Why the GOP is obsessed with "woke" — but can't define it

[ZiprHead]

"Woke" is now an empty word that means whatever MAGA wants it to mean

MAGA can't explain what "woke" is, but that's the point — it's a "choose your own bigotry" term for Republicans

www.salon.com

"Woke" is currently the favorite word of the right. Republican politicians can't go more that 5 or 6 words without peppering "woke" into their sentences. Turning on Fox News, you'll hear the word "woke" repeated ad nauseam, like a record skipping, but for hours at a time: "woke woke woke woke woke." Everything is "woke": Banks. Children's books. The military. Disney. M&Ms. Super Bowl performances. To be a Republican in the year 2023 is to spend every waking moment outraged and terrified by "woke," certain its wokey tendrils will snake their wokeness into your brain and woke-ify you into wokeitude.

But the funny thing about "woke" is that, while all Republicans hate it, they don't seem to have any idea how to define it. That was hilariously demonstrated in a viral video clip of conservative author Bethany Mandel falling completely apart when asked in an interview to define "woke," a concept she wrote an entire book denouncing. Mandel couldn't do it.

"So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um..." she stammered before admitting it "is something that's very hard to define," and then failing utterly to get close.

Mind you, Mandel was not being cornered by some progressive journalist. She was on a reactionary show with two sympathetic hosts who bent over backward to give Mandel room to explain what "woke" meant, coaxing her gently with, "take your time." Yet she still couldn't define "woke."

 

[Patooka]

Reich wingers use "woke" because "liberal" doesn't have the bite it had when Bush was President. It's just an infantile way of saying "we don't like this" in new packaging.

 

[DrZoidberg]

"Woke" is now an empty word that means whatever MAGA wants it to mean

MAGA can't explain what "woke" is, but that's the point — it's a "choose your own bigotry" term for Republicans

www.salon.com

"Woke" is currently the favorite word of the right. Republican politicians can't go more that 5 or 6 words without peppering "woke" into their sentences. Turning on Fox News, you'll hear the word "woke" repeated ad nauseam, like a record skipping, but for hours at a time: "woke woke woke woke woke." Everything is "woke": Banks. Children's books. The military. Disney. M&Ms. Super Bowl performances. To be a Republican in the year 2023 is to spend every waking moment outraged and terrified by "woke," certain its wokey tendrils will snake their wokeness into your brain and woke-ify you into wokeitude.

But the funny thing about "woke" is that, while all Republicans hate it, they don't seem to have any idea how to define it. That was hilariously demonstrated in a viral video clip of conservative author Bethany Mandel falling completely apart when asked in an interview to define "woke," a concept she wrote an entire book denouncing. Mandel couldn't do it.

"So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um..." she stammered before admitting it "is something that's very hard to define," and then failing utterly to get close.

Mind you, Mandel was not being cornered by some progressive journalist. She was on a reactionary show with two sympathetic hosts who bent over backward to give Mandel room to explain what "woke" meant, coaxing her gently with, "take your time." Yet she still couldn't define "woke."

I'll give it a go. Today "woke" means leftist extreme intolerance. It's enforced understanding of the needs of perceived minorities. It's using social pressure to force people to be informed about the needs of marginalised groups, be compassionate toward them, thoughtful and kind. Or rather, that you virtue signal all of this. You don't need to actually care about marginalised groups. You just need to make it look like you do. It's fundamentally patronising, since woke is a stance majority group members take, so they can use minorities as an ideological bat to beat other majority member group members with. Because minorities are assumed not being able to speak for themselves.

I think woke is the biggest threat to progressivism and liberal values today. It replaces true progress the bullshit symbols of progress. It leads to newspeak. It makes honesty into a sin.

It's the latest incarnation of ideological purity, scapegoating and mob mentality that we, so lovingly, inherited by, the loving, and caring Christians, who totally care about the poor, weak and unfortunate. Yes, the pope totally needs a gold throne. It's important for his work toward humilty.

Die die Christian culture. Just fucking die already. I'm so sick of it.

That's my take on it.

