“Whereas the Marxist Socialist believed the Supreme Trait – the characteristic that when shared by all the people would create the perfect world – was found in the ‘Worker’ and the German Socialist believed it was found in the ‘Aryan,’ the Democratic Socialist is convinced that the Supreme Trait is found in those they call the ‘Woke.’” (Sayet, The Woke Supremacy)
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” (Ephesians 6:12)
I hope your eyes aren’t glazed over at this point.
If so, take a moment to clear your head because we’re going to take a turn into the subject of Woke-ism, a disorder afflicting many parts of the world today, especially the United States, which has become a breeding ground for many peoples’ drive to Conquer and Dominate others.
Let’s again dive into definitions.
Defining “Woke”
The Gateway Pundit article, What Does “Woke” Mean?… Here’s The REAL Definition The Left Doesn’t Want You To See,” attempts to tackle this somewhat elusive question via 100 Percent Fed Up writer Chuck Moss. “‘What does it mean, exactly?’ Interestingly, we all could tell him examples, but no one—me included—could give a succinct answer to his question.”
That’s so true! “Woke” is relatively easy to describe but hard to define. To the dictionaries!
The Merriam-Webster.com dictionary defines Woke as “Aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. Who doesn’t want to be aware of critical societal facts and issues?
UrbanDictionary.com says this about being Woke. “When this term became popularized, initially the meaning of this term was when an individual (became) more aware of…social injustice. Or basically, any current affairs related like biased, discrimination, or double-standards” (italics author). Notice that both dictionaries point to being “aware” as the epicenter of Woke-ness. This implies that being “non-Woke” is being unaware. “Of what?” you ask.
Here’s a more exact definition from Dictionary.com. “Having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities” (italics author).
This definition highlights what the Woke are aware of and the non-Woke aren’t, the belief that people must be identified and recognized as groups and the idea that these minority groups are being treated differently than others. By using the words treatment and minorities, we get the sense that a majority somehow treats a minority (or all minorities) differently. The presumption of minority group treatment is mistreatment by the majority; thus, the minority are victims.
Woke-ism as Marxism
Right now, this should begin sounding like something you’ve encountered before, perhaps even read, like the last part about Marxism and Socialism. Bingo! To the Woke, people aren’t individuals but units that must be collectivized into groups to be radicalized, motivated, and empowered to overthrow the oppressors who are mistreating them and keeping the goods (money, power, and influence) from them.
Woke-ism is a manifestation of Marxism that imposes the oppressor vs. oppressed perspective onto all aspects of our society. The oppressed are groups categorized by minority status, whether by sexuality, gender, race, class, ethnicity, religion, and anything else. Because majorities always oppress minorities, any minority group becomes victims oppressed by the majority oppressors.
The only way to right this wrong is to take control from the oppressor and give it to the oppressed. Then the Marxists will have their utopia where every person is equal according to their definition and standard. Never mind that the Declaration of Independence declares “all men (people) are created equal,” agreeing with God making us so (Genesis 1:27; Acts 17:26). But the Marxists care nothing for God’s standard of equality, only their own.
To take control from the oppressor, Marxism requires force to implement its goals according to its standards because Marxists must fight against every person’s free and individualistic nature. Remember, God created every person as an individual with a drive to control the world around them. Our independent streak was only intensified by selfishness after the Fall. So, it often takes some force to make the haves surrender what they have to the have-nots. While Marxism applies this primarily to economic outcomes, the Cultural Marxist applies this to societal outcomes such as power, influence, privilege, and control.
Woke-ism As Cultural Marxism
Woke-ism is the battle from the Cultural Marxist’s point of view, and only they see the majority’s oppression (bias, discrimination, double standards) leveled against the minority who are oppressed. “What the Woke believe is that all of the people who ever lived were asleep – asleep and in some kind of fever dream that caused them to do all sorts of horrible things to one another for no good reason. Only they are awake – ‘woke’ – and, because they are, they and only they in all of human history see the true road to paradise” (Sayet).
As Job of Bible fame would say to the woke crowd, “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!” (Job 12:2).
Only Woke people have the “active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities,” and only they have the solution to the problem. Why? Because the Woke are superior to all others because of their vast understanding of humanity and how to achieve a right and good society according to their standards.
Woke Supremacy
Ultimately, this idea of being Woke carries a sense of Supremacy. “However, as time passed by, people started using this term recklessly, assigning this term to themselves or someone they know to boost their confidence and reassure them that they have the moral high grounds and are fighting for the better world. And sometimes even using it as a way to protect themselves from other people’s opinion, by considering the ‘outsider’ as non-woke, while people that are in line with their belief as woke, meaning that those ‘outsiders’ have been brainwash by the society and couldn’t see the truth. Thus, (they filter) everything that the ‘outsider’ gives regardless whether it is rationale or not” (sic, urbandisctionary.com, italics author).
