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Peaceful Dave's avatar

When I first heard people referring to themselves as woke, I thought it arrogant claim of Buddha like enlightenment. Then I noticed this from the liner notes of Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection -JIM CROW BLUES:

“When I come in a train, I stop in Las Vegas.

This white fellow was with me. He sat down and

I thought it was all right. Man taps me on the

shoulder and says, ‘I’m sorry, we don’t serve

colored.’ And I says ‘Oh, no you don’t?’ and he

says, ‘No.’ And that white fellow got up too. We

ain’t got to eat in Las Vegas. So many places like

that. I just feel sorry for them people. They ain’t

woke up yet.”

I can be on board with the idea of waking up to the ignorance of racial discrimination and such, but not with their methods. Lead Belly didn't hate the bigot, he felt sorry for him in his ignorance and the white fellow who was with him was alright. He didn't express venom toward all white people. It seems to me that in many ways the woke "ain't woke up yet" but they think that they have. Woke could be a good word for a good concept, but the assholes messed that up.

With regard to Mikael, an Elon Musk response would be appropriate.

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Steve QJ's avatar

"I thought it arrogant claim of Buddha like enlightenment."

I think there's definitely a degree of this too😄

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