I like the idea of wokeness, which I define as treating all individuals with respect and learning how best to do it. But like most good ideas, too much of it turns everything sour. For example…
Management is a good thing, but too much management is micromanaging. Alone time is good, but too much makes you sad. Even taxes are good for protecting the homeland, but too much taxation destroys the country. Wokeness is like that.
On a scale from 1 to 10, a wokeness level of 7 might be exactly what the Republic needs. We’re at 9, and the wheels are starting to come off. It is now irrational to associate with the overwoke. Too much danger of imagined harm.
When Black Americans told me confederate statues were offensive, I learned something useful and supported the call to remediate the situation. The feelings of Black Americans are important to me. You can’t make good decisions without that data.
When Colin Kaepernick offended patriotic Americans by kneeling during the national anthem, I praised him for informing the rest of the country how Black Americans feel about police brutality. I think that information was useful. It isn’t all about the crime data. How people feel… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
White Americans, particularly the men, do a lot of whispering about their feelings because speaking up costs you your livelihood and your reputation. This denies Black America the useful data they need to make good policy decisions.
My so-called “racist rant” was obvious hyperbole, at least to people familiar with my pattern and history. I intended to offend, in Kaepernick style, to draw energy in my direction, so my point would have a chance of penetrating the social bubble that needs it the most. If you… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
My larger point is that society has settled on a narrative, embedded in CRT, ESG, DEI, reparations and equity, and coming from schools, corporations, and the media, that White people and White men in particular are the root cause of other people’s suffering. The problem…
…is that a backwards-focused framework for understanding America necessary causes MORE racial animosity not less. And the backwards focus is in direct conflict with all the known tools for personal success. For example…
Reparations are the opposite of a reciprocity mindset. Grievance is the opposite of gratitude. Focusing on systemic racism is the opposite of optimism. I could go on. It’s all destructive, top to bottom, once you dial the wokeness to unsustainable levels.
To be clear, I favor Black History month and an unfiltered telling of the past. But once the past becomes your default operating system, you have abandoned the future. And it shows.
The fully predictable impact of overwokeness is White people will learn to avoid the risk of association with haters and troublemakers. That’s not good for anyone. I decided to take a risk to warn the public we have reached the “too far” stage of wokeness. It was a useful… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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