Merriam-Webster defines “woke” when used as an adjective as “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)”. I would like to think that is me. Among a certain percentage of our society, woke is becoming more of a pejorative term, which is MW’s second definition: “politically liberal (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme”. Sounds kind of vague. Who determines what is unreasonable or extreme? We each decide that for ourselves, I guess.
I have described myself as “reasonably woke”. I believe there are systemic injustices working against segments of our society and I believe in being supportive of those who have been wronged by those injustices.
I also believe that wokeness can go too far. For example, helping children transition by using puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgery? No, I am not woke enough to support that. I have no issue with adults doing what they want, to themselves. But, while I empathize with children who are struggling with gender identity, they do not have the intellectual, emotional, or physical maturity needed to make such life-altering decisions. This is why children cannot enter into legal contracts or have the legal right to provide informed consent (age limits vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction).
Unfortunately, in this day and age, one must agree 100% of the time with this group or that group or risk being called a bigot or an enemy to the cause. And, I must say, it disturbs me tremendously to be on the same side of any issue, even tangentially, as Marjorie Taylor Dumbass. I do empathize with those who have been marginalized and shunned, or worse. However, I must be true to myself when expressing my opinions, or they become meaningless.
Thinking about all of this makes me wonder, can a person’s gender identity can be compared to another person’s transracial identity, in the sense that both identify as being different from what their biology at birth says they are? Does a truly woke person support each, without question?
What about Rachel Dolezal? She is the white person who claimed to be black and was a chapter president of the NAACP in Spokane, Washington before she was fired after her parents publicly announced that they are white, and their daughter is, too. Dolezal later claimed to “identify” as black. Wikipedia describes her as “transracial” and defines transracial people as those who “identify as a different race than the one associated with their biological ancestry.” When this all came to light, the controversy ignited a national debate over racial identity. As I recall, she was subject to much scorn and ridicule for claiming to be a black woman, and there were allegations of fraud and cultural appropriation for lying on job applications and in interviews. But, if she truly identifies as black, is she owed an apology? Should she have been supported in her self-identity, or vilified? In matters of identity, who decides?
If Rachel Dolezal is working next to me and she presents herself as a black woman, and I know her ancestry is white, morally, what are my responsibilities? Go along with what she says when I know it is untrue? If I don’t, then what? I would guess that most of us would go along simply to avoid trouble. But, going along to avoid trouble is not the same as acceptance.
The truth is, I am neither sophisticated enough nor intelligent enough to understand “I identify as _______.” Under what circumstances would “ I identify as _______” be considered a delusion? I would like to believe that I am unbiased against those who are different from me, and that I am no better than anybody else. And, I believe in the sciences, such as genetics and biology, to inform my beliefs.
Using myself as an example, I am an old, white, male and that is what people see when they see me. I could darken my hair, have my wrinkles surgically smoothed out, artificially boost my testosterone, throw away my old man clothes, and educate myself on current popular culture in an effort to match my desired identity as a much younger person. I think I could do it. But, who would I be fooling? Certainly not myself. Deep down inside, no matter the changes I make that the world can see, biologically underneath it all I will still be what science would say I am – an old, white, male. Whether I want to be that or not. Whether I want to accept that or not.
I will never know how it is to be not white. I will never know how it is to be transgender. Those are facts that will not change and feelings I cannot experience. I have been accused of “binary” thinking. Perhaps that is true. Still, I believe I can accept all people as human beings who have the right to be, to work and live life and pursue happiness, and to live freely without hate, discrimination and violence, without being in total agreement with them on every aspect of our lives. Is that my own delusion? And, really, what does it matter what I think, anyway?
So, it is obvious that I have many questions. Will I be openminded enough to consider the answers, should they come my way? I hope so, but that remains to be seen.