The “Woke” culture is no joke!
When I first heard about the being “woke,” I laughed. It was so stupid, so juvenile, so self-righteous. How could people fall for this nonsense? Surely, clear thinking people would see through the absurdities. Well, I was wrong. More and more people are accepting the “woke” ideology and the results are harmful to all of us.
Wokeness is bigger in the US than in Canada, so far. However, there are plenty of examples of the madness in Canada. Here are some.
Our woke Prime Minister lectures Italian leader
Our Prime Minister prides himself on being “woke.” At the recent G7 conference in Japan, Trudeau took Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, aside and told her that “Canada is concerned about some of the positions Italy is taking in terms of LGBT rights.” He added that he was looking forward to speaking to her more about the issue and “other democratic principles that the world needs.” The Italian leader fired back saying that Trudeau was a victim of fake news.
An embarrassment
The Italian newspaper, Libero, put Trudeau’s picture in blackface on the front page with the headline, “This buffoon wants to teach us lessons.”
Even Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi was moved to comment on Meloni’s grimace when Trudeau lectured her. She said, “(it) really sums up what all of us think of the repugnant, incompetent Trudeau.”
Trudeau can defend himself and no matter how many blunders and ethical missteps he makes, he may well be re-elected. But what of an “ordinary” nurse who simply wanted to express her support for JK Rowling? The author of the Harry Potter books got in trouble with the woke thought police after she tweeted about her beliefs that there are two sexes, male and female. Transgender people and those who believe that there should be another category for them took offense. Rowling explained that she had trans friends and would never discriminate against anyone. She was certainly not trans phobic as her critics claimed.
Can expressing your views cost you your job?
The billboard
Nurse Amy Hamm also believes that there are only two sexes and joined others in paying for a billboard saying that she loved JK Rowling. Now, you may think that it is a free country and we have Charter protected rights to express our opinions.
Well, maybe not. The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, called Hamm before a tribunal to face a charge of having “made discriminatory and derogatory statements regarding transgender people, while identifying yourself as a nurse or nurse educator.” There were no complaints of poor work or errors in Hamm’s performance. The complaint was about Hamm’s beliefs. Her lawyer released a statement:
“This case is fundamentally about speech: whether a nurse can publicly debate a topic that is as politically charged as this one; whether she can advocate on her own time for women’s rights to not have intact male bodies in their prisons, changerooms, rape crisis centres, and sports teams, and for care to be taken not to rush children and adolescents into life-altering and permanent changes to their bodies.”
Nurse Hamm may lose her job and profession because of her beliefs that in no way interfere with her practice of nursing. If the tribunal rules against Hamm, the case will go to court and I am sure she will eventually win but how many years will be lost and how much money will it cost her?
I agree with Rowling and Hamm but even if I didn’t I would still be shocked that people can be persecuted for expressing their views. However, that is what is happening today.
Does Jordan Peterson need re-education?
In a similar case, Jordan Peterson was ordered to get re-education by the body governing psychologists because of his anti-Woke beliefs. He is threatened with being barred from practicing. In more than one case mobs have tried to prevent him from giving talks. Peterson has the means to fight back and told the governing body that he didn’t need any re-education.
Grotesque shop teacher supported by woke school board
Is this proper attire for a teacher?
In yet another Canadian case of Woke madness, The Halton District School Board defended shop teacher, Kayla (formerly Kerry) Lemieux’s right to come to class wearing enormous fake breasts. Parents were rightly outraged but the school board would not budge until recently when they suspended her with pay after pictures of her dressed as a man without the breasts appeared in the media.
Drag Queen story time for the young ones
Here in Montreal libraries have hosted drag queen story time where men dressed as women (often in sexy attire) would read to young children. The idea is to sensitize children to the fact that we should tolerate all kinds of people. Children can be mean towards those who are different but more often kids do not discriminate against those of different races or with handicaps. Discrimination is learned, it is not innate. Drag queens belong in night clubs not elementary schools. It is not the kids who need to be educated but the misguided people who thought this is a good idea.
Should young children be taught that they can be whatever sex they want?
An equally bad idea is to not write about boys and girls and to talk only about persons. Teaching that young people can be boys or girls, as they choose, regardless of their birth sex is only confusing. Teaching that all careers are possible, regardless of sex is excellent but not that sex is simply a choice that people make. Aside from being plain wrong in the vast majority of cases, it leads to gender confusion in kids who may be a little more masculine (girls) or feminine (boys) than average. It is all normal, not a reason for young kids to be considering a sex change.
In all the above cases people have fallen for the woke ideology. Whether the people were heads of professional organizations, or a school board, teachers or social media trolls, the result was that harm was and is being done in the name of wrong-headed woke principles.
Let me share a personal story. During Covid when we had online meetings, people could submit questions in writing and be anonymous, if they wished. It was during the time when we were considering upzoning CSL Road to allow 10 storey buildings. Numerous people chose to be anonymous and so I joked that perhaps for variety they could post as Mr. or Ms Anonymous. So, the next “anonymous” person attacked me for not recognizing that there were more than two types of people. The story appeared in the Suburban and I got an e-mail from a Montrealer who had worked for a UN body dealing with the various possible gender classifications. He said I was right that there are only two sexes but there were up to 76 different genders. He suggested that next time I clarify the distinction for those who confuse biological sex and gender preference.
I will return to this topic in future articles because “wokeism” is very dangerous and in many more ways than I have had time to cover in just one post. As always, allow me to ask you to forward/share this article with those who might be interested and urge them to subscribe. My blog is free and will never have advertising but unless enough people get others to subscribe, it will be hard to get a critical mass. Hundreds of you are already on my mailing list but thousands would be much better.
4 Comments
What do you think of Juneteenth day in the US and the reason behind it?
I wasn’t aware of this US national holiday until I looked it up. It celebrates the emancipation of slaves in Texas. The proclamation freeing slaves in Texas was on June 19th, 1865 and it became a national holiday in June 2021. The holiday had been celebrated in many states for at least a few decades. I don’t consider this part of the woke culture unless you add that Black Americans are entitled to multi-millions in reparations. That is another story.
Great article! This clearly just scratches the surface. There are actually a host of absurd woke issues that were left out. The most absurd of these is the inclusion of trans women in sport against cis women. Famously, Fallon Fox, born a man and who transitioned as an adult, leaving her with the bone density and various other male features which make her significantly stronger than any woman. If steroid use is banned in sport, how can you allow someone who basically has been taking testosterone for years, since they were male, compete against a woman with none of that bone structure. why even separate women’s and men’s sports if there weren’t vast differences between the two sexes?
I was thinking of defining “woke” when I wrote the article but didn’t since, like obscenity, I know it when I see it. However, here is a definition that I like. It comes from Princeton’s Robert P. George. He is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.
“The attitude of a person who regards his or her opinions as so obviously correct and so profoundly enlightened that they may not legitimately be doubted or challenged, and that only hate or bigotry can explain others’ holding different beliefs.”
My wife, Doris, found the definition. Thanks.
Dr. Bill Steinberg
Dr. Steinberg has a BSc from McGill University, a PhD in Psychology from Northwestern University, and was a professor at Concordia University. He was Mayor of the Town of Hampstead for 16 years and led the demerger battle. He was was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal and is currently President of the Cochlear Implant Recipients Association.