No, I don't think the conservatives are the good guys. I see the wokes as the leftist versions of fundamentalists. It's the exact same kind of, horrible, behaviour. Both are a result of our shared Christian heritage.

 

[Elixir]

“Enforced understanding“ tells me all I need to know. Square circles, anyone?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I am so sick of the bullshit term "virtue signaling". Also, "woke" was taken and remastered by white conservatives.... as it was originally a minority used term.

I hate how people including "moderates" and "true liberals" have equated empathy as an insult. That they seem so utterly unaware of how others can care that their needs to be another angle.

There are feckless liberals, but Dr. Z et al aren't complaining about them. The irony is when minorities complain and some white people listen... that is considered "virtue signaling".

 

[laughing dog]

"Woke" is now an empty word that means whatever MAGA wants it to mean

MAGA can't explain what "woke" is, but that's the point — it's a "choose your own bigotry" term for Republicans

www.salon.com

"Woke" is currently the favorite word of the right. Republican politicians can't go more that 5 or 6 words without peppering "woke" into their sentences. Turning on Fox News, you'll hear the word "woke" repeated ad nauseam, like a record skipping, but for hours at a time: "woke woke woke woke woke." Everything is "woke": Banks. Children's books. The military. Disney. M&Ms. Super Bowl performances. To be a Republican in the year 2023 is to spend every waking moment outraged and terrified by "woke," certain its wokey tendrils will snake their wokeness into your brain and woke-ify you into wokeitude.

But the funny thing about "woke" is that, while all Republicans hate it, they don't seem to have any idea how to define it. That was hilariously demonstrated in a viral video clip of conservative author Bethany Mandel falling completely apart when asked in an interview to define "woke," a concept she wrote an entire book denouncing. Mandel couldn't do it.

"So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um..." she stammered before admitting it "is something that's very hard to define," and then failing utterly to get close.

Mind you, Mandel was not being cornered by some progressive journalist. She was on a reactionary show with two sympathetic hosts who bent over backward to give Mandel room to explain what "woke" meant, coaxing her gently with, "take your time." Yet she still couldn't define "woke."

I'll give it a go. Today "woke" means leftist extreme intolerance. It's enforced understanding of the needs of perceived minorities. It's using social pressure to force people to be informed about the needs of marginalised groups, be compassionate toward them, thoughtful and kind. Or rather, that you virtue signal all of this. You don't need to actually care about marginalised groups. You just need to make it look like you do. It's fundamentally patronising, since woke is a stance majority group members take, so they can use minorities as an ideological bat to beat other majority member group members with. Because minorities are assumed not being able to speak for themselves.

I think woke is the biggest threat to progressivism and liberal values today. It replaces true progress the bullshit symbols of progress. It leads to newspeak. It makes honesty into a sin.

It's the latest incarnation of ideological purity, scapegoating and mob mentality that we, so lovingly, inherited by, the loving, and caring Christians, who totally care about the poor, weak and unfortunate. Yes, the pope totally needs a gold throne. It's important for his work toward humilty.

Die die Christian culture. Just fucking die already. I'm so sick of it.

That's my take on it.

No, I don't think the conservatives are the good guys. I see the wokes as the leftist versions of fundamentalists. It's the exact same kind of, horrible, behaviour. Both are a result of our shared Christian heritage.

But your interpretation clashes with the current conservative meaning. For example, your interpretation contradicts the current narrative from the right in the USA that the recent bank failures are due to "Woke" banking.

"Woke" has replaced "political correctness" as the approved mode of virtue signalling from the right in the USA.

 

[Oleg]

What is this “Wokeness” that you speak of?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Today on, Yes, there are fringes in all ideologies...



As a reminder, the fringe of the right-wing tried to overthrow an election by storming Congress. Makes complaining about talking about the word 'picnic' seem kind of petty.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I am so sick of the bullshit term "virtue signaling".

The term does have some merit. For example, when conservatives use the term "virtue signaling," they are most often virtue signaling.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I am so sick of the bullshit term "virtue signaling".

