WHAT IS WOKE?

Resisting speech manipulation is important

Pieter Brueghel the Elder: The Land of Cockaigne¹

To be “woke” is to be awake, alert, aware of what is happening around us, using all our senses to discern fact from fiction, to evade hazards, to out-maneuver predators, to navigate the lies and misinformation from the current corrupt GOP/POTUS regime.

Those wishing to manipulate the citizenry: the GOP, the alt-right, the religious right, “moderate” liberals, libertarians, and foreign actors, seek to silence resistance and entangle speech by pejoratively squelching the use of “woke”. That places them at the service of money-hungry oligarchs, and religious ideologues who want to increase their power at whatever the cost.

Could Americans have avoided the following historical incidents and situations if they had been fully “woke”?

-The repeat election of a convicted felon for POTUS?

-Allowing the POTUS and his allies to pray on women, such as reflected in the Epstein sex scandal?

-The inhumane treatment of immigrants and their compassionate supporters, some of which have been wounded and killed in recent days by the repressive forces of the corrupt GOP?

-Diverging from a green economy and investing in energy sources that promote global warming?

-Attacking Venezuela and civilian boats?

-Pardoning by the POTUS of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández convicted of conspiring to import over 400 tons of cocaine into the US?

-Pardoning by the POTUS of hundreds of rioting 6January2021 invaders of the US Capitol?

-Renaming of US military bases after seditious Confederate figures?

-Oppression and denial of minority and gender rights and suppression of Diversity-Equity-Inclusion programs?

-Removing of plaques recognizing contributions of African Americans to US WWII efforts?

-Oppression of African Americans through lynchings from 1865 to this day?

-Establishing the Florida Stop Woke Act that limits discussion of racism?

-Attacks on Academia to block the truth and reduce free expression?

-Selling favors to finance the new White House ballroom?

-Tolerating lies that led us into wars in Vietnam, Grenada, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere?

-Tolerating poverty and reduced healthcare in the richest nation on earth?

-Allowing DOGE to review and steal private US citizen information?

-Devastating our environment through deregulation of polluting industries and allowing exploitation of public lands?

-Allowing the GOP-controlled Congress and SCOTUS to prop up the current regime in the US?

-Betrayal of Ukraine by the current US regime?

-Promotion of white conservative fears to prop-up the US ruling regime?

-Instituting book banning?

-Supporting genocide and eradication of Palestinians from their land?

-Mobilization of troops by the POTUS against states with Democratic Party governance?

-Use of the DOJ and DOD by the POTUS to harass political opponents?

-Reducing oversight of government operations by decimating the ranks of oversight agencies?

-Hiring Federal employees loyal to POTUS rather than competent ones loyal to the US Constitution?

-De-staffing and weakening of agencies that protect civil rights, public health, financial security?

-Unchecked lying to Congress by POTUS appointees?

-Opposition to transparency in government affairs?

-Allowing POTUS allies favorable treatment in government contracts?

Should we not be vigilant and shine the light of truth on criminals, the corrupt, the powerful, the oligarchs? Experience shows that cockroaches flee when the kitchen light goes on.

Refuse attempts to entangle your speech.

Be woke, vocal, compassionately resist— your life depends on it.

20260105

¹From the Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The author died in 1569, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer.