason for advocacy that that advocacy can turn into extremism. Especially in an era that seems to select for extremism.

When something falls into the realm of extremism there isn’t much room for conversation. Views are so rigid that they don’t consider other perspectives. That certainly isn’t saying that homophobia, misogyny, or racism have any place in our current society. These backwards concepts are still widespread in varying degrees throughout our society but they are waning.

The current momentum to move society further away from these old notions of superiority and suppression has resulted in a cult-like obsession for those that still hold those cruel and antiquated beliefs. Because that voice of ignorance and hate has become so bold the woke revolution has responded with a type of militance in response. This is where I believe there to be an issue.

Extremism needn’t create more extremism. When something becomes extreme it begins operating in absolutes. Even a cause that has virtue at its core can start to operate like an oppressive or tyrannical movement. We must find a way of distinguishing between the truly sinister and the stupid. Between the bigoted and the misunderstood. When the woke movement goes beyond itself to becoming overly-woke we lose that opportunity.

There are a lot of people that just do not know any better. It is quite easy for someone that lives in an urban area to understand the virtue that lays at the foundation of the woke movement. It is also very hard for that urban person to understand how anyone could think differently. The reality is that there are many people that don’t live, and have never lived, in a diverse environment. That isn’t an excuse for beliefs of hatred, but it is an opportunity for empathy and compassion.

I understand how that sounds. Having compassion for a racist is about the least woke thing that one can say in the present moment. And don’t get me wrong, there are some straight-up shitty people on this planet. People that do believe in their superiority based upon something as basic as skin color. I suggest keeping a distance from anyone that speaks in absolutes, but anyone that believes in superiority based upon skin color is absolutely an idiot. The reality is that anyone that believes that is very insecure and at the core hates themselves.

The other reality is that people that think that way are in the minority. The problem is that their views are divisive and get people fired up. That is why those people and their ideas currently get so much attention. It is easy fodder for the news networks to use as virtue signaling. Covering a news story about a few crazy racists can form the foundation of their news coverage for years. It keeps people overly-engaged.

Most damaging of the overly-woke response to the amplification of a relative few actual racists is the breakdown in public discourse around the issues of race, sexuality, and gender equality. It seems me that we need to have a space where these issues can get worked out. We should have a space where the misinformed or ignorant can be brought up to speed. Again, we need to be able to distinguish between the bigoted and the ignorant. The bigoted should be exposed as such, but we should work on a path to understanding for those that are simply ill-informed or ignorant.

Someone that has grown up among people of all races, religions, sexual-orientations, and genders will likely have a default worldview of equity and cooperation. Someone that was raised in an insulated rural community that was only exposed to white, Christian people will default to a certain level of misunderstanding when it comes to anyone other than that.

If that experience has bred a hatred for any person other than a white Christian then I’m not sure there is an easy path for them. But I believe that most of what we are attributing to hatred is actually fear and misunderstanding. It is a lack of exposure to diversity hat has resulted in their worldview and not a genuine hatred.

If one is advocating for equity among all people then they must operate from a steady foundation of empathy and compassion. They cannot take the bait that modern media wants to trap them in. It cannot be a battle. It must be a conversation. I realize that is cliche, but it is true. The woke of the world cannot simply be looking for opportunities to cause drama or cancel someone. We need to be looking for opportunities to engage with people that run afoul of the modern social standards and norms. Seems the majority of people that violate these new standards are doing so out of ignorance and not out of malice.

The woke must build the bridge for the ignorant and misinformed. The woke revolution will turn into a tyrannical one if it does not have a compassionate system in place for educating the ill-informed. It will become another powerful institution of absolutism where the free flow of ideas is discouraged. Where the effort to explore difficult and nuanced concepts will be stifled by a strict code of absolutes. I fear that strict code of absolutes will do as much to hold the society hostage as their racists counterparts did.

I appreciate your attention and hope you’ve found value in this.
Thanks for reading.