The term does have some merit. For example, when conservatives use the term "virtue signaling," they are most often virtue signaling.

I doubt Dr. Z wears US flag lapels.. but boy, talk about virtue signaling among the right-wing and alt-right. I remember back when carrying a tiny copy of the US Constitution was also quite popular among the right-wing to prove how patriotic they were.

And of course, complaining about "woke" means you are patriotic in some virtue signaling of its own.

 

[DrZoidberg]

"Woke" is now an empty word that means whatever MAGA wants it to mean

MAGA can't explain what "woke" is, but that's the point — it's a "choose your own bigotry" term for Republicans

www.salon.com

"Woke" is currently the favorite word of the right. Republican politicians can't go more that 5 or 6 words without peppering "woke" into their sentences. Turning on Fox News, you'll hear the word "woke" repeated ad nauseam, like a record skipping, but for hours at a time: "woke woke woke woke woke." Everything is "woke": Banks. Children's books. The military. Disney. M&Ms. Super Bowl performances. To be a Republican in the year 2023 is to spend every waking moment outraged and terrified by "woke," certain its wokey tendrils will snake their wokeness into your brain and woke-ify you into wokeitude.

But the funny thing about "woke" is that, while all Republicans hate it, they don't seem to have any idea how to define it. That was hilariously demonstrated in a viral video clip of conservative author Bethany Mandel falling completely apart when asked in an interview to define "woke," a concept she wrote an entire book denouncing. Mandel couldn't do it.

"So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um..." she stammered before admitting it "is something that's very hard to define," and then failing utterly to get close.

Mind you, Mandel was not being cornered by some progressive journalist. She was on a reactionary show with two sympathetic hosts who bent over backward to give Mandel room to explain what "woke" meant, coaxing her gently with, "take your time." Yet she still couldn't define "woke."

I'll give it a go. Today "woke" means leftist extreme intolerance. It's enforced understanding of the needs of perceived minorities. It's using social pressure to force people to be informed about the needs of marginalised groups, be compassionate toward them, thoughtful and kind. Or rather, that you virtue signal all of this. You don't need to actually care about marginalised groups. You just need to make it look like you do. It's fundamentally patronising, since woke is a stance majority group members take, so they can use minorities as an ideological bat to beat other majority member group members with. Because minorities are assumed not being able to speak for themselves.

I think woke is the biggest threat to progressivism and liberal values today. It replaces true progress the bullshit symbols of progress. It leads to newspeak. It makes honesty into a sin.

It's the latest incarnation of ideological purity, scapegoating and mob mentality that we, so lovingly, inherited by, the loving, and caring Christians, who totally care about the poor, weak and unfortunate. Yes, the pope totally needs a gold throne. It's important for his work toward humilty.

Die die Christian culture. Just fucking die already. I'm so sick of it.

That's my take on it.

No, I don't think the conservatives are the good guys. I see the wokes as the leftist versions of fundamentalists. It's the exact same kind of, horrible, behaviour. Both are a result of our shared Christian heritage.

But your interpretation clashes with the current conservative meaning. For example, your interpretation contradicts the current narrative from the right in the USA that the recent bank failures are due to "Woke" banking.

"Woke" has replaced "political correctness" as the approved mode of virtue signalling from the right in the USA.

Woke and pc is the same thing.

Yes, conservatives are great at using the current "bad liberal word" as a magical ju-ju fetish dog whistle. It's a bizarre behaviour. I'm not conservative. They can all go and get fucked as far as I am concerned.

But I do defend the rights of conservatives to be conservative. I think they should be allowed to express all their bigotted and narrow minded opinions freely. Its a hill I am willing to die on.

 

[DrZoidberg]

I am so sick of the bullshit term "virtue signaling".

The term does have some merit. For example, when conservatives use the term "virtue signaling," they are most often virtue signaling.

I doubt Dr. Z wears US flag lapels.. but boy, talk about virtue signaling among the right-wing and alt-right. I remember back when carrying a tiny copy of the US Constitution was also quite popular among the right-wing to prove how patriotic they were.

