The very debatable topic of the superpower becoming a woke theocracy must be commented upon after an in-depth knowledge of the term woke.
Going by the dictionary meaning of the term ‘woke’ means to be aware and attentive about essential facts and issues. This, in today’s context, is being widely used as slang.
Stay woke became a sight word in parts of the black community by self-awareness, questioning the dominant shift, and striving for a better tomorrow. But stay woke became a part of the widespread discussion in 2014 immediately following Michael Brown’s shooting in Ferguson.
This word interlinked with the black lives matter movement and gained widespread importance rather than just being a normal word meaning awareness of injustice or racism.
The activist became woke and appealed to others to stay woke. Thus the word is gaining broader uses. Fuelled by the social media and black lives matter movement, the term entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017 and became a buzzword as a set of values.
The changing term ‘Woke.’
The term woke is now the center of many political and cultural debates at present. Some find it to be a sign of awareness of social issues, while others just slide it under the carpet as an insult.
Use of the term by Black lives matter
The Black lives matter movement uses the hashtag stay in the wake of injustice on racial terms spreading across the United States.
In 2012 an unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was shot dead in Florida. It was then that the term was heavily used first.
Why are some people against it?
The term is mocked by a group of people who oppose the movement it is associated with or believes that the issues are just exaggerated.
America as awoke of Theocracy
Woke is becoming the new religion in America. Since the death of George Floyd, a movement gained importance that condemns America for being a racist. Even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or decades of spending money on social welfare, it is still thought to be white supremacy.
There have been constant movements to eradicate this white privilege. Various educational institutes, media houses, and entertainment setups have justified their stands and thinking about the on-going campaigns. The woke culture has indeed taken America in its grip. What is being seen is a new secular religion.
The progressive ones are now doing theology without the Gods.
There has been an old theology core where values have been stating that humans are called wicked due to the original sins. The woke culture has an updated version that says that America’s sin is in white supremacy.
The theological tenets divided humans as Saints and Devils, and the woke culture too has classified the people as white and non-white, which they often referred to as the bully and the victims. The newly revived culture adheres to and believes that they possess higher truth and are committed to the task of anti-racism.
Today this mentality is ablaze all around, but another section of the society is also of the opinion that this would let the leftist power grabbers divide the country based on false morality and justice. The ideas of differentiation based on race and sex are not new. But now, these ideas have got a voice and have been legalized by the authorities.
Just to cite an example of how Wokeism is a new religion, in New York, when the Mayor was preventing the Jews and the Christians from freely exercising their faith during the pandemic, he permitted the preachers of Wokeism to flood the streets protesting against a cause. This was a concern for many as amidst the pandemic, and the Wokes were allowed to protest freely. It was not just New York, but the same instance happened in California where people were not allowed to sing in the churches during the lockdown, but the Wokes were allowed to protest for their rights freely. It appears as if to please the Wokes has become the highest responsibility for and above any other right. It is grabbing the entire system, and social justice is being given the highest priority.
Woke is not just limited to the State but also prevalent in the entire Federal System. The Federal government also promotes Wokeism through the various institutions it backs. The episodes of Wokeism have flared up from social media to real-life protests on the streets. Not just the Black, but even the NRI’s are taking part in the so-called revolutionary change. In the theory of Wokeism, the NRIs were late entrants to a phenomenon that had begun as a voice of blacks and supported by young white liberals. The goal seems to condition the American minds. The woke leftist religion is pervading the daily lives. America will be subject to a new and holy form of rule, the rule of the Wokes. Wokeism’s shield has expanded to include injustices against all identity groups and classes. With the building of social media momentum and protests, corporations and governments are forced to act against such individuals who support racism and discrimination. Wokeness is made alive by the basic idea of justice that no one can disagree with, but it is seen to be challenging to execute in practice. Though it is always good to stand against injustice, racism, and sexism, there are no particular measures to quantify right or wrong.
It will be the Theocracy of the Wokes if the anger does not die down as soon as it loses its appeal as it may demand change in the regular norms. The cure needs to be practical and possible. The thing that needs to be understood is that the solution should be conversation or violence. Supreme power should become a Theocracy but the religion that drives it must be of peace, equality, humanity, and well-being.
People must strive to have equal rights by putting up the viewpoints peacefully, and then it will be a perfect dream world.