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Tag: Wokeism
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No Matter Who Denies it, Wokeism is a Religion
For years we’ve likened “wokeism” to religion; some people have even called Wokeism a religion. But it’s time to stop skirting around the issue for a number of reasons. We need to call Wokeism what it is and not only describe how it is a religious practice, but how it must be banished from our culture. In particular, the workplace is an excellent place to begin this attack not only on moral grounds but through the legal system.
To begin, what qualifies Wokeism as a religion? Here’s one description from US Border Patrol and Customs Protection:
For purposes of Title VII, religion includes not only traditional, organized religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, but also religious beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, only subscribed to by a small number of people, or that seem illogical or unreasonable to others. An employee’s belief or practice can be ‘religious’ under Title VII even if the employee is affiliated with a religious group that does not espouse or recognize that individual’s belief or practice, or if few – or no – other people adhere to it. Title VII’s protections also extend to those who are discriminated against or need accommodation because they profess no religious beliefs.
Sacrificing Our Kids on the Altar of Wokeism
The world has a long history of sacrificing children as a way to pacify the gods. The Babylonians, Aztecs and Canaanites, for example, believed that they would not only protect themselves from the forces of nature, but would achieve good fortune by destroying their own. Eventually human beings became more civilized (at least in terms of killing their own species).
If we leap forward to the industrial revolution, we know that as a means of survival, children were sacrificed to harsh work environments in the cities. Not until after the industrial revolution did they benefit from laws enacted to limit the abuse they needed to endure.
This week on “The Learning Curve,” co-hosts Gerard Robinson and Cara Candal talk with Bari Weiss, former New York Times op-ed editor and writer, and author of How to Fight Anti-Semitism. Bari shares what motivated her to write this book, its reception, and key lessons for teachers and students alike.
She also explains why we’re now seeing a rise in anti-Semitism, how educators can best combat it, and the connection she observes between the current upsurge in anti-Semitism and cancel culture. Bari discusses her experiences on the editorial boards of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and her courageous decision to resign from the Times, as well as the public praise and criticism she’s encountered since her resignation.
Woke, or “Wide Awake?”
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” Mark Twain
For a few cynical wags and critics, Ben Domenech is best known as former “The View” co-host Meghan McCain’s husband. But that is unfair. The soft-spoken, cerebral, and calm Domenech is a celebrated writer and editor in his own right, and as of late, an occasional weekly host on Fox News “Primetime,” including this past week.
Domenech’s day job is serving as publisher of a popular and highly-respected libertarian-conservative website, TheFederalist.com, which features a stable of outstanding fellow journalists, including the estimable Mollie Hemingway. He also authors his own daily newsletter, The Transom, to which I subscribe for the bargain price of $30 annually. He publishes almost every day; it is part of my morning routine.
David French and Dubious Interpretation of the Bible
Our friend @bryangstephens wrote a fine post on Saturday criticizing a recent essay by David French, at the Dispatch, about structural racism and reparations. Some of the comments cited a responsive essay by Michael Anton, ridiculing French for making “the conservative case for hereditary bloodguilt.”
I write separately because both Bryan and Anton did not address French’s Biblical argument in any detail. I realize that this may be of little interest to unbelievers, but I think that it is important to both Christians and Jews, who accept the Old Testament authorities on which French relies as Scripture.
Learning From Experience, Not
A high-school friend had a father who worked in a factory. He had a story…it seems there was this guy who got his left arm caught in one of the machines and horribly mangled. He was out for months, and when he came back, the other workers crowded around him, asking “How did it happen?”
“Like this,” he said, demonstrating with the other arm.
Systemic Racism IS Real. Just Not In The Way We’re Told.
I’ve changed my mind.
I have long argued, quoting Tim Scott, a Black Republican US Senator from South Carolina, that America is not a racist country. My own view is that “systemic racism” is a social construct detached from reality, divorced from American values, and fatally imbued with lethal doses of atheism and Marxism. It is used mostly as a cudgel for cultural and partisan political purposes. In other words, for political power. It is poorly understood by most Americans but widely taught and practiced in many of our institutions.