Why are people so Woke today?

Question

I don't get it. Why is half this stuff even an issue? I don't think native Americans have problems with sports teams being called "The Indians", "The Braves", the "Redskins", or any other name. So what's the deal?

WhiteSteve · Accepted Answer

Ok, so…. first off: I’m a guy who loves Native American imagery. I’m wearing a necklace with a totem pole on it as we speak. I made all kinds of custom teams on the NCAA Football ‘10-‘14 video game, and some of them had native imagery/names, but nothing decidedly offensive and disrespectful, I think they were usually tribally based, and most importantly, alliterative with city or region I wanted them to represent. “Chattanooga Choctaws”, something like that. And even though they were mostly personal use, I made sure that the tribe could’ve been conceivably local to that area.

I’d say a key facet of my appreciation of Native American stuff is that I respect them. So I endeavor to not make them cartoon characters of savages or like folklorish mystics. I try to be aware that they’re people who live here, now in small numbers, relegated to reservations in a lot of cases, and it’s totally fucked there. And I won’t go into all the history we all know about, but the bottom line is they’re supposed to be here and the rest of us aren’t. And it is what it is now, to some degree, but let’s not trample what’s left of them, or leave them to be forgotten.

I thought this was a great piece, probably well over ten years old now….

https://www.youtube.com/embed/loK2DRBnk24

As you can see, some Natives DO take issue with it. And I guess I can’t say for absolute sure but people claiming to have some fraction of Native heritage are usually full of shit, lmfao. They say it to sound more exotic, which is ironic, because Native American is as un-exotic as you can be as an American, lmao. And it’s ALWAYS Cherokee. That’s when I really start calling bullshit. Cherokee every time, lmfao, these fucking simpletons🤦‍♂️

But anyway, without going too ruthlessly long, here’s my umbrella problem with most “anti-woke” talk: it all seems predicated on “well, as long as white people/men/heterosexuals [based on who the offended party is] aren’t offended, then any complaints are bullshit and should be dismissed as ‘woke’ nonsense.”

We can’t have any kind of social situation where not annoying the majority/dominant demographic with asking them to be more respectful outweighs not offending the people who are actually directly offended, and the majority/dominant demographic can’t have final clearance on if it’s valid for them to feel that way or not. It’s too easy to dismiss valid issues as nonsense when you have the huge blind spots that anyone with social privilege is very often going to have.

I have so many questions about “anti-wokeness” that I’ll just save for a question of my own, but I’m just so surprised that allegedly “woke” ideology is just asking people to be kind and respectful and empathetic, and the people least affected by discrimination in this country are just like “LOL, no”, and we throw our hands up like “welp…. majority rules, too bad, so sad.”

”The right to be an abhorrent human being with little, no, or demographically-selective empathy” is the WEIRDEST fucking hill I could ever imagine someone wanting to die on…

loveslongnails · Accepted Answer

So how many tribes do you speak to before arriving at this conclusion? "Redskins" was a term first coined by colonists and used in a derogatory manner, often interchangeably, to mean "savages" and worse. It's meant in the same way the "N" word was and is used. There's nothing "woke" about it, except that you should be awake to what it means to more than one tribe.

Let's talk a little about the term "woke" since you mentioned it. The right-wing has adopted it as a "dog whistle" without knowing what it meant or where it came from, and designated to mean "anything we don't like", and I DO mean ANYTHING. But if you were to ask a conservative about the origin of the term, they'd look blankly at you or give you a Karoline Leavitt bullshit answer.

I never understood why Cleveland changed their name. There's nothing offensive about the term "Indians", but they did. The "Tomahawk Chop" at a Braves game is pretty nasty in my opinion too, but that's not going away.

If you made it this far, I just want to reiterate that I've YET to talk with a conservative, right-wing or maga-cult individual who even had a clue what or where the term "woke" comes from.

katiesmuff · Accepted Answer

The useless democrats were the only force beating that drum. Even most of the Native American tribes across the US said it didn't bother them. The same with the changing the names of military bases because they had been named after US confederate generals and heroes. One of the few things useless trump is fixing by bringing back the original names.

emeraldsaphire · Accepted Answer

I don't like the term "woke" but the Democrats didn't stop being bigots in the 1960s. There Bigotry just changed. Now they have the Bigotry of low expectations. Prior to the 60s you were considered better by how "white you are" Now you are considered better by how much white guilt you feel. Same shit different shape.

ilistengood · Answer

Thank you, im half Cherokee,, my personal opinion is if the name of a football team is the hill you go to war over , some re-evaluation of life might be in order. I am an engineer, in college I had an instructor was a full Cherokee and we both identified as red skins, I apologise to those who truly take offense over it. Perhaps if I had been to Haskell or grown up in an earlier time it might have a different connotation. But in my opinion, there are far too many real issues for the native American community to face to get excited about this. Thanks for reading

kavakava · Answer

The San Francisco school districts band the word "chief." So if the teacher was relating a story to the students about a crime, the teacher would not be allowed to say chief of police. Because that would be racist. 😂😂
These people are insane.

Syntosi · Answer

Our modern society was always "woke", its just a question if you noticed or not since it was not made out to be such a big deal.

For example, comic book heroes are basically poster children of wokism. Children entertainment such as Sesame street or Mister Rogers is likewise extremely woke. I could go on for days about how widely accepted woke used to be, until the right wing decided to randomly throw a hissyfit about it.

Danzigdawson · Answer

Look: I've drawn a white piece-of-shit, I'm a white, straight, male artist and it's been approved by many white men and women, amongst others. Hence, I  know  it's not offensive:

Shiprex · Answer

It's a sign that the ruling class have power over the narrative of how people are meant to think that it has become this way. They sell a product that men should be stoic and women sexy as being hideous and immoral so they can mind fuck the masses with religious type narratives that change the natural instincts of people to be human.

Wiredone · Answer

People get butt hurt over the smallest things. They really need to grow up and not be so entitled

larry69 · Answer

Because feelings get hurt. I am part native American Induan and I say bring back the Redskins and Indians

Miristheiss · Answer

Yes, guilty, do gooder whites can be so obnoxious at times. No joy or fun at all.

Avicenna · Answer

The leftist crazies scream the loudest, but, as you point out, they are in the minority.

DrPepper12 · Answer

I think you spelled "empathetic, aware & intelligent" wrong.  Why is MAGA in thrall to a crime syndicate led by a pedo?

exitseven · Answer

12 years of public school indoctrination and another 4 years of brainwashing in a liberal college.

Kingofkings1992 · Answer

It’s so frustrating. I refuse to call them the “commanders.” They will always be the redskins to me. Keep your woke bullshit the fuck out of my sports.

beefcakebradybatson · Answer

Not NEARLY enough folk are woke, or 45/47 wouldn't befoul the White House.

FenixG45 · Answer

I think Indigenous peoples would have a different point of view

Reijen · Answer

Think it was white people that wanted to get the name changes.

DJB72 · Answer

Because empty vessels make more noise...

Pterodon · Answer

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