And of course, complaining about "woke" means you are patriotic in some virtue signaling of its own.

I wear it next to my swastika

 

[DrZoidberg]

“Enforced understanding“ tells me all I need to know. Square circles, anyone?

In the French revolution Saint-Just actually said "we must force the people to be free". But in French. At the height of The Terror.

Liberals, historically, aren't above making preposterous and paradoxical demands. I think Woke belongs in this category

As I am sure you are aware, not every liberal social reform has worked out.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I am so sick of the bullshit term "virtue signaling".

The term does have some merit. For example, when conservatives use the term "virtue signaling," they are most often virtue signaling.

I doubt Dr. Z wears US flag lapels.. but boy, talk about virtue signaling among the right-wing and alt-right. I remember back when carrying a tiny copy of the US Constitution was also quite popular among the right-wing to prove how patriotic they were.

And of course, complaining about "woke" means you are patriotic in some virtue signaling of its own.

I wear it next to my swastika

From Wikipedia:

Virtue signalling is the expression of a moral viewpoint with the intent of communicating good character.[1][2][3]

...

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, virtue signalling is "an attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media... indicating that one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or favour for certain political ideas or cultural happenings".[4]

Let's start with the last part first--

• "...expressing disgust ... for certain political ideas or cultural happenings." Negative commentary regarding wokes and virtue signaling fits this part of the description, i.e. "expressing disgust" for "political ideas" or "cultural happenings."
• "...especially on social media..." -- welp, facebook, twitter, even IIDB are social media, but social media is not a necessary part. Pundits like Cucker Tarlson also engage in virtue signaling.
• "...expressing opinions..." -- yup, when conservatives are engaging in negative commentary regarding wokes or virtue signaling, they are expressing opinions.
• "...attempting to show other people that you are a good person..." -- ah, well, this one is always the claim by an observer who is critiquing the person in question or what they said or wrote and the motivation of the person might or might not be debatable. We could claim that Cucker Tarlson or Dr Z or even I by writing posts am engaging in communication for sake of looking moral. In any case, anyone who is saying "you're just doing it to gain the moral high ground..." is attempting, even unconsciously to gain the moral high ground.

So, since, attacking virtue signaling is itself virtue signaling, these types of critiques are virtually meaningless. They are an exercise in triablistic echo chamber saber rattling and fist bumping. Sound. Fury. And Pedestals.

Likewise, woke. What does it mean, but to be awake to the social issues of the day and promote the awareness through communication. To conservatives, talking about the wokes is showing conservative wokeness, i.e. awareness of conservative ideology and critiques of liberals and special anecdotes about extremists to going on and on about. And memes. Don't forget memes.

It's like, think back to Bill O'Reilly talking about Culture Wars. Would you say Bill O'Reilly was NOT trying to take the moral high ground. The very nature of conservatives is to try to make value judgments they are brainwashed into by various institutions and then try to push them on everyone else. Remember, they hate cultural relativism and moral relativism. They have moral absolutes. And when they publish their ideology or engage in sophisticated critiques of "The Left" they are showing they are Woke to it.

One of the main differences these days is much of the conservative leaders are complete frauds. So, I am not sure we can actually say that Cucker Tarlson is a Conservative Woke, if he is deliberately lying. He pretends to be enlightened and very aware of everything and can come up with a litany to support his purported moral high ground, but much of it is made up or cherry-picked, deliberately.

So, I suppose it's really the conservative minions who are the conservative wokes.

 

[Shadowy Man]

But I do defend the rights of conservatives to be conservative. I think they should be allowed to express all their bigotted and narrow minded opinions freely. Its a hill I am willing to die on.

They have whole TV networks dedicated to their messages, and radio shows, and newspapers, and social media companies. It doesn’t seem that they are being prevented from expressing their opinions freely in the open market.


