How might we unwoke the unwoke about paranoid post-McCarthyism, systemic isms and the unfairness of escalating inequities?
How might the woke become more empathically woke about what the unwoke thinks about unfair advantages and disadvantages?
Facilitator-centric sage-on-the-stage spectacles on audible and video platforms risk reinforcing counterproductive oneupmanship debates about the culture wars between the woke and the unwoke. Such debates play the zero-sum, win-lose games of fast superficial thinking. These games evoke emotional reactivity that risk setting up groupthink tribes and the divisiveness of dysfunctional polarizations.
The controlled style of addressing discussion points self-protects the sage against challenges or in-depth exploration of complex issues. These rules of disengagement prohibit co-creating generative dialogues needed to understand our complex web of self-inflicted wicked problems in the 21st-century.
We need counter-culture learning processes to expand beyond reductionist media approaches to scaling up equitable story-telling movements about how to address our interconnected wicked problems such as truth decay, political corruption and the disinformation pandemic.
Why ask complex questions?
Simple questions cannot solve wicked problems.
How might we, as equity muses, align together as catalytic transformational change agents to ask complex questions that are not being asked, not heard or ignored?
Complex questions challenge-support-nurture inquiries about how to collaborate on working on wicked problems. These questions encourage learners to develop inquiring minds and complexity thinking skills. However, these perplexing questions may overwhelm learners. They risk triggering offensive counter-reactions, ridicule, resistance, reject reflexes, closed-mindedness and anti-intellectualism.
Complex questions may not be fully understood on first reading. Do not read complex questions aloud. These questions are designed to make you stop and think. Read them slowly, pause, reflect and explore what they evoke for you. Inquire about the meaning of keywords and concepts in these questions. Learn new ways of contemplation and musing about complexity.
Take time for slow thinking to explore the purpose and meaning of a complex questions. Learners can use AI tools to look up the meaning of words and phrases and even provide an provisional answer to a complex question for initiating group dialogues. This exploratory process can create new questions, refine a complex question and/or break up a question into shorter ones.
Discussions about the meaning of a complex question enable learners to develop a shared understanding of it, before engaging in the process of co-creating generative dialogues about how to respond to it.
Complex questions aim to engage people in the lifelong intergenerational learning processes about cultivating ethical mindsets and designing virtuous systems.
All in plain sight but blind to see
Regrettably, the paranoid, fear-mongering propaganda machines of the unwoke have weaponized the word equity to mean “equal outcomes”. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This negative political reframe of equity has been abused to maintain the status quo of unfair advantages for the elites and unfair disadvantages for working people as part of a systematic anti-Communist strategy.
The neo-terrorism of vigilante anti-government distrust is a paranoid vestige of post-McCarthyism that enables neoliberalism and corporate socialism to thrive to the detriment of the non-elites.
How might we reverse the negative impacts of this red reflex that:
Enable truth decay and political corruption?
Turbo-charge the propaganda machines?
Ignite the flames of the disinformation pandemic?
Conduct witch-hunts on scapegoats (people, theories, issues)?
Perpetrate and perpetuate systemic isms?
Escalates inequities?
Accelerate environmental degradation and global warming?
Destroy biodiversity and the planet, to name a few wicked problems?
All of the complex web of self-inflicted wicked problems in the 21st century are in plain sight but are blind for the unwoke to see.
Chat-GPT 3.5 response (edited)
What is the origin of the word woke and its historical changes in its meaning?
The verb "woke" first emerged in the 1940s among African American communities [1]: meaning to be awake of social issues and injustices [4]. "Wokeness" is a heightened consciousness and understanding of systemic inequalities and racial tensions [5].
In 2014, woke gained prominence during the protests following the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri [3]. Black Lives Matter movement activists adopted the watch words "stay woke"to awaken vigilance for combating racial injustice [3] [4].
Over time, the verb "woke" evolved to an adjective to describe advocates for racial inequality and social justice to embrace broader forms of social and political awareness [6].
