Woke: The Moral Panic About Nothing

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#woke #desantis #rondesantis

[@Xastabus]

"Florida is where [dignity, equality, and justice] goes to die!" is a weird flex...

[@daelen.cclark]

It's not a flex, but a fact.

[@podemosurss8316]

Florida is where sanity goes to die.

[@senoreljoynes6442]

I also hate when anyone talks about "states' rights" because they're always, without fail, trying to protect a state's "right" to oppress people.

[@Jason_Rocket]

Conservatives: Cancel culture is un-American!!! Also Conservatives: Let's boycott Cracker Barrel over their WOKE sausage!

[@KaiHenningsen]

Also Conservatives: You pointing out problems with what I said is an attack on the first amendment! You must stop saying that!

[@kingmalcolm8695]

Of course Conservatives would be against being "woke." To be woke is to be in a state in which you can perceive reality. They would much prefer the opposite of woke - "asleep." In that state, not only are you not pestered by reality, but you get to exist in alternate realities entirely of your own making. Help save the Republic from the Republicans! Vote Blue in 22! We outnumber the Fascists. If we stand together, we will win. E Pluribus Unum

[@Arbon316]

As a German I am not as familiar with American domestic politics on a state-level but what I found really worrying about this governor’s speech was not so much his hatred of “woke” - I know that Republicans have a manic hatred and fear of all things they call “woke”. What worried me though was the fact that he used a style of speech that was very similar to Churchill’s “we will never surrender”-speech in the second World War thereby indirectly comparing who ever he considers as “woke” with Nazi-Germany. A rhetoric like that can easily induce the idea that it is not only acceptable but outright necessary to exert violence against “woke-people”. And to see what analogies like that can cause you need only look to Ukraine where Russia’s invasion was ideologically prepared by denouncing the government in Kiev as an Nazi government.

[@robinchesterfield42]

YES!! Ohmygod, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought that. Bitch, (DeSantis, not you), you are NOT anywhere NEAR as cool as Churchhill, and this is NOT an important, meaningful, real enemy that _needs_ to be fought. The attitude that it needs to be fought, is what needs to be fought.

[@JoshColletta]

That was done intentionally. Remember, DeSantis is buddy-buddy with Hillsdale College president Larry Arnn. Arnn is a Churchill scholar, having been the director of research for Churchill biographer Martin Gilbert, and as such, Hillsdale College is the publisher of that 23-volume biography. Arnn has brought much of Churchill's materials to Hillsdale College in the form of The Churchill Project for the Study of Statesmanship. There is a bust of Churchill on Hillsdale's campus. Entire courses are built around the study of Churchill. The college celebrates "Winston Churchill Day" on April 9th, the day he became on honorary U.S. citizen. Now, you may be saying, "this is all well and good, and that's a lot of information about Hillsdale College's connection to Winston Churchill, but what does that have to do with DeSantis' speech?" That's where the relationship between DeSantis and Arnn comes into play. Hillsdale College has established the Barney Charter School initiative, which you may have heard is generating a lot of controversy lately, especially in Tennessee (and Arnn really stepped in it in that situation, but that's another story entirely). On the one hand, the initiative's primary goal is to establish charter schools with a Hillsdale-crafted curriculum focusing on "Western heritage," "Judeo-Christian values," and American exceptionalism. On the other hand, if charter schools cannot be established, the secondary goal is to at least sell the curriculum to private schools or influence curriculum decisions in public schools. That latter option is exactly what's happening here. Unlike Tennessee, Florida has not requested the establishment of any Barney charter schools in their state, but DeSantis and Arnn HAVE been working together to completely transform Florida's public schools to reflect the Barney curriculum. DeSantis has no doubt heard Arnn reference Churchill numerous times at this point. I used to work at Hillsdale College (I was their sports announcer); I've seen this happen before. Once Arnn gets going on Churchill, he can KEEP going forever until he realizes he's lost you or he just exhausts himself. It doesn't surprise me in the least that DeSantis took some inspiration from his conversations with Arnn for this speech. In fact, I would not at all be surprised if Arnn even gave him the line to use.

[@Serai3]

Projection. It's their standard trick - accuse the other side of everything you're doing yourself.

[@SarahRenz59]

@Arbon1989 I came here to post something similar, but you've articulated it very well. The far right in the US has waged a decades-long propaganda campaign to "otherize" progressives/liberals. They turn any words having to do with that ideology into contemptuous sneers. And as you've pointed out, the rhetoric in recent years has become much more "eliminationist;" ie, they openly talk about wanting to wipe out any trace of progressiveness or liberalism in this country. And the people who hold those beliefs? Well, as you've learned from your own history, it could very well turn deadly. DeSantis is a monster who must be stopped.

[@bjornzimmermann7081]

We young Germans learned a lesson. It's that the biggest mistake was to believe, to be better than others and for that those others don't need rights or mercy. It always sound very suspicious to me, when tings sounds like beyond patriotic. I thought patriotism was about a kind of pride and not about hating other people or being afraid of them.

