Nothing but Bluesky coming your way!
The Head Groundskeeper transmits two most excellent definitions of Woke. We do so in the belief that identity politics is a greater threat to freedom, good government, and profit taking than Gustavo Fring at a Chinese gain-of-function lab.
Like computer ransomware, the cult of victim/victimizer has infected our college campuses, your kid’s grade school, the Democrat(ic) party, Walt Disney, news media not owned by Rupert Murdoch, big business personnel departments, and government from California to New York — even the U.S. military. Here in Madison WI, county supervisors begin their meetings with this Woke mea culpa:
This meeting is being conducted on land now known and recognized as Dane County, Wisconsin. We acknowledge that this land is at the same time the ancestral, traditional, & contemporary land of the Ho-Chunk, Sauk & Kickapoo nations.
Woke has 2 definitions
We follow Ruy Teixeira, a “non-resident” (and jolly good) fellow at American Enterprise Institute. In today’s Wall Street Journal he observes:
We live in strange times
Surely one of the strangest aspects is the rise of an ideology — call it “wokeness” — that judges actions or arguments not by their content but by the identity of those engaging in them. Those identities in turn are defined and prioritized by an intersectional web of oppressors or oppressed, powerful or powerless, dominant or marginalized.
With this approach, one does not judge actions by their effectiveness or arguments by their truth; one judges them by whether the people doing or making them are oppressed powerless or marginalized If so, their actions or arguments deserve support; if not, they deserve opposition. Madness!
Policy mavens Mike Gonzalez and Armen Tooloee define Woke this way:
Woke means believing America is riddled with inequities
where not only its people but the system itself is racist and in need of systemic overhaul; where society is divided between the “oppressors” and the “oppressed”; where history must be expunged and rewritten. This is a world of make-believe. But for the woke elite, it colors everything from climate policy to the Israel-Hamas war.
This elite has spent years infusing every institution with policies, procedures and mandates aimed at transforming society. Diversity, equity and inclusion measures, particularly in government and academia, have created an identity-based system in which people’s immutable characteristics, not their choices, determine whether they are worthy of awards or punishment.
Gonzalez and Tooloe recommend defunding NPR and (as have we) eliminating race questions from the federal census.
X no longer marks the spot
Dane County bans its employees from using X, Elon Musk’s on-line social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Newly elected Dane County Executive Melissa Agard now “encourages” county employees to conduct their on-line social messaging on a new service called “Bluesky.” In so doing, the county exec joins the likes of Joy Reid, Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon, Barbra Streisand, and NPR in leaving X and/or taking up Bluesky.
This aligns with Dane County’s mission to use technology responsibly, maintain an open dialogue with residents, and communicate important news, updates, and public services in a way that is both inclusive and secure. — County Exec Melissa Agard
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Thoughts and prayers for the county snow plow operator who posts on Truth Social!
17 responses to “Woke means always making someone feel guilty”
“This elite has spent years infusing every institution with policies, procedures and mandates aimed at transforming society.” (bold mine)
Decades, actually; to wit:
We Will Take America Without Firing A Shot […] WE WILL DESTROY YOU FROM WITHIN–N. Khrushchev
The Gotch
If you include Woodrow Wilson it will be a century.
“It’s Like Writing History With Lightning. My Only Regret Is That It Is All SO TERRIBLY TRUE.” President Wilson’s review of the arguably RAYcist film The Birth Of A Nation, after a private WH viewing.
The Gotch
David, I guess you haven’t been to a performance at Overture lately. They say a similar thing about being on Ho-Chunk land at the beginning of every single performance.
They should just put up a giant “In this house…” sign. Same result: virtue signaling with no skin in the game.
And I don’t suppose they mention the late great Jeff Stanley and Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry who they also forced off the land?
I was at Overture Oct 19 for stand-up comic Lewis Black’s routine. There was no announcement at the start of the show acknowledging tribal lands. I suspect Mr. Black does not suffer “woke” gladly. Just maybe he made that clear to Overture staff.
Guess I should say it’s at many of the performances, especially in Overture Hall. Could be different in the Capitol Theater or the Playhouse at the Overture Center. Of course, performers like Lewis Black may have their own rules for what they do or don’t want. I have witnessed the Ho-Chunk ancestral land spiel many times.
You bring up some good points, Special K. Lewis Black performed in Capitol Theater, likewise the irreverent Kathy Griffin back in April.
Will be attending a show in Overture Hall Feb 06. Interesting to see if an announcement is made then.
As a longtime fan of Black’s material, I don’t see him endorsing wokeness. While he certainly leans a bit left, he’s offered no shortage of criticism of Democrats and their more extreme elements. Outright condemnation of wokeness may just not be a battle he wants to pick. Others like Bill Burr and Dave Chappelle, however, don’t seem to have that sort of filter.
I was at the Capitol Theater today for a performance of “A Christmas Carol.” They did the Ho-Chunk reference. Perhaps if the venue is rented by a non-affiliated Overture company, they have more say in how they want things done. BTW, if you haven’t seen A Christmas Carol, I would highly recommend. The actor who has played Scrooge for the past several seasons, LaShawn Banks, is tremendous. I guess he also does productions at the American Players Theater regularly.
Thanks for the tip, Special K. Will attend this production of “A Christmas Carol” at Capitol Theater. Happy Holidays. 🎅
I gave up on theatre performances at the Overture Center long ago, mainly because every bloody thing they put on had to do in one way or another with race, as though this were the only theme worth exploring. If I did find myself at a performance that began with “acknowledgement” of stolen Indian land, I’d be sorely tempted to stand up and say, “So when do you plan to return it?” or “Does that include the land (probably in Shorewood or University Heights) on which your mansion sits?” Virtue signaling is always tiresome, but this particular brand is nauseating.
Commie says and commies do, enough with the term WOKE, that is not a catch all phrase for progressive left. It was more specific defining police brutality after george floyd. It was fun getting my property tax and blowing a top to a 1200.00 increase in a city that had no referendum or real value increase to my home. Middle class home, after record breaking funds going to schools. That is bull caca.
Watching netflix documentary on churchill, how i know it is awful, george w bush is a part commentary. By far the worst potus of the 21st century. Can you say propaganda!
I feel your pain. Staying in Madison is becoming too expensive.
Like the above header, images of Hillarity New Jowls Clinton cause dry heaves and scares small children.
The Gotch
DEI Promotes FALSE PERCEPTIONS OF PREJUDICE
MONEY QUOTE: (T)he well-meaning goals of diversity, equity and inclusion often lead to opposite outcomes.”
It gets worse.
INSTRUCTING ANIMOSITY: HOW DEI PEDAGOGY PRODUCES THE HOSTILE ATTRIBUTION BIAS
MONEY QUOTE: While DEI is supposed to lead to less bias and discrimination, THE SUDY FOUND THAT DIVERSITY TRAINING ACTUALLY CAUSED MORE. (bolds/caps/italics mine)
The Gotch