Edited to add: not to mention a lot of freely and duly elected government representatives espousing and enacting into law conservative values.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

"Woke" is now an empty word that means whatever MAGA wants it to mean

MAGA can't explain what "woke" is, but that's the point — it's a "choose your own bigotry" term for Republicans

www.salon.com

"Woke" is currently the favorite word of the right. Republican politicians can't go more that 5 or 6 words without peppering "woke" into their sentences. Turning on Fox News, you'll hear the word "woke" repeated ad nauseam, like a record skipping, but for hours at a time: "woke woke woke woke woke." Everything is "woke": Banks. Children's books. The military. Disney. M&Ms. Super Bowl performances. To be a Republican in the year 2023 is to spend every waking moment outraged and terrified by "woke," certain its wokey tendrils will snake their wokeness into your brain and woke-ify you into wokeitude.

But the funny thing about "woke" is that, while all Republicans hate it, they don't seem to have any idea how to define it. That was hilariously demonstrated in a viral video clip of conservative author Bethany Mandel falling completely apart when asked in an interview to define "woke," a concept she wrote an entire book denouncing. Mandel couldn't do it.

"So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um..." she stammered before admitting it "is something that's very hard to define," and then failing utterly to get close.

Mind you, Mandel was not being cornered by some progressive journalist. She was on a reactionary show with two sympathetic hosts who bent over backward to give Mandel room to explain what "woke" meant, coaxing her gently with, "take your time." Yet she still couldn't define "woke."

I'll give it a go. Today "woke" means leftist extreme intolerance. It's enforced understanding of the needs of perceived minorities. It's using social pressure to force people to be informed about the needs of marginalised groups, be compassionate toward them, thoughtful and kind. Or rather, that you virtue signal all of this. You don't need to actually care about marginalised groups. You just need to make it look like you do. It's fundamentally patronising, since woke is a stance majority group members take, so they can use minorities as an ideological bat to beat other majority member group members with. Because minorities are assumed not being able to speak for themselves.

I think woke is the biggest threat to progressivism and liberal values today. It replaces true progress the bullshit symbols of progress. It leads to newspeak. It makes honesty into a sin.

It's the latest incarnation of ideological purity, scapegoating and mob mentality that we, so lovingly, inherited by, the loving, and caring Christians, who totally care about the poor, weak and unfortunate. Yes, the pope totally needs a gold throne. It's important for his work toward humilty.

Die die Christian culture. Just fucking die already. I'm so sick of it.

That's my take on it.

No, I don't think the conservatives are the good guys. I see the wokes as the leftist versions of fundamentalists. It's the exact same kind of, horrible, behaviour. Both are a result of our shared Christian heritage.

But your interpretation clashes with the current conservative meaning. For example, your interpretation contradicts the current narrative from the right in the USA that the recent bank failures are due to "Woke" banking.

"Woke" has replaced "political correctness" as the approved mode of virtue signalling from the right in the USA.

Woke and pc is the same thing.

Yes, conservatives are great at using the current "bad liberal word" as a magical ju-ju fetish dog whistle. It's a bizarre behaviour. I'm not conservative. They can all go and get fucked as far as I am concerned.

But I do defend the rights of conservatives to be conservative. I think they should be allowed to express all their bigotted and narrow minded opinions freely. Its a hill I am willing to die on.

When conservatives cross the boundry from conservatism to reactionary authoritarianists, destroying the rights of non-MAGAts, I draw the line.

 

[DrZoidberg]

"Woke" is now an empty word that means whatever MAGA wants it to mean

MAGA can't explain what "woke" is, but that's the point — it's a "choose your own bigotry" term for Republicans

www.salon.com

"Woke" is currently the favorite word of the right. Republican politicians can't go more that 5 or 6 words without peppering "woke" into their sentences. Turning on Fox News, you'll hear the word "woke" repeated ad nauseam, like a record skipping, but for hours at a time: "woke woke woke woke woke." Everything is "woke": Banks. Children's books. The military. Disney. M&Ms. Super Bowl performances. To be a Republican in the year 2023 is to spend every waking moment outraged and terrified by "woke," certain its wokey tendrils will snake their wokeness into your brain and woke-ify you into wokeitude.