[@brianstiles1701]

I was a kid obsessed with D&D early in the "Satanic Panic." Thank the dark gods that my now-evangelical mom didn't buy into it back then, and instead only used it to shame me for "having my nose stuck in a book." She was wrong, but it could have been worse.

[@aaronleverton4221]

A thing I have never understood. "Got his nose stuck in a book". Because literacy and education are not proper pursuits for a kid. Sure, one out of every 100 kids might make it as a professional athlete for a short time, before their body give out, but most geeks seem to be able to secure well-paid employment for most of their life, unlike most athletes who rapidly go broke once their playing days are over. Also, how many "sportspeople" feature in Forbes' rich list?

[@suejonmeyers8362]

I played my Michael Jackson e.t. Korean album (yeah that's a real record).. and I heard it say Kill time ,. Kill time, kill time ....so I did

[@Phlebas]

It's "woke" in the 2020s. In the 2010s it was "SJW". In the Bush (Dubya) era, "liberal" was used as a sort of catch-all for people with basic social awareness. Before that, "politically correct", and before that "bleeding heart". It's the same target (social justice, broadly speaking), but the right keeps finding different buzzwords and overuses them until they lose any meaning. It's a weird phenomenon; I think the reasoning behind it is that they have to keep acting like there's some new emerging cultural threat just to keep the grift going.

[@Barnabas45]

Is there is a word for socialism for the rich?

[@skyeplus]

E-e-e-exactly

[@Phlebas]

@@Barnabas45 Serious answer, "neo-liberalism" and "corporatism" probably describe that. But these terms took a while to catch on because it was just considered "normal". Like trying to describe water to a fish.

[@robertmiller9735]

@@Barnabas45 Trickle-down?

[@florabernstein605]

Closely followed by "think of the children!" Huh, yeah. Just more bullshit hypocrisy from the republican separatist right.

[@THE_Dodge_Morningstar]

Imagine a politician saying "This state is where progress goes to die" or "This is where RESPECT FOR HUMAN BEINGS, goes to die" and people cheering. I stopped being angry a while ago, I'm just sad. There has to be a better way to get through to someone being misled. Great video.

[@robinchesterfield42]

It's not like Florida doesn't have a bad enough reputation ALREADY! Florida Man memes, anyone? Florida has already been well-known for decades as the place SANITY goes to die, so... (And what's even sadder is it _does_ have some good things to it, too. And not everyone from there is insane or gross or stupid. MY MOM is technically a Florida Woman (she was born there). I have other relatives there, who are perfectly nice people. It's so sad.)

[@suejonmeyers8362]

It is sad... I think the first time I was shocked was when a republican friend of mine was completely onboard with protesters getting ran over and I got an argument with them I was like have you lost your mind that's not okay what are you talkin about... And just that glazed-over look that it was completely justified because they were in the way...blew my mind. ... That's what I really saw the wheels come off on republicans cruelty

[@lordblazer]

@Suejon Meyers I mean my grandpa is 86 years old. When he was in his 20s and 30s. Massacres of Black towns was a norm, lynchings were community events. And he lived a majority of his adulthood and life as a black person in absolute terror. I'm black, born in the 80s. I do not know what that fear is. But basically what you're seeing. This cruelty. Is just America going back to its historical norms of white supremacy. And now you get to see it. And if GOP gets it's way. You'll be forced to turn a blind eye to the cruelty and allow it to happen and if you speak up when it's too late. It can easily be visited upon you. So yes resist now. Cuz if we don't resist this bs, all our lives will be made into hell in the next 10 years if they get their way.

[@gregkillion9677]

I came for the trek and stayed for the shade. Well done and keep going.

[@trunksc1]

Me too. Keep it up Steve.

[@marcning918]

Man I miss face plan five

[@buckocean7616]

@@marcning918 "Palm"* ... but yeah ... me too.

[@RyuSensei42]

I find it useful to replace "Woke" with "respect" or the grammatically correct equivalent. Because that's basically what it means, being respectful of others. "Florida is where respect goes to die!"

[@renatocorvaro6924]

Imagine loudly proclaiming that you will fight against the mindset of caring about other people and having people cheer you for it.

[@grmpEqweer]

Thank you.

[@jpboursaw4469]

Unfortunately, we don’t have to imagine, just turn on the news.what I do imagine is that a) psychology is having a field day and b) if P.T. Barnum we’re still alive, could he make a fortune copywriting a certain phrase?

[@queenannsrevenge100]

Hilarious to me that people used to make jokes about how acerbic and insensitive New Yorkers were back in the 70s rather than the “friendlier” Middle America - and people now fight to be that way and consider it a badge of honor.

[@Serai3]

I don't think anyone has to imagine that anymore. We see it every day, shouted from the rooftops.

