If you Google what it means to be “woke,” you will find a variety of answers. The term was originally meant to define someone who was “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.” However, it seems to have morphed beyond that, depending on what you are reading or watching.
I recently read the compilation of essays titled The 1619 Project. I had heard about this writing, and when I saw it displayed at the Owatonna Public Library, I snatched it up so I could finally learn more about something that had generated controversy in some parts of our country. The date in the title relates to the year when Africans were first taken and brought to the American colonies to serve as slaves. The essays track historical events and how those are related to the state of Black people in the United States today.
The essays were enlightening. We all know that history is written by the victors, and that is largely what is in history books taught in schools. For instance, I had no idea that many slaves ran away during the Revolutionary War to join the British; they thought they would be freed if the colonists lost. I knew Abe Lincoln wasn’t necessarily in favor of ending slavery at first, but things he said during his first run for Congress were downright pro-slavery.
I learned more about Reconstruction and then the regression that came at the end of that time period. I found out more about how Jim Crow laws came to be. By the end of the book, I felt like I had a new grasp of our country’s history as it relates to our Black population. I better understood some of the positions taken by activist groups even today.
Does that mean I’m woke?
Not long ago, a student said to me, “There are plenty of racist people here.” I was startled by the bluntness of the comment. I was also impressed that this student had not only noticed a problem, but also wanted to talk about it. Somewhat important to me was that this student was not a minority.
Unfortunately, we likely have racist people everywhere. As the student and I discussed what could be done, we talked about working toward the next generation. Some people are just set in their ways and nothing you can say or do will change them. But talking to young people and pointing out racist behavior and language, even if it’s inadvertent, is a good step to make the future better.
So I guess this student is woke.
There are times when “woke” is used in a derogatory fashion. It’s associated with cancel culture. And again, I find myself somewhere in a nebulous zone.
Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, has openly proclaimed some very racist ideas. As a result, Dilbert isn’t found in newspapers anymore. And rightly so. Our society has no place for the hateful speech that has spewed from this man, and as much as I enjoyed reading Dilbert every day, I won’t miss supporting someone like Adams. He deserved to be cancelled.
On the other hand, the late Roald Dahl’s fictional works, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will be coming out with new editions that have edited out hurtful language. If you’re struggling to remember what that might be, one example is when Augustus Gloop, a young man who stuffs chocolate into his mouth as fast as he can, is called fat. That’s not a nice thing to call someone and can be hurtful, but might not be worthy of a big proclamation to change the author’s works.
The backlash was immediate. Stories by Dahl are read by many people every year. The company quickly backtracked and said they would also release new editions with the original language. A cynic might say the publishers used the cancel culture and fiery opinions on both sides to make some extra money.
A few years ago, publishers did the same thing with some of Mark Twain’s works, eliminating the n-word. It’s a terrible word with a bad history, but it’s also representative of the time period when Twain wrote and is, unfortunately, historically accurate. So if I can learn about some of the hidden, horrible history of our country in the book I just read, and that’s very important to do, shouldn’t I also learn about all parts of it? We can’t just pick and choose.
If somebody would like to enjoy Twain’s works without the n-word, go for it. It can be a triggering word. But it’s a bit like when there is a radio version of a popular song and an expletive is fuzzed out. You know what is meant, even if it’s not there.
As with so much controversy out there, the middle ground is probably the best place to land. Both sides of these issues have valid points. Emotion becomes involved, and that’s when people dig in. I appreciate being educated on aspects of “woke” and “cancel” items. It’s important to respect people for who they are, and I long for a time when we don’t have to announce someone as the “first Black” or “first woman” or “first gay” or anything like that. It is just someone doing something wonderful.
Maybe we’ll all wake up and get there in the near future.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is sinistrad, which means toward the left side, as in, “Even though he was sinistrad in many political discussions, that wasn’t always the case for censoring literary works.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!