This Supremacist attitude fuels the Conquer and Dominate techniques the Woke person uses to force their target into submitting to the Woke orthodoxy and orthopraxy, i.e., the “right way” to think (beliefs and opinions) and act.
Where does this attitude of Supremacy come from? Socialism, fueled by the drive to Conquer and Dominate. Socialism is a system of governance that strives for “outright control over all ‘essential’ industries and defacto control over all the others on a global scale. Oh, it may start on a national level (the former Soviet Union, Germany, and China), but history proves Socialism always breaks out of its borders to impose itself on whatever other nation it can because it is superior, with its adherents believing they’re working for the good of all.
Therefore, since Woke-ism’s roots are Marxist (oppressor vs. oppressed) and its motivation is Socialist (uber alles), the Woke crowd considers themselves and their views morally superior to all others.
Being “woke” is the self-delusion that one is supreme over everyone else who doesn’t hold their “enlightened social understanding and perspectives.” Supremacy over others is the essence of Conquer and Dominate, and supremacy is the mindset that drives Wokeism. Woke-ism is wolfish Conquer and Dominate in sheep’s clothing.
Only those who embrace the Supreme Trait are Woke. The Supreme Trait (per Sayet’s work, The Woke Supremacy) is “The Woke are convinced that, by eliminating discriminating thought, they will eliminate all of the evils of discriminatory practices. They believe that, by eliminating rational judgment, they’ll eliminate all of the hurtfulness of judgmentalism and all of the harmfulness of prejudices. Their plan is to eliminate all of the wrongs of the world by eliminating the recognition of right and wrong itself.” In other words, if there’s any morality (and to them, there essentially isn’t), that morality is all relative anyway and must align with their standards alone because they are enlightened.
Woke-ism’s sheep disguise is their altruistic desire to “eliminate all of the hurtfulness of judgmentalism and all of the harmfulness of prejudices.” But Woke-ism’s wolf nature is to “eliminate all of the wrongs of the world” by any means it sees fit, first by declaring there is no right or wrong and then, ironically imposing their idea of right or wrong. “The Woke Supremacists seek (sic) to eradicate from memory all things, good and bad, that existed before their rise.” In other words, wisdom exists only with them and will die when they do. This attitude is their rationale to Conquer and Dominate all opposition to their self-delusion and self-contradictory view of morality.
Woke-ists claim the entire culture as their domain and demand to set the rules for all. If you comply, then you’re Woke and righteous. If not, then you’re obviously ignorant, unaware, and unrighteous. Good is supreme over evil, right? Then good must triumph over evil. And so, the Woke crowd gets to work evangelizing with their message of the Supreme Trait and attacking those who refuse to comply.
Conquer and Dominate Woke-ism and Cancel Culture
The Woke crowd’s threat today, whether through politics, academics, media, business, arts and entertainment, or any other institution, is “Submit or be eliminated.”
In politics, the un-Woke are publicly slandered, legislated against, and unjustly accused of the worst motives. Remember how conservative Presidents and Supreme Court nominees are guilty until proven innocent?
In academia, the un-Woke are denied tenured positions as professors, excoriated and unfairly graded in classrooms as students, and both are dismissed and barred from the campus.
In the media, the un-Woke are maligned, lied about, and denied any opportunity for a fair debate. Character assassination is the name of the Woke media game.
In business, the un-Woke are denied access to the financial system for capital to run their businesses. Just ask gun manufacturers. Un-Woke businesses are over-regulated by the Woke political class toward one goal – to remove them from the marketplace.
In the arts and entertainment, the un-Woke are denied work and relegated to the has-been pile to memory-hole their careers.
These are examples of what is called “being Canceled.” The Woke crowd has created Cancel Culture, the practice of eliminating any Woke-opposed person’s impact on society.
The naked truth is the Woke-ists are as bad as the Marxists/Socialists who have sought to eliminate their opposition through incarceration or murder, except the Wokesters’ methods are less messy. However, the goal is the same – silencing the voice that reveals their hypocrisy and errors and eliminating awareness of the opposition’s presence in society.
First, the Woke-ists dehumanize their target. Second, they move to dismiss them. Tell me how this differs from what happened under Hitler’s, Stalin’s, or Mao’s Socialism.
Woke-isms Conquer and Dominate attacks are meant to force you to bend the knee and keep you under their dominion by agreeing to their moral standard of correct beliefs and practices.
Woke-ism is fueled by hate. Sayet says, “Every supremacist believes that the Others deserve to be hated.” The justification comes from the Woke-ist’s belief that their view is good, and the Other’s view is evil. An evil viewpoint can only be because the person who holds that viewpoint is evil. Therefore, it’s only fitting and just to remove the evil person for the good of society. The non-Woke are dehumanized to justify cancelation – their voice, work, and the person. Taken to its inevitable conclusion, eliminating a person’s existence is a Final Solution. Sound familiar?