[@AndrewD8Red]

Republican ideology in a nutshell, Renato

[@stanleysdad]

The same thing is going on in the UK, we have two candidates for the next prime minister who are competing to be more anti woke each other. It wasn’t that long ago that hardly anyone here had heard of woke, now conservatives care more about wokeism than the fact their grandchildren will never have a permanent job or their own home.

[@saena971]

Beyond it's original meaning, I've found a lot of value in "woke" as a kind of litmus test. If someone is using woke in a negative sense, I already know I'm not interested in anything else they have to say.

[@buckocean7616]

A litmus test is the perfect way of describing it. As soon as someone uses "woke" in a pejorative sense, it's like the proverbial 13th chime of the clock. It makes everything proceeding and following it suspect.

[@susanscott8653]

I came to say this but you said it so much better.

[@rudeboyjohn3483]

Same. It's the clarion bell to signify that someone is a complete piece of trash. No interest in anyone like that.

[@simplyme8009]

These people so entitled to being coddled that they panic over anything that may make then even the tinest bit uncomfortable.

[@SarahRenz59]

Someone (unfortunately, I don't know who) coined a phrase that's very apropos here: When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.

[@joshbittner]

At the end of the day, what these ghouls want is the reinstitution of chattel slavery and become slave holders, just like their ancestors. Saying that their ancestors were bad people for having slaves makes them mad

[@olencone4005]

When I was just a kid in school, in the middle of a conservative low-income rural county here in Florida, all these topics that are "woke" today were things that were regularly taught to me in class -- the horrors and brutal reality of slavery, the intentional massacres and betrayals of indigenous populations, and the reality that all of this was socially and politically acceptable to much of the population at the time. It was a different time with different perceptions and mores, and acknowledging that was just that: an acknowledgement that reality actually happened. We were even taught about Jefferson being a slave owner and, at the same time, despising the whole concept of slavery -- that was in my 7th or 8th grade history class, as I recall. That's how it was taught (in the public schools) back in the 70's.... but today, almost all of that has been whitewashed away, all "out of sight, out of mind." It's even against the law now, thanks to DeSantis, to even mention some of these topics in a classroom! All because conservatives are, what, ashamed that such a history makes them "look bad?" Like hiding from reality with their head in the sand doesn't?? It's not a bad thing to be aware of your past, your history -- the actions and attitudes of your ancestors hundreds of years ago are no more a reflection of who and what you are today than the actions of your ancestors a thousand years ago, or even ten thousand years ago. People change. Societies change. And history is a collection of valuable insights into those changes, showing us what does and does not work, and how certain paths are destined to inevitably end. Without history as a guide, we are forever doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, never learning, never changing, never improving. And THAT is what these people should be ashamed of.

[@TimNutting]

I had very similar experiences in the late 70s/early 80s in school. Though I remember learning less of this, and no one certainly remembered the burning of Black Wall Street. Guess that made us all feel too bad. Now, that quote about history should be amended, because the real problem is that the rest of us who DO know our history are doomed to be sucked into the morass with the stunted and deficient who couldn't be half-arsed to learn anything other than their XXXXing Bible, and at that very poorly.

[@swamijie]

I, too, was taught history in the 80s and the history that I was taught was similarly full history. While there was a lot of American mythology and lionizing of America's place in history and world affairs, we were taught the full extent of colonization, dealings with the indigenous, slavery, racism, etc. The "anti-woke" crowd like DeSantis, etc aren't ashamed of the things they believe are pointed out by the "woke agenda" or whatever bogeyman they conure. They're upset. They're upset at what they must confront, the things they cannot say or express, and to whom they must be decent human beings to.

[@voltijuice8576]

"All because conservatives are, what, ashamed that such a history makes them "look bad?" I wish! Unfortunately I think it's because many of them truly are that regressive. Feeling that slavery, lynching, deprivation, exploitation are norms that they actively push and aspire to. As a gen-X person I always knew that conservatives and conformists wished we could return to the quaint ideals of life in the 50s - but I was thinking 1950s and I've come to realize it's more like 1850s with some of them.

[@JoshColletta]

Fun fact: before he adopted the "Keep Florida Free" slogan as his default, Gov. Ron DeathSentence announced the creation of a paramilitary state guard while behind a podium displaying the state's 1845 pro-slavery slogan, "Let Us Alone." The slogan comes from the flag (and that itself is a real "graphic design is my passion" piece of work) of Florida's first post-statehood governor, William Dunn Moseley. Moseley was the typical Southern Democrat of his time: a slaveholder who was keenly aware of abolitionist sentiments in the North and not only wanted to stave off the sentiment in his own state, but also expand slavery into the (then) western territories, especially following the Mexican-American War. He was a staunch supporter of the "states' rights" cause, which really isn't all that different today from what it was back then, it's just changed from slavery to legalized trampling of rights WITHOUT ownership of human beings as property. As far as I know, Ron DeathSentence only used the "Let Us Alone" slogan that one time. But it sent exactly the message he wanted it to sent... exactly the same message Moseley wanted it to send. They are racists, they are authoritarian tyrants, and they're flipping the bird to the United States Constituition. To be fair, though, and somewhat ironically, Moseley favored the establishment of state-funded public schools, which the current officeholder is now trying to destroy so... there's that. Moseley also, to his credit, attempted to reconcile conflicts between European settlers and the Seminoles, whereas there had long been a history -- and sadly a future -- in which the two groups had fought literal wars against each other. Not that it makes up for any of his awfulness, but can we say the current governor would have done the same in his position? Probably not.

