Here it is: I was successful in killing my dept’s woke statement on recent social unrest. This took several weeks and may have permanently burned some bridges, but I think it’s important. It is a toxic ideology that cannot be given an inch. Here are the lessons I learned.
After the tragic death of George Floyd the wokinistas in my dept felt compelled to make a collective statement. It was a self-flagellating admission of guilt and shame for things we had not done that no sane person would agree to sign.
I was successful in removing all woke terminology from the statement including anti-racism, white supremacy, white privilege, and claims of systemic racism. Before attempting a similar feat, it’s important to make sure you know what all of these terms really mean.
You have to go into this with a bullet-proof lexicon and be very clear about what you’re up against. newdiscourses.com is the place to start. I couldn’t have done this without that resource.
The first step to take is to get involved. If your department or company is creating a committee to generate a statement in response to an event, be the first to volunteer. It shows you care. Which you do, and there is no better way to change something than at the beginning.
Being on these types of committees is also the best way to steer larger policy further down the line. You will have to endure all manner of nonsense, but do it.
Once you’re on these committees you have to act as if you are unaware of the woke agenda. Be respectful, but when they say something dumb, which they will, maintain your composure and ask questions that makes them define EXACTLY what they mean.
Get them to define their terms precisely. This will draw the process out, which is important. Do they really mean that all white people are racist? Is discrimination really ok if it’s in the service of “anit-racism?”
If they claim your dept or organization is racist, ask for specific examples so that you can better fight racism. You can’t fight what you can’t identify. They’ll never produce real examples.
Feel free to sporadically inject reflexive statements along the lines of “racism is bad,” “we all hate racism,” etc. It’s true and gets them keyed in and more open to what you are saying.
Stick to enlightenment ideas, reason, and logic. Ask for evidence whenever a claim is made. You will often be accused, as I was, that asking for evidence of bias is proof of white privilege. Simply reject that claim, as I did.
Say that one’s race has no bearing on the evidence of a claim. If bias exists, it exists, and it doesn’t matter the race of the person looking for it.
If you have enough nonwoke people in your dept your questions will be well-received and claims like “everyone in the dept is racist” will be seen as absurd, as they should be. Appeal to the concept of treating everyone equally. This is the foundation of academia, and is in danger
The success of this tact really depends on how many wokinistas you have. If you are outnumbered, I can’t help you. No one can. Get out now. For the rest of you, fight back. Intelligently.