But the funny thing about "woke" is that, while all Republicans hate it, they don't seem to have any idea how to define it. That was hilariously demonstrated in a viral video clip of conservative author Bethany Mandel falling completely apart when asked in an interview to define "woke," a concept she wrote an entire book denouncing. Mandel couldn't do it.

"So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um..." she stammered before admitting it "is something that's very hard to define," and then failing utterly to get close.

Mind you, Mandel was not being cornered by some progressive journalist. She was on a reactionary show with two sympathetic hosts who bent over backward to give Mandel room to explain what "woke" meant, coaxing her gently with, "take your time." Yet she still couldn't define "woke."

I'll give it a go. Today "woke" means leftist extreme intolerance. It's enforced understanding of the needs of perceived minorities. It's using social pressure to force people to be informed about the needs of marginalised groups, be compassionate toward them, thoughtful and kind. Or rather, that you virtue signal all of this. You don't need to actually care about marginalised groups. You just need to make it look like you do. It's fundamentally patronising, since woke is a stance majority group members take, so they can use minorities as an ideological bat to beat other majority member group members with. Because minorities are assumed not being able to speak for themselves.

I think woke is the biggest threat to progressivism and liberal values today. It replaces true progress the bullshit symbols of progress. It leads to newspeak. It makes honesty into a sin.

It's the latest incarnation of ideological purity, scapegoating and mob mentality that we, so lovingly, inherited by, the loving, and caring Christians, who totally care about the poor, weak and unfortunate. Yes, the pope totally needs a gold throne. It's important for his work toward humilty.

Die die Christian culture. Just fucking die already. I'm so sick of it.

That's my take on it.

No, I don't think the conservatives are the good guys. I see the wokes as the leftist versions of fundamentalists. It's the exact same kind of, horrible, behaviour. Both are a result of our shared Christian heritage.

But your interpretation clashes with the current conservative meaning. For example, your interpretation contradicts the current narrative from the right in the USA that the recent bank failures are due to "Woke" banking.

"Woke" has replaced "political correctness" as the approved mode of virtue signalling from the right in the USA.

Woke and pc is the same thing.

Yes, conservatives are great at using the current "bad liberal word" as a magical ju-ju fetish dog whistle. It's a bizarre behaviour. I'm not conservative. They can all go and get fucked as far as I am concerned.

But I do defend the rights of conservatives to be conservative. I think they should be allowed to express all their bigotted and narrow minded opinions freely. Its a hill I am willing to die on.

When conservatives cross the boundry from conservatism to reactionary authoritarianists, destroying the rights of non-MAGAts, I draw the line.

Ok, then. But I hope you understand if people like me see you as a threat to democracy and western civilization?

Tolerance, isn't just a pretty word. It actually means something. It's fundamental to making democracy work.

I hope you understand why I group you together with those who stormed the capitol as the same type of people? People who are a threat to democracy are just as bad, regardless if they're on the right or left.

 

[DrZoidberg]

But I do defend the rights of conservatives to be conservative. I think they should be allowed to express all their bigotted and narrow minded opinions freely. Its a hill I am willing to die on.

They have whole TV networks dedicated to their messages, and radio shows, and newspapers, and social media companies. It doesn’t seem that they are being prevented from expressing their opinions freely in the open market.


Edited to add: not to mention a lot of freely and duly elected government representatives espousing and enacting into law conservative values.

I agree. But that fact doesn't make the woke impulse of compelled speech ok. Wrecking democracy is real easy. Its hard to make it work

 

[laughing dog]

"Woke" is now an empty word that means whatever MAGA wants it to mean

MAGA can't explain what "woke" is, but that's the point — it's a "choose your own bigotry" term for Republicans

www.salon.com

"Woke" is currently the favorite word of the right. Republican politicians can't go more that 5 or 6 words without peppering "woke" into their sentences. Turning on Fox News, you'll hear the word "woke" repeated ad nauseam, like a record skipping, but for hours at a time: "woke woke woke woke woke." Everything is "woke": Banks. Children's books. The military. Disney. M&Ms. Super Bowl performances. To be a Republican in the year 2023 is to spend every waking moment outraged and terrified by "woke," certain its wokey tendrils will snake their wokeness into your brain and woke-ify you into wokeitude.