[@TimMcNulty]

I couldn't agree more with everything you have said here! We have the same ignorant idiocy from the far right conmen who are running the UK government. Absolutely spot-on 👍🏻

[@wezul]

Floridian here. Not everyone I voted for won their election, but the two "anti-woke" candidates running for school board in my county were defeated, so I'll count that as a win!!

[@daelen.cclark]

You need to take the victories where you can get them.

[@Vesperitis]

Small steps are how you get to big steps.

[@buckocean7616]

Yeah man! That's a victory for us all. 😎 !!!

[@kurisu7885]

Small victories build up.

[@jmolyneauxful]

Unfortunately for Sarasota. We went from a 3-2 to a 4-1 Anti-Woke school board. Sadness

[@TheCountOfMommysCrisco]

The stripping down of 'woke' into just a meaningless amalgamation of things they don't like is the most stunning example of Orwellian 1984 Nu-Speak to ever grace reality.

[@Serai3]

What, you haven't been paying attention? They've been doing that kind of thing for DECADES now. They just switch the term they're freaking out about.

[@SarahRenz59]

To the far right, 1984 wasn't a cautionary tale but a training manual.

[@DoctorProph3t]

Tales of warning to the sensible and righteous are manuals for misdeeds for the greedy and heartless.

[@grantsmythe8625]

That's what the "Christian" Nationalists/Fascists have done with the word "Liberal". They have no idea what a Liberal is.....they just know they don't like 'em.

[@dano8902]

@@Serai3 Seriously. Remember "The War On Christmas"? Once people caught on to the fact that no one really gives a shit and weren't coming to take you away if you say "Merry Christmas" or broadcast Christmas music in grocery stores they desperately had to find something else to freak out about

[@grmpEqweer]

Right-wingers: "Wake up!" Us: "Yeah, we're awake, dude." Right-wingers: "NO! NOT THE WOKE!"

[@daelen.cclark]

When they say "Wake Up", they mean "Stay Asleep".

[@6bthedevil]

You are a FUCKING GEM! I love your Star Trek reviews and now I love your commentary! May your next meal be delicious.

[@xRocketNumber9x]

So adamantly against safe spaces, unless their feelings are on the line

[@johnmghanks]

Thank you Steve. Your comment on every new outrage from the magic R party seems to be a confession is something I've been noting since around the mid 90s. If they're against it, it's because they're either doing it, are accountable for it or don't want to acknowledge it.

[@daniellyon5011]

GOP Gaslight Obstruct Project

[@jhonbus]

We unfortunately have the same thing going on here in the UK right now. As Johnson is being forced to step down as PM and leader of the Conservative party, we're in the final stage of a contest to determine the next party leader, and therefore by extension, the new Prime Minister. Now, the PM is not directly elected in our system, the job is given to the leader of the party with the greatest number of MPs. (Technically, the Queen picks the PM and can choose any member of parliament she wants, but the day she didn't pick the leader of the largest party would be the day she's no longer even technically allowed to pick someone else.) So the next head of government of our country is being decided by whoever is chosen as Tory leader. There's no national vote on this, it's considered an internal matter for the party in question. This means our next PM is being chosen (for the second time in 3 years) by the roughly 200,000 Conservative Party members _only_ They've already proven they can't be trusted to do this, given they picked Boris Johnson last time, but here are some numbers on this group - 97% white 55% over 50 and 40% over 65(!) 70+% male Liz Truss, the frontrunner, is a self-described "gender critical", although she's proven herself to be the definition of the word "demagogue" so who knows what she really thinks. Either way the whole contest has devolved into the candidates trying to out-anti-woke each other.

[@ZoeMalDoran]

Has our Queen (or any of her predecessors) ever actually used the royal veto to tell the leader of the winning party "No, sorry. I don't think you actually won that election. Go back and try again" ? I can't imagine she ever would, just because of the potential for chaos... though how the Tories keep getting elected boggles the mind.

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

Joke's on you DeSantis, _everything_ goes to die in Florida. It's why healthy creatures avoid it.

[@empatheticrambo4890]

It’s so frustrating seeing it happen, because it’s so incredibly blatant how people are being LITERALLY anti-education. I grew up in a family that believes those same things, but they used to be more...coded, right? Or was it always like this?

