I am not into “wokeism.” For me, wokeism is a mental construct that has been subjected to a number of meanings to placate others. As Black people, we have never had the luxury of daydreaming and fantasizing our lives away. Being Black plays a pivotal role in maintaining our reality, everything we do, say and be. It is the constant background mental chatter for the majority of us as we tread through life. How will my blackness affect this? How will my blackness hinder that? Those kind of pondering questions go on even for individuals who did not allow their blackness to hinder them in their achievements.
Wokeism has a companion partner. Although Merriam-Webster has a number of definitions for that partner, which has held up since the beginning of time, that five letter word has become so redefined in today’s world that a complete lie, a partial lie, or even a gigantic fantasy can now be labeled under that word. What’s the word? TRUTH!
When I think of the word “truth,” I think of Superman: Truth, Justice and the American way. Truth has always been the good that outweighed evil. Truth prevails while everything else fails. We even swear on the Bible “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”
We ask people to “speak their truth.” And when they respond, we are expected to accept that whatever they say in response is the truth even if that truth is 180 degrees different from the facts. How can that be? There was a time when we could respond, “Don’t let the facts get in the way” to devalue an alleged “truth.” But those days appear to have passed.
Between wokeism and “speaking one’s truth,” if the recipient’s reaction or acceptance to that wokeism/“truth” isn’t in agreement with what is considered to be the now acceptable norm, the non-receptive individual is given a label. The label corresponds to the subject matter. The non-receptive person is now “racist” if it involves different racial groups. It’s “sexist” if it involves male/female. It’s “elitist” if it involves different economic levels. And on and on until one’s head spins in confusion and chaos.
Some of the current happenings have me questioning if “wokeism” and “speaking one’s truth” have become so pervasive that this country and a lot of the world has “lost their mind?” Especially when the goal is to get others to go along with agendas that are contrary to theirs.
For now, only time will tell!
