This morning I had the extreme pleasure of waking up and reading a CNN report on the endless news media maker and fascist politician Ron DeSantis.

(CNN) As soon as next week, Florida pension fund managers could be barred from considering the social impact of their financial decisions as Gov. Ron DeSantis opens a new front in his anti- “woke” crusade, this time focused on Wall Street and corporate CEOs.

“Woke,” I said aloud. The gears in my brain started churning and squeaking as they lubed up for the day. “What the fuck is ‘Woke’?”

Okay, on some issues, I’m a late waker, although usually, I am the early bird because they get the best worms. (haha) Admittingly, I have heard the term said (mostly in derogatory terms) by right-wing politicians; it just never ’hit’ home until this morning.

Here is the Merriam-Webster definition:

Definition of woke chiefly US slang :aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice) But we will only succeed if we reject the growing pressure to retreat into cynicism and hopelessness. … We have a moral obligation to “stay woke,” take a stand and be active; challenging injustices and racism in our communities and fighting hatred and discrimination wherever it rises. — Barbara Lee … argued that … Brad Pitt is not only woke, but the wokest man in Hollywood … because he uses his status—and his production company Plan B—to create space for artists of color, with such films as 12 Years a Slave, Selma, and the upcoming film Moonlight. — Giselle Defares

Oh. That’s cool and innocent, and I believe more kids should be Woke. Damn, I hate using that word in a sentence; it doesn’t ring right in my head. The writing part of me wants to correct the grammar as if my eighth-grade teacher is going to come and slap me upside the head. Finally, Woke is not an exercise wake-up program as I initially thought.

I re-read the definition silently so as not to wake anyone. Woke: aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice). So why are all the Authoritarian American Politicians up in arms? Well, one thing is for sure, these fascists don’t want people to wake up because if they do, they (the people) will reemerge as “We The People” and not the “fearful sheep” politicians like Ron DeSantis want us to be.

This demeaning of a word that is meant to be a neon sign for African Americans to stay awake and keep the fight for equal rights going until equality is finally achieved is just one more war the GOP is raging against the people.

Let’s quickly scan what is happening with the Woke issue:

Conservatives en masse have blasted “woke” companies that spoke out against Republican-led voting restrictions. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., promoted his coming book on Twitter by saying “the woke mob” — those who called for his original publisher, Simon & Schuster, to drop it in the wake of his efforts to overturn the election — wanted to prevent anyone from reading it. Former President Donald Trump, in a recent interview with Fox News, said the Biden administration is “destroying” the country “with woke.” Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act, a legislative proposal that will give businesses, employees, children and families tools to fight back against woke indoctrination. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory.

Yes, WOKE is an evil word to those wishing to suppress us into submission. Everyone needs to Woke up, Now! The steel blades of the Right-Wing are thoroughly oiled, spinning at high speed, and will continue to slice America into shreds so they can rewrite the Constitution in their Authoritarian image.

Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment. What do you think of Woke?