"This doesn't mean constantly posting snarky memes about Wokeism on your Facebook. It means quietly mentioning your misgivings. Especially the misgivings about potential harm caused to the supposed beneficiaries of the Great Awokening."
This passage is wise and bears emphasis and reiteration. Deploying cathartic righteousness tempts us all from time to time, but it is among the least persuasive modes. We don't want cultural warriors; we want conversations. We don't need to "win" arguments; we need to understand our fellow citizens and help them understand us.
I've come to see the need to 'win' an argument as a marker of vulnerable narcissism. We see this trait all around. In Britain it gives us the very worst leaders. People like Boris Johnson, who was very good at debating but had no substance at all beyond being a vague kind of 'figurehead' who was desperate to be liked. The need to 'win' an argument is a major obstacle to finding a synthesis of views around which people can coalesce. A quick dopamine boost, with no lasting benefit to either side.
Yes. "Wokeism's central tenet that the fate of black people is entirely in the hands of white people is demeaning to its intended beneficiaries. As a non-racist this pisses me off endlessly...The tic I personally find most egregious is the idea that black intellectuals who disavow Wokeism have 'internalised white supremacy'. Literally an argument that black intellectuals cannot think for themselves.
For a brilliant 2-part essay that examines racial politics with nuance, read Bayo Akomalafe's Black Lives Matter, But to Whom?
Thanks. That's a dense read, which I'm still working through. But this passage (echoing Nietsze) really jumps out, for starters;
The irony of attempting to create safe zones, to nullify the offending body, and to postpone fascism indefinitely is that it is often in the effort to guarantee this immunity to the corrupting influences of the folks across the aisle that we become the very thing we resist. Lean on a wall long enough, push against a surface hard enough, and you also start to take the shape of your adversary.
"This doesn't mean constantly posting snarky memes about Wokeism on your Facebook. It means quietly mentioning your misgivings. Especially the misgivings about potential harm caused to the supposed beneficiaries of the Great Awokening."
This passage is wise and bears emphasis and reiteration. Deploying cathartic righteousness tempts us all from time to time, but it is among the least persuasive modes. We don't want cultural warriors; we want conversations. We don't need to "win" arguments; we need to understand our fellow citizens and help them understand us.
I've come to see the need to 'win' an argument as a marker of vulnerable narcissism. We see this trait all around. In Britain it gives us the very worst leaders. People like Boris Johnson, who was very good at debating but had no substance at all beyond being a vague kind of 'figurehead' who was desperate to be liked. The need to 'win' an argument is a major obstacle to finding a synthesis of views around which people can coalesce. A quick dopamine boost, with no lasting benefit to either side.
Mike, This is spot on...one of your best pieces, really. It is actionable, sane, and relevant. Many thanks.
Hearing this from you made my day!
Yes. "Wokeism's central tenet that the fate of black people is entirely in the hands of white people is demeaning to its intended beneficiaries. As a non-racist this pisses me off endlessly...The tic I personally find most egregious is the idea that black intellectuals who disavow Wokeism have 'internalised white supremacy'. Literally an argument that black intellectuals cannot think for themselves.
For a brilliant 2-part essay that examines racial politics with nuance, read Bayo Akomalafe's Black Lives Matter, But to Whom?
https://belonging.berkeley.edu/black-lives-matter-to-whom
Thanks. That's a dense read, which I'm still working through. But this passage (echoing Nietsze) really jumps out, for starters;
The irony of attempting to create safe zones, to nullify the offending body, and to postpone fascism indefinitely is that it is often in the effort to guarantee this immunity to the corrupting influences of the folks across the aisle that we become the very thing we resist. Lean on a wall long enough, push against a surface hard enough, and you also start to take the shape of your adversary.