But the funny thing about "woke" is that, while all Republicans hate it, they don't seem to have any idea how to define it. That was hilariously demonstrated in a viral video clip of conservative author Bethany Mandel falling completely apart when asked in an interview to define "woke," a concept she wrote an entire book denouncing. Mandel couldn't do it.

"So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um..." she stammered before admitting it "is something that's very hard to define," and then failing utterly to get close.

Mind you, Mandel was not being cornered by some progressive journalist. She was on a reactionary show with two sympathetic hosts who bent over backward to give Mandel room to explain what "woke" meant, coaxing her gently with, "take your time." Yet she still couldn't define "woke."

I'll give it a go. Today "woke" means leftist extreme intolerance. It's enforced understanding of the needs of perceived minorities. It's using social pressure to force people to be informed about the needs of marginalised groups, be compassionate toward them, thoughtful and kind. Or rather, that you virtue signal all of this. You don't need to actually care about marginalised groups. You just need to make it look like you do. It's fundamentally patronising, since woke is a stance majority group members take, so they can use minorities as an ideological bat to beat other majority member group members with. Because minorities are assumed not being able to speak for themselves.

I think woke is the biggest threat to progressivism and liberal values today. It replaces true progress the bullshit symbols of progress. It leads to newspeak. It makes honesty into a sin.

It's the latest incarnation of ideological purity, scapegoating and mob mentality that we, so lovingly, inherited by, the loving, and caring Christians, who totally care about the poor, weak and unfortunate. Yes, the pope totally needs a gold throne. It's important for his work toward humilty.

Die die Christian culture. Just fucking die already. I'm so sick of it.

That's my take on it.

No, I don't think the conservatives are the good guys. I see the wokes as the leftist versions of fundamentalists. It's the exact same kind of, horrible, behaviour. Both are a result of our shared Christian heritage.

But your interpretation clashes with the current conservative meaning. For example, your interpretation contradicts the current narrative from the right in the USA that the recent bank failures are due to "Woke" banking.

"Woke" has replaced "political correctness" as the approved mode of virtue signalling from the right in the USA.

Woke and pc is the same thing.

Yes, conservatives are great at using the current "bad liberal word" as a magical ju-ju fetish dog whistle. It's a bizarre behaviour. I'm not conservative. They can all go and get fucked as far as I am concerned.

But I do defend the rights of conservatives to be conservative. I think they should be allowed to express all their bigotted and narrow minded opinions freely. Its a hill I am willing to die on.

When conservatives cross the boundry from conservatism to reactionary authoritarianists, destroying the rights of non-MAGAts, I draw the line.

Ok, then. But I hope you understand if people like me see you as a threat to democracy and western civilization?

Tolerance, isn't just a pretty word. It actually means something. It's fundamental to making democracy work.

I hope you understand why I group you together with those who stormed the capitol as the same type of people? People who are a threat to democracy are just as bad, regardless if they're on the right or left.

Since Don did not define "draw the line", your response is ironic.

 

[Shadowy Man]

But I do defend the rights of conservatives to be conservative. I think they should be allowed to express all their bigotted and narrow minded opinions freely. Its a hill I am willing to die on.

They have whole TV networks dedicated to their messages, and radio shows, and newspapers, and social media companies. It doesn’t seem that they are being prevented from expressing their opinions freely in the open market.


Edited to add: not to mention a lot of freely and duly elected government representatives espousing and enacting into law conservative values.

I agree. But that fact doesn't make the woke impulse of compelled speech ok. Wrecking democracy is real easy. Its hard to make it work

I agree that free speech needs to be defended. Even if that speech is from an elected representative who thinks that people who disagree with her political point of view shouldn’t be allowed to vote.

But I don’t really see how the so-called “woke” have been infringing on that right any more than the other side has. The problem is when laws start changing to infringe on speech. And if anything I’ve seen more of that on the political right than the “woke” side, what with things like in Florida where subjects and books in classrooms are being banned.