To be fair, there are supremacists on the Right side of the political spectrum, but a far more minuscule number than the Woke-ists would have us believe. What skews the Woke-ist’s perspective is where they stand on the political spectrum. When someone stands so far Left, even the middle appears incredibly Right.
Because the Woke Supremacists reject God’s moral standards and rely on their understanding to determine right from wrong, the Woke person tends toward character traits that diametrically oppose the characteristics God wants His followers to develop. Those character traits are summarized in the Fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). The opposite of those godly traits is “hate, sorrow, conflict, intolerance, mercilessness, malignancy, betrayal, harshness, and self-indulgence.” If there’s ever a description of the Woke movement and its Conquer and Dominate fruit today, that’s it!
So what tools do the Woke-ists use to Conquer and Dominate their opposition? I again turn to Sayet’s work:
· “Affirming” the Right to Freedom of Speech by establishing Free Speech Zones that are limited to small spaces on campus apart from anyone who can hear. Of course, limiting speech in any way is not Free Speech, and any limitation is a form of cancelation.
· Using the Right to Freedom of Assembly to promote riots to attack and silence the non-Woke.
· Redefining what objective truth is in favor of “my truth,” to the exclusion of any truth that opposes or contradicts “my truth,” then pushing “my truth” via indoctrination.
· Removing all past references to historical people and ideas that the Woke mob finds objectionable because it doesn’t agree with their Woke perspective or affirm their utopian goals.
· Usurping language as their Marxist/Socialist predecessors did. The Woke use modifiers to twist a word 180o. Justice for all becomes justice for some when words like “social, racial, gender, environmental, or any other modifier” are placed as a prefix. For the Woke-ist, “There is no justice. It’s just us!” There is no correct, only that which is “politically correct.” If what is presented doesn’t align with the Woke-ist’s politics, it’s declared incorrect, even if it is factual.
· Limiting general truths only to specific examples. All lives matter, but not when it comes to the Woke-ist. “Black Lives Matter” is the assumption that at the time it’s said, Black Lives Don’t Matter. Of course, black lives matter, along with all other variations of melanin-tinted lives. The mantra is a veiled attempt to level the playing field. Such a statement intends to raise the “oppressed” group and diminish the “oppressor” group(s). I agree with Sayet when he points out that “no lives matter” to the Woke-ist if that person stands in the way of achieving their utopian dream.
· Name-calling. Calling an opponent, a “racist, bigot, homophobe, misogynist” as a knee-jerk reaction is the Woke-ist’s infantile attempt to Conquer and Dominate the Other by personal attack that has nothing to do with the argument.
· Assigning ulterior motives to innocent gestures and words. What was once used as a hand sign to signal “I’m okay” (with the thumb and forefinger touching to create an “o”) has been twisted into a gesture said to declare “White Power!” by focusing on the remaining three fingers making a “w.” Maybe we should declare that all Woke-ists using that same gesture proclaim Woke Power? Woke-ists also assign insidious meanings to innocent words and phrases by calling them “dog whistles.” A physical dog whistle is supposed to have a frequency that only dogs can hear. The metaphorical dog whistle is a word or phrase with a nefarious meaning understood only by those evil oppressors. Therefore, “this allows the (Woke) Supremacist to declare anything to be a ‘dog whistle’ since you need the grown-ups (the Woke) to tell you what you, yourself, didn’t hear” (Sayet).
The Woke-ist’s Conquer and Dominate tools tell you what you should have heard, but can’t, what you should believe, but don’t, and how to act but aren’t. The Woke-ist’s Conquer and Dominate tools render their opponent meaningless and irrelevant, leading to dehumanization and, ultimately, elimination–canceling.
Why cancelation? Because Woke people consider themselves supreme over those who aren’t woke. Their supremacy must be asserted and maintained forever and at all costs. Anything that challenges their worldview, mindset, perspectives, ideology, and opinions must be eliminated rather than the Woke having to defend why their positions are supreme. It’s the old tear-down-the-competition-so-the-lowest-level-stands-the-highest-even-though-it’s-still-on-the-bottom game. That’s why the Marxist/Socialist oppressor vs. oppressed manifests itself by reducing the leaders’ serfs to the lowest common denominator while the leaders stand upon the bodies of their once and still oppressed followers.
A horrific example of metaphorical cancellation’s proximity to physical cancellation is a shirt that became popular during the 2023 June PRIDE extravaganza. The retail giant, Target, carried a line of shirts with a graphic of a guillotine with the caption, “Homophobe Headrest.” It might be considered dark humor, but is it the wearer’s intention deep down? Can it be considered a terroristic threat? Regardless, it’s an overt Conquer and Dominate statement.
“A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart” (Luke 6:45, italics author).
Jesus taught that the thoughts of the heart are as evil as the act itself, for thoughts lead to action if dwelled on and left unrestrