Esquire misses major point in argument saying most Americans are ‘woke’
March 13, 2023
In a new piece, Esquire reports that opinion polls show many Americans are woke. Even, that Republicans might do better if they tried to make the lives of the people better. The point they miss is that definitions of what is “woke” differ.
“Republican presidential hopefuls are vowing to wage a war on ‘woke,’ but a new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds a majority of Americans are inclined to see the word as a positive attribute, not a negative one. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed say the term means ‘to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices.‘”
Sure. Now try to define what is the social injustice that people should be informed on. Using the wrong pronouns is a human rights violation akin to fascism? There are woke people out there who would insist that is true. Suggesting that perhaps kids should go through puberty before deciding upon sex and sexuality? There are definitely woke people out there who would insist that that idea is fascism itself.
Equally:
“Americans by close to 3-1, 72%-26%, support teaching “the ongoing effects of slavery and racism in the United States” in public schools, “
That slavery was a ghastly mistake by our forbears, a mistake made by almost every human society in that past, sure we should and do teach that. That the descendant of slaves should get into Harvard on an 800 SAT score might not be something that most would agree with – even though there are those woke enough to insist that should happen.
“But in response to a different question asked of the other half of the sample, those surveyed oppose by 53%-41% the teaching of “critical race theory,” which holds that systemic racism is institutionalized in America to the advantage of white people.”
Again, why is anyone surprised at this? Critical Race Theory is a Marxism-aligned insistence that the entirety of American society must be overturned. The connection with slavery is tenuous at best, it’s just another way of insisting upon the need for revolution.
Americans, rightly, insist upon teaching sensible things in a sensible manner. They don’t insist upon teaching oddities in extremely political ways. That is, Americans are sensible folk desiring a sensible education system – they’re not woke. The little rhetorical trick being employed here by Esquire is to insist that if you want good things sensibly taught then you must want everything taught in the extremist and woke fashion. Which is, while a good rhetorical trick, not good logic nor actually true.
As to Republicans doing better if they make nice for the voters. This is, of course, what is being done. For what is nice for the voters is up to the voters to decide – that is the democratic idea. So, if reasonable and sensible teaching is to be added to the school day then, if parents want reasonable and sensible teaching then providing that is making nice to the voters, isn’t it?
The very proof that CRT and the ongoing effects of slavery are different things is that Americans have opposing views on them. Therefore they are, in the minds of the voters, two different things. Something that rhetorical tricks don’t change.