[@robinchesterfield42]

Oh for another example, misogynists are now LITERALLY yelling DON'T EDUCATE WOMEN, because it gives them ideas about being something other than a baby factory. Again, it used to be IMPLIED, don't let them get too smart because...(side of the mouth mumbling) yaknow... But now it's like "KEEP THEM IN THE HOUSE DON'T LET THEM EVEN LEARN HOW TO _READ_ KEEP THEM IN BED, NAKED AND TIED DOWN OR THEY'LL TURN INTO PURPLE-HAIRED MAN-HATING WHALES!!!" College is now the enemy. Freaking KNOWLEDGE, is the enemy. God damn. What a time to be alive...

[@pureflix8086]

You hear about that dummy (republican) candidate whose (partial) platform is that kids below 5th grade shouldnt be taught science? Idiocracy was not just a movie...

[@joshbittner]

Anti PUBLIC education. They want Young Earth Creationist Republican Jesus brainwashing institutions…that just so happen to be for-profit institutions run by already incredibly rich assholes

[@JagoHazzard]

I must admit that I don't normally watch your political videos (mostly because I'm in the UK), but you really hit the nail on the head for me with this. The term "woke" annoys me because it's a thought-terminating cliché. But what particularly annoys me is that so often, the people who make the biggest song-and-dance about it are those in power. Like, "I pledge to fight against the people who have considerably less say in how things are run than I do! I'm a hero!"

[@IHaveAVeryCommonName]

Go Steve! A real Star Trek fan is also yelling pretty loudly about injustice - after all, Trek woke up in 1966

[@JerryFisher]

I have a great extended family. We all love one another, flaws and all. But politics, well, they endorse Trump and the GOP as much is possible. When politics gets brought up, I usually leave the room or find any reason to step away. I already have enough drama in my life. The one time I was asked why I prefer progressives and mostly Democrats, I responded that they didn't endorse the kinds of things that would be called out as hatred and ignorance by sensible, rational people. I also mentioned that the politicians I gravitate towards are usually consistent with their messages. They generally aren't hypocrites politically or culturally. They don't need to invoke religion to prove they're good. Thankfully now nobody wants to hear my views and I'm free to do anything else if politics gets drudged up again.

[@RagnarokiaNG]

From all the ways I have seen this word thrown around I am positive it means literally nothing outside of "person I don't like did thing I don't like" As that is the only common thread between the mess of ways it gets used which otherwise makes no sense.

[@WhatKindOfNameNow]

It's just... so odd that you thought of "states' rights" at that particular moment. Like, what a wild and completely unforeseeable coincidence. But seriously, love the video. I think you're hitting the nail on the head.

[@aaronleverton4221]

Florida, that's, like, in the bottom part of the US, right? You could say the lower bit? Like, southern?

[@spartancanuck]

When they turn these things into snarl words, they change the meaning to "anything that annoys a feral numpty".

[@angryretailbanker5103]

“Woke” just means having gay black women in your video games. You laugh, but I’ve seen other gamers lose their shit at that possibility.

[@MittensTheMurderKitty]

I live in a small town in Florida and am surrounded by red hats. I know I would be considered woke if I dared open my mouth. So I don't. And the only other thing I can think to do at this point is to keep trying to hold on and not prove him right. But at this point, I can't really remember not feeling bad.

[@audleyshaypurdyce]

Unfortunately it seems the freedoms to persecute, marginalize and denigrate are still important ones Especially when they belong to those in a position to defend their rights

[@harfharfful]

The best part of Woking up is Folgers in your cup!

[@RDGray]

Steve, being 'woke' can also mean being enlightened. Seeing the world for what it is, and the purpose behind it. Being 'woke' can also mean seeing 'truth' for what it is. Therefore conservatives have a right to be scared and shun it. Being 'woke' makes them obsolete.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Yes, I always thought woke came from awakened, as in Buddhist enlightenment. Seeing the world as it really is.

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@AdventureOtaku "Wake up sheeple, and stop the woke!"

[@gottfrei409]

I've been following these guys too much, your videos are a breath of oxygen and reason.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Woke is just the current version of “PC” or politically correct. Really all they are saying is they choose to not treat people with dignity and respect. I would have more respect for them if they would just come out and call it what it is.

[@alanfike]

Ron DeSantis graduated _magna cum laude_ from Yale. Suddenly I'm not feeling so inferior about my choice of schools.

[@harryo82]

It's literally a moral panic about being moral.

[@samanthamccormick1436]

Thank you, for everything you do with your platform to speak up. Your trans fans definitely appreciate it.

[@shawncarnes9471]

Steve, I came for the Trek and I stayed for the “wokeism”. Anyone who says, “Why do you have to be so political?” can go somewhere else for their Trek.

[@tetravega567]

Yeah, keep politics out of Trek... it's not like they go on diplomatic missions for a political entity...

[@bacovey]

The nice thought that I try to hold on to is that "Won't someone please think of the children" is historically the last bastion of an argument before progress towards equality is made.

