According to the dictionary: "woke" means: "alert to injustice in society, especially racism."....
I'm afraid that those who are anti-wokeness are throwing out the baby with the bath water.
I believe that we should be aware of racism in our society or any other prejudicial practice that unfairly treats people (e.g. deliberately demeans them, harms them, etc.). No argument there. But 'wokeism' appears to take that awareness to levels that are beyond what seems true and reasonable. It sometimes appears that everything is racist and prejudicial. For example, recently schools in both Michigan and Oregon cancelled Halloween parades because they were seen as racist. Valentine's Day was cancelled due to 'inclusivity issues.' Dr. Seuss, a childhood staple, is now racist and thus cancelled. To question anything held sacred by those deemed to be sufficiently 'woke' is to be cancelled and accused of being a racist, a homophobe, etc. Religious convictions are permitted and tolerated only if they fit within the current definitions created by the 'woke' people. There is 'alert' and then there is what we now have.
And sometimes accusations of racisms are a bit unfounded. At least according to what I read, a bigger reason for cancelling Halloween parades in grade schools was economics. It discriminated against the students who couldn't afford costumes. (It may be that many of the poorer students are also of minority races, but the race issue was not the primary one.) Valentine's Day was cancelled in many places because of COVID concerns. As I recall only six of Dr. Seuss's books were deemed unacceptable by the publisher. I've also seen writers and publishers alter words to hymns because of gender issues. The UCC's New Century Hymnal of 1995 did a lot of that - more than many people found acceptable.
I had heard the economic reason, as well. But according to this logic proms should also be cancelled, since the wearing of formal attire, whether a rented tux, as in my day, or some other arrangement, does involve some outlay of money, not to mention flowers, dinners, etc. Given that some families might not have as much to pay out for such things, it would then be more equitable to cancel the whole thing. But this logic takes us down a 'rabbit hole' of sorts where any time a sense of inequity is sensed the event is deemed a disadvantage to some group and harmful to observe.
Our emerging 'woke' and 'cancel' culture seems to know no end. Nothing I knew before seems safe or equitable or fair to someone of a protected class.