"Woke" has been subjected controversial politicization. Conservatives pejoratively use woke to disparage humanitarian values and dismiss social justice movements [7].
References: [1] The Independent: link [3] Vox: link [4] Merriam-Webster: link [5] The Guardian: link [6] Wikipedia: link [7] ABC News: link
Chat-GPT 3.5 responses (re-purposed as questions)
How might we unwoke the unwoke?
Awakening the unwoke involves challenging people’s mindsets who are oppositional or unaware of systemic isms and the social injustices of escalating inequities. This learning process requires patience to engage the unwoke in ongoing dialogues conversations with the hope of small incremental changes, but without any expectations of quantum leap transformations [2].
How might we empathically engage in open and respectful dialogues with people to:
Empathically listen to different opinions with equanimity?
Explore differences in value structures, beliefs and biases?
Understand differences in experiences, opinions and perspectives about the social injustices of unfair advantages and disadvantages, especially for marginalized communities?
Evoke self-reflection using resources such as articles, books, documentaries, or educational platforms?
Share personal and systemic stories about the unfairness of isms and inequities?
Encourage critical thinking and self-reflection about stereotypes?
Enhance awareness about implicit biases perpetuate discrimination and prejudices perpetuate, inequalities and inequities?
Provide evidence to clarify misconceptions and develop a complex understanding of social issues?
Develop connections and alliances with people and organizations engaged in social justice issues?
Participate in workshops, community events and volunteer opportunities where they can interact with people from diverse backgrounds? [5].
Provide safe spaces and time to explore deeply held beliefs and perspectives?
Chat-GPT 4 response (edited)
How might we unwoke the unwoke?
"Woke" is often used to describe someone who is aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues, especially those relating to racial and social justice [2]. Over-corrected wokeness occurs when people who are deemed not to be "woke" enough are called out or cancelled. [2].
The cancel culture wars are futile exercises in fundamentalist flagellations.
"Unwoke" describes people who either do not ascribe to the viewpoints commonly associated with being "woke," or those who actively oppose the perceived ideological excesses of "wokeness" [3, 5]. Being "unwoke" is even celebrated as a form of resistance against perceived excesses of wokeism. [8].
"Unwoking the unwoke" aims to instill awareness and understanding about racial and social justices and to engage in open, respectful dialogues over time. This process about addressing these issues aims to foster mutual understanding and growth, despite significant differences in opinions.
This calls for deeply understanding why unwoke people resist the fairness of social justice to understanding their concerns. This is essential for finding the middle ground of shared understandings about what the fairness of equality, equity and social justices mean.
Critiques about Chat-GPT responses
The generic Chat-GPT responses to the headline questions are too rational and measured when addressing the emotional reactivity of unwoke fundamentalism.
What is lacking are specific suggestions about how to deactivate the amygdala-reptilian brains that inhibit the neocortical brain functioning needed for rationally thinking. It provides no specific strategies about how to lower emotional activity and enable equanimity to engage in collaboration and generative dialogues.
Furthermore, it provides no suggestions about how to prevent the dichotomous thinking of self-righteous fundamentalism that perpetrates and perpetuates dysfunctional political polarizations.
The greatest deficiency in education is our failures to enable people to learn, and how to learn about personal and professional development.
How might learning systems enable parents and their children to learn about brain functioning, mindfulness, awareness and socio-learning development as lifelong learning journeys?
The Chat-GPT responses barely pay lip service to equity: the virtue of fairness as a leading frame for advocating for social justice. Equity is the antidote to social injustices.
How might we create the middle ground to develop a shared meaning about the fairness of equity to avoid dysfunctional polarizations and move beyond polarity management using tri-polarity stewardship?
With tri-polarity stewardship, equanimity is the guiding virtue to navigate our journeys between the community virtues of equity and equality on the one hand, and the individual values of liberty and freedom on the other hand.