[@multitudeofidols]

I genuinely thought he was going to say "where woke goes to sleep." But that actually would have been clever and my disappointment was my punishment for expecting such a thing from DeSantis. And, yeah, conservatives are experts at taking terms and using them for fearmongering until they've been abused beyond their definition.

[@TechGroupF430i]

The mere fact the dude won a contest _unopposed_ and did a victory lap as if he beat someone.

[@SiriusMined]

Every time I think I can't love you more, you prove me wrong in epic fashion. Capital video, my friend.

[@misterrea861]

LOOK OUT!! There's a Woke calling from INSIDE your house!!!

[@xryxix]

Appreciate your commentary! The title is pretty spot on already 🍀🍀🍀

[@Globovoyeur]

DeSantis forgot to say he would fight "the woke" on the beaches. Not that it matters; Winston Churchill he ain't.

[@SpellboundTutor]

I genuinely feel like, these days, you can ask "What does Woke mean?" to every single conservative and have every one of them give a very different answer.

[@ChrisKCook]

You can say that about half the left (of centre) too. It's become a pointless term these day.

[@johnchedsey1306]

They wore out "politically correct" as a boogeyman years ago, so of course they pounced on a word coopted from the black community to replace it. Basically it means whatever forces them to face consequences for their crappy behavior and rhetoric.

[@joshbittner]

That’s what they want. They just want an antagonizing Rorshach interpretation that will make the base generally mad, because then the base can be more easily manipulated

[@sopadumacacoumadelicia5]

@@ChrisKCook Ok conservative

[@lelandframe1029]

I was called a "woke" the other day in a Facebook comment and I didn't know whether to be insulted or not!

[@foxesofautumn]

Probably meant you made a good point.

[@chazblank2717]

Potential non sequitur, but if you watch an old Steven Seagal movie from the 90’s… you’ll notice that before he started giving private aikido lessons to dictators of former bloc nations, dude was often portrayed as an oddly “woke” even outright violently extreme environmentalist…

[@kurisu7885]

Funny thing is this all perfectly links together with a quote from George Carlin. "They call it the American Dream because you have to be sleep to believe it" and the opposite of woke is asleep, which is how they want you, asleep and unaware, blissfully ignorant. Ironic coming from a side who often cries" Wake up sheeple!" And Ron's ranting about it reminds me of that one candidate who found out furries exist, believed a bunch of bullshit about them and ran on the slogan "Furry is over'.

[@merlinscat]

DeSantis knows its all BS he is saying what his base wants to hear

[@brandeks]

I have enjoyed your videos for awhile now, but today I had to share your video about Woke: The Moral Panic About Nothing. You said everything I've been thinking about the subject, and if you were here in front of me I'd want to shake your hand, sir. Please keep doing what you're doing.

[@bennyfifeaudio]

The fact that the science is backing up the "feelings" of trans people is something they are also completely deaf to.

[@flynngames4703]

You’re a good human Steve 👍

[@torchwoodcanaria]

I have managed to go from being "Politically Correct" to "SJW" to "Woke" - it's been one helluva ride!

[@ldawg7117]

You managed to articulate the vast majority of the feelings and thoughts I've been having about all this bullshit for the past few years, in a short 8 minute video. Thank you.

[@maurjoy4104]

As my politically active friend pointed out so well, and explains the panic: woke today is code for "Black". It means "BLACK people" Steve. Substitute it in any sentence, and you'll see it's true.

[@danielsobczak]

Woke is believing that whole everyone is equal and entitled by their creator to unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

[@jpboursaw4469]

I have to laugh at how many use words. If one is fighting against what they believe to be woke, or wokeism, by contrast wouldn’t that make them asleep? Since the 80’s I’ve been aware of two things; *Everyone entering the political landscape be they good, bad, or indifferent , gets there upon the platform of fear or fix~it. Or some combination therein. Like any tool, it’s use is dependent upon the intent of the user. *We’ve never run out of the cowardly, the power greedy, the foolishly ignorant, the arrogant, or the just plain mean spirited on either side yet. As tools go, I find them useless. Wonder if this makes me an insomniac?

[@loka7783]

Something that has always bothered me about using the word "woke." To me it means being not asleep. "Are you woke? Yes I am talking to you so I must be woke." So when right-wingers us it so much I get the distinct impression they'd rather have their followers be asleep on the issues, because "woke" people might see that a particular issue doesn't work for them. Anyone else feel that way? 🤔

[@stalfithrildi5366]

Can't have the American Dream unless you're asleep

[@tetravega567]

@@stalfithrildi5366 Family move to America from old country, want to live American dream, become lazy, drunk acehull!

