There’s no such thing as Woke Culture or Wokeism. The term is a construct, created to spin the inevitable arc of moral progress over time. I’m embarrassed that it gets thrown around as often it does, and by intelligent people who should know better. But agenda is an intoxicant that can put alcohol to shame, especially in the veins of the media and politicians.
An archaeologist sees the head of a nail sticking out from the dried earth. He digs a little deeper and exposes the stem of the nail. Further still, and he realizes the nail is held fast to a board. Brushing away more dirt, he exposes the length of the board — which is connected, by other nails, to a series of other boards.
As the dirt is cleared away, a form takes shape. What appears to be a wooden wall is exposed — until the archaeologist finds a curve in it. Over time, and with the help of others, the large section of wood is exposed to be the hull of an old ship. Just hours earlier all that could be seen — all that was known was just the head of a nail.
Exposure, layer by layer and over time, tells a more complete story. It’s not that the ship suddenly grew under the nail — it was there all the time, waiting to be discovered. The archaeologists, and subsequently the people who learned about the ship, weren’t woke, they were educated about what was already there.
Honestly, I’m glad for the increasing exposure to the moral inequalities that plague society — racism, gender bias, and social and economic disparity, etc. To be clear, I cringe when bad things happen to good people. I don’t want to see property destroyed. I don’t want to see people get threatened, injured, or killed. But the more that hatred and ignorant bias step into the light and the louder they announce themselves, the better off we’re all going to be in the long-term. I truly believe that.
More recently, it’s as though the ship itself is clearing the dirt away. Let their voices be heard. Let their ignorance be observed. Let the fruit of their hateful minds be on display for everyone to see. Let’s clear the streets and give ‘em all microphones. Allow them to gather in large numbers and speak without interruption.
Morality, like mathematics, isn’t something man invented. It’s been there since time began, woven into the fiber of the universe — to be discovered and used for the advancement of the species. The moral progress of man is a treasure. Social equality, over time, is taking shape. It won’t be fully exposed in my lifetime or yours, but every day we need to keep wiping the dirt off of it and allow it to be exposed further — and we need to keep others from burying it once again.
Woke isn’t the act of creating something new. Woke is exposing something that’s been there all along.
This is what I think about when I ride… Jhciacb
This week by the numbers…
Bikes Ridden: 7
Miles: 195
Climbing: 7,900’
Mph Avg: 15.3
Calories: 11,100
Seat Time: 12 hours 44 minutes
Whether you ride a bike or not, thank you for taking the time to ride along with me today. If you haven’t already, please scroll up and subscribe. If you like what you read, give it a like and a share. If not, just keep scrollin’. Oh, and there’s this from Jake Bugg. Enjoy…!
The Spoke And Word™ 
I appreciate your thoughtful reflections here but only agree to a point. I think we need to be a little less sleepy and a little less woke. There is a self righteousness present today in those expressing their newfound moral indignation that I find a bit nauseating as well as ageist. AOC went after one of the older Democratic Senators a week ago as if she possessed a magical locket of moral clarity and they were antediluvian primitives. I appreciate that the young today are less sexist, homophobic, racist and yes, religious but also know that things don’t change over night and people get pretty tired of being lectured by the morally superior. Easy to look at the past with 20/20 vision.
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Appreciate this,brings back memories. As an Asian Pacific Islander growing up in the south during the 60’s-70’s. Folks could not figure us out,who are these colored people,where are they from.Our Dad would tell us Just say Hawaii. While living on post/base as a military brat it was a safer haven and sanctuary surrounded by diversity. Our Dad would say we’re All Green, Army Green when wearing our uniforms. I grew up with White,Blacks,Hispanics,Jews,Middle Eastern,and Asian Kids. We all lived in a woke society,especially when we went off post/base. Our family quickly learned where to go and where not to go,how we were protected by the Blacks on the other side of the tracks. I’ll never forget in the town of Harlem,Georgia living off base,we had to do our laundry and were told can’t you read the sign “This is White Only” you all use the laundry room for The Colored. So I cringe when I hear the media talk about racism and the Woke Culture. I’m already aware of the truth…….
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Brian, I’m sure you are a great guy. May I ask you a question? Why is Jews on your list of ethnicities? I don’t see any other religions mentioned?
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Dr. J Fair question one of my best friends Mark Abramowitz. It stuck with me all these years, as kids we asked each other what we were. And he replied “I’m Jewish, I’m a Jew”
His family and my black friends taught me about the KKK. So I relate the Jewish religion as an ethnicity.
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Very thoughtful essay, Roy! In many ways, I don’t see real progress, just an extreme pendulum swinging back and forth. but jumping over the middle. We have the 50s extreme and the 60s extreme with no large middle ground.
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I think Brian is correct in including jews in his list. It is not only a creed but a tribe. I am an E-b-405 genetically and having had a complete genome sequence, can trace my ethnic roots back 22,400 years to Somalia. Jews are an endogamous population and my own semitic line, which was situated in the levant 5700 years ago, certainly qualifies as a distinct ethnic population.
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I like Dr. J’s comment as well. Profound. To think that fifty or sixty years later, we are battling two equally old paradigms fighting for relevancy. Has anything happened since?
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