The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Paul McCreary
“Woke” has become a fashionable political term. It is being used by some on the political right as a dog whistle to denigrate those on the left. The message seems to be that Woke people are out to make our nation into a liberal/communist/Marxist/Socialist/Satan-worshipping Hellscape. The Woke want to raise your taxes to monstrous amounts to pay lazy Anti-Americans and undocumented to sit on porches and do nothing. Woke people want open borders, human trafficking, criminals and gangs to invade our country. Anyone who is Woke is against law and order and the American flag, in their view.
Florida Governor Ron De Santis says that Florida is where “Woke goes to die,’ followed by applause. De Santis advocates banning books discriminating against certain groups and wants schools to limit teaching the uncomfortable aspects of U.S. history, like slavery and the racism that existed through the Jim Crow era. Discussing subjects like homosexuality and transgenderism are somehow threatening. It is narrow moralism and xenophobia. There shall be no progressive, critical thinking and analysis allowed. It might cause dangerous new explorations and threaten firmly entrenched philosophies and beliefs.
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The term Woke had origins during the Black Lives Matter and Me Too protests, but those subjects and Critical Race Theory are not to be studied in Florida.
Education should not be about limiting what is taught, but rather investigating what comprises history, science, literature and humanities, then evaluating them comprehensively. It is about examination, not restriction. Of course, there should be reasonable limitation on such things as pornography, advocating criminal activities and promoting hate. There should be admonitions regarding destructive behavior and meaningful examination of law and government. Education should not consist of regurgitating facts but objective evaluation. To some on the right, that is indoctrination, but it is the opposite. It is about expanding horizons and teaching critical thinking. Advocating a limited, narrow way of thinking and behavior is how fascism prospers. The saying that we must learn from history or we are doomed to repeat it has never been more true. We need intellectual ammunition and varied sources of knowledge for potential positive outcomes.
The United States has become the greatest nation in many ways because of our freedom to explore, invent, express and think. The technological advances of the past century have been astounding in many ways. Those advances have occurred because key people have been Woke.
Some elements of that may include:
Reading books, not banning them.
Changing your mind depending on evidence.
Believing in true equality for people.
Caring for the planet.
Compassion, kindness and respect for others.
If the above and similar elements constitute being Woke, count me in.
Paul McCreary was raised on an Illinois farm, he spent 29 years in education, retired to Indiana, Colorado and now Arizona, where he and his wife try to remain active and creative.