[@benuticone3079]

I'm old enough to remember the great Satanic Panic of the 80s. It was almost like an early draft of QAnon, or a modern version of the witchcraft hysteria of colonial Salem. Based on absolutely nothing but rumor and innuendo, and encouraged by the church, heavy metal albums and occult books, Dungeons and Dragons paraphernalia were all pulled from shelves and destroyed, and a lot of lives and reputations were ruined by baseless accusations and shoddy police work. All "for the children". And in the end, who turned out to be the ones abusing children all along? The church. Yet even today, not one proposed law to tell clergymen what bathrooms they can and cannot use. It makes me yearn to have a look at the browser histories of the people who so casually toss around the word "groomer". Accusations have a curious way of turning out to be confessions. Every moral panic is a real societal ill desperately trying to deflect attention away from itself.

[@joshbittner]

Both Satanic Panic and QAnon are just repackaged anti-Semitic blood libels. And ironic, projection in regards to the pedophilic behavior of the Catholic Church at an institutional level and many evangelical pastors

[@firemermaid1980]

When qanon showed up I called it Satanic Panic 2.0

[@aclearlight]

Yeah, it's all code for, "we wanna be as dumb, hateful, abusive and discriminatory as we wanna be...which is a lot".

[@tallonhunter3663]

Woke is the new Commie

[@tetravega567]

Intelligence & Literacy: The Well Read Menace

[@douglasdea637]

For conservatives "woke" means anything even remotely liberal. A move shows a black man talking intelligently: woke. A TV show has a strong black woman character: woke. A woman stands up for her rights: woke (and if you're a Rush Limbaugh fan a "feminazi.") A Hispanic points out that his family has lived in America for 150 years: woke. Etc... etc... Yes, for a liberal "woke" merely means being aware of and recognizing racism, racist policies, racist phrases and attitudes and such. One can easily see why conservatives would be against this. They don't want their racist attitudes and beliefs pointed out. Conservatives want the freedom to be racist as they want with no repercussions to them. They want everything for free. I'm reading a history book that discusses the concepts of liberty and freedom across American history. The word "liberty" comes from the Mediterranean area and denotes hierarchy and what people at different social levels are allowed to do. The word "freedom" comes from northern Europe and denotes the ability to join a community and partake of it fully. In America "freedom" has had different meanings depending on where you are. In the north it retains it's inclusive flavor of being a part of a community and working with others. In the south it's about individual freedom and being allowed to do whatever you can get away with. Thus the "freedom" to own slaves and treat workers poorly. Conservative freedom, the freedom to be free from controls by society. The freedom of the hierarchy, the 1%. The privileged. That is the freedom conservatives are afraid they'll lose.

[@goatkiller666]

If you think about it, "woke" means basically the same as "the red pill". They both talk about ending a previous blindness to problems that were hidden.

[@mattm.775]

it's basically become "Anything I don't like is woke".

[@iseeundeadpeople9]

Not sure it's about nothing. I think it's about the "old power" fearing "new power". It's about the few fearing their power will be taken from them with the empowerment of the many.

[@richardtheconquerer]

DeSantis himself might be against the literal definition of the term too since I imagine he doesn't want people to be too aware of his blatant racism. Or to quote his opponent during his last election: "I don't know that DeSantis is racist, but racists think he's racist"

[@CrowTR0bot]

To think that if Gillum hadn't backed off of M4A we might not have been dealing with DeSantis today.

[@trivard]

Does DeSantis’ speech sound an awful lot like Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches” speech to anyone else? “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender.” I maintain that conservative leaders and talking heads are a lot more intelligent than they’re given credit for. They know what these words mean, they understand arguments, but they know the dumbest parts of their base don’t, and that there’s a fucking lot of them. They repeat the talking points, their base repeats the talking points, even if they don’t understand what it means, they know it’s wrong because DeSantis told them so.

[@almightylordsalamander2245]

Thank you so much for this video in general

[@DaveMartinCanuck]

Surviving moral panics is my kink.

[@bobcarn]

This video is awesome! In the most general sense, "woke" just means you're now aware of something that you weren't aware of before. The general opposite of "woke" is "ignorant". Yet people are all fighting to remain ignorant. "This phrase I use is actually racist? Well, that's a woke attitiude, so I'm gonna keep saying a racist phrase and I'll be angry if you call me racist." "Oh, this phrase is derogatory to gay people? That's woke and I'm gonna keep being derogatory to gay people, but don't you dare call me homophobic!" Screw 'em. I'm not only gonna be woke, I'm gonna be super woke!

[@Syanlii]

Sadly the same rhetoric is everywhere in the UK atm as well. Well said Steve.