For a deep dive into exploring equity
Chat-GPT 3.5 responses
The subtle differences in the purposes in asking the headline and sub-headline questions are lost on Chat-GPT responses.
How might the woke become more empathically woke about what the unwoke thinks about unfair advantages and disadvantages?
"Woke" refers to being aware of and attentive to important social issues, particularly those related to racial and social justice [4]. To become more empathically woke about what the unwoke think about unfair advantages and disadvantages, there are a few potential approaches to consider:
Foster open dialogue and active listening: Engaging in respectful and open conversations with individuals who hold different viewpoints can help increase understanding and empathy. Actively listen to their perspectives without judgment, seeking to understand their experiences and reasoning behind their beliefs.
Seek diverse perspectives: Expose yourself to a variety of voices and viewpoints, including those of the unwoke. Read articles, books, and watch videos that provide alternative perspectives on unfair advantages and disadvantages. This can help broaden your understanding and challenge your own biases.
Empathy-building exercises: Engage in activities or exercises designed to enhance empathy. This could include role-playing exercises or participating in workshops that simulate different experiences and perspectives. By putting yourself in the shoes of others, you can develop a deeper understanding of their viewpoints.
Educate oneself: Continuously educate yourself on the experiences and struggles faced by marginalized communities. Read books, attend lectures, and engage with educational resources that provide insights into systemic inequalities and historical contexts. This knowledge can help inform your understanding of unfair advantages and disadvantages.
Engage with diverse communities: Actively participate in communities or organizations that promote inclusivity and diversity. By engaging with people from different backgrounds and experiences, you can gain firsthand knowledge of the challenges they face and develop a greater sense of empathy.
It's important to note that empathy and understanding do not mean compromising on principles of justice and equality. The goal is to build bridges of understanding while working towards addressing and rectifying unfair advantages and disadvantages.
Remember to approach discussions with respect and empathy, as these conversations can be sensitive and require a safe and inclusive environment.
This is your project. I have reported my lived experience. It is your job to present the evidence and you always do so from the mainstream media point of view. If that really satisfies you, knock yourself out. The question that you asked was to find out how woke people might understand the "unwoke" better. I've tried to answer that, but you seem only to want to argue the points. I'm not really interested in doing that, I have a regenerative village to build.
The word "woke" began in the Black community prior to the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 70s. It was a code word for people who recognized the unequal treatment of the black community. During this time period, most Americans would not have known the word at all. Many of us worked very hard to remove any and all road blocks to equal treatment under the law. Many institutions offered preferred opportunities to previously oppressed groups. We were quite united as a country to give all individuals equal opportunities. Now the word "woke" is associated with identity politics, intersectionality and critical race theory. These are academic studies that have come from some of the European 19th and 20th century philosophers, some of them the same as those who gave rise to the socialist and communist theories of that period. Do we care about what happened in the Gulags, the Bolshevik Revolution and the Chinese Cultural Revolution? I do. So, now we have a resurgence of similar tactics where everything is about power. People are once again judged on the basis of their color and ethnicity. People are either privileged or victims. In this scenario the individual is non-existent. For the "unwoke" who take personal responsibility for caring for their neighbors (all of them) to say "let the government take care of it," is callous and cold. Christian Hospital systems used to take care of many thousands of charity cases free of charge. Now, most of them have been sold because they refused to be party to the killing of babies. So, now the hospitals are funded by complicated government systems that is costing all of the tax-payers so much that it threatens to bankrupt us, and the quality of care and concern is now lagging. On average Republicans contribute more to charitable and philanthropic efforts than Democrats. (See: https://apply.surveymonkey.com/resources/partisanship-influence-charitable-giving/)
The politicians in traditionally Blue States talk compassion but deliver confusion, violent cities and corrupt policies leading to poverty. Red states tend to have balanced budgets and many individuals who volunteer to help those in need. Currently, I'm living in a Red State and it is one of the most prosperous per capita. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. We have many volunteer organizations that bring people off of the streets and help them get a leg up. So, my suggestions are well founded.