[@sael91]

If you exchange "woke" for "basic human decency" then DeSantis' statement makes a lot more sense

[@allanolley4874]

I only having hearing in my right ear. The clip of DeSantis in this video only has audio in the left track. I listen to videos with headphones on standard settings. So when I first watched the opening segment of the video when DeSantis appeared I could hear no sound, I was thinking gee did Steve just forget to actually include DeSantis's audio or is he making scathing artistic statement about how void of content conservative rhetoric has become.😊

[@RichP879]

When someone calls me "woke" I take it as a huge compliment :)

[@shanenuckolls5162]

I had a conversation with someone today who wants to remove the ability of teachers to decide school policies of safety and health and allow parents to make these rules, because " it is unamerican to have someone tell us what we have to do." I countered "then I should be able to drive 200mph on the street, we cant let government tell us what to do." their response was well that is for public safety and therefore that is different. I tried to convince them that rules about masking and health in public school is just as valid for public safety as speed limits. They did not believe me. Worst part is they are in Law School with me and are running for the school board.

[@foxesofautumn]

How did so many Americans get so afraid of your government as a concept? I don’t get it. Criticise it, sure. Try and shape it constructively but... collect guns for when it comes for you? What happened?

[@saml302]

as a Floridian, it really sucks that the two most viable opponents against him were Crist and Fried. don't see either having a chance but oh well go Crist I guess

[@johnchedsey1306]

May Crist be Florida's Biden. Possibly the oddest sentence I ever wrote, but a Crist victory would destroy DeSantis future bid for the presidency. I'm hoping for you all!

[@jayeffaar]

Welcome to America, where not caring about people in need is something to be worn as a badge of honor!

[@mistercohaagen]

Why would someone's sense of empathy include the constant blowback of taking on the actual guilt of inflicting whatever you or someone else is trying to get you to empathize with? You're not your ancestors, unless you want to repeat something approximating their mistakes, which is guilt you should actually feel that could change your behavior and the inherent outcome. It's a cyclical structure up or down... figure out if you want things to improve or if you're too lazy to do good, or ultra-lazy where you can't even be bothered to avoid allowing bad.

[@rextrek]

Moral Panics - from the WEAK minded...

[@roguereaver634]

"State's rights" is exactly what I think of when I hear them talk about "School's choice".

[@marco12377]

The reason why talking about this stuff makes them feel bad is because they have been told since birth that America is the best thing since sliced bread. They cant handle the fact that America is extremely flawed and needs criticism...

[@reginaldbrown1073]

The Irony of Shapiro saying "facts dont care about your feelings" then gets upset when the facts debunk his rants and hurt his feelings.

[@JCLeSinge]

A moral panic... about other people being more moral. They're not competing for the moral high-ground, they're trying to call foul that anyone else might claim it.

[@florabernstein605]

Desatan trying desperately to sound like Winston Churchill by apeing his "we will win" speech. You sir are no Churchill.

[@UncleKeith567]

I am so proud of my home state of Maryland for producing such brilliant minds!

[@MusikCassette]

Florida, the Valium state.

[@daelen.cclark]

Everything in Florida goes to die. Let's go saw it off and shove it to South America.

[@EMSpdx]

I did not expect to have Steve explain AAVE and Republican lack of morality but here we are.

[@maruka1716]

Since "woke" just means "aware," all that ranting just sounds like "Florida's dumb as rocks and we like it that way."

[@rantandroll7583]

To the GOP, woke means intelligent. (Frightening to them.) Yes, Florida is where intelligence goes to die.

[@KurtvonLaven0]

Great video; very insightful. Thanks for making this.

[@DeathBYDesign666]

Yet, yet, when it means woke as in how they use the term in the matrix it's also a good thing. Yes they unironically have their own positive example of what "woke" means to them. If you accept Trump as the new savoir of humanity you are also woke in a good way. I swear keeping up with their definitions for a seemingly simple word is a full time job these days, it will mean something different from one week to the next.

[@Vesperitis]

Right now, to me, someone who uses the word "Woke" unironically is on the same level as flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers, and not worth listening to.

[@richardwithanarr]

"they're teaching our children to be ashamed of their country, heritage, and history. they're teaching our kids to hate America" this is a huge element that they talk about. and it comes with a lot of baggage. our national heroes are huge to us, be they big and famous, known to every person who's touched cash (bills or coins) and have their faces carved into a stolen mountain that is sacred to indigenous people, or small everyday heroes, like police and military. and when you say that the country isn't great, you also insult every military service member and police officer, and have you watched law and order executive producer dick wolf dun dun? you really want to call them bad people? I'm going a bit extreme here, but it's this deeply ingrained mentality. american exceptionalism is what you're fighting against. and that's hard to do with generations who don't question the pledge of allegiance by goddamn 6 year olds.

[@ChrisKCook]

The content of your comment and your punctuation and grammar is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with your country's education system.

[@kurisu7885]

@@Cdr2002 Which has only bee na thing since the 50s

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@ChrisKCook While literacy is often a guide to someone's level of knowledge and consequent politics, you are missing the forest here because of the trees. This person may be unable to capitalise correctly or structure their paragraphs, but their point is exactly on point. "The content of [their] comment" seems to have completely eluded you. "...this deeply ingrained mentality. [A]merican exceptionalism[,] is what you're fighting against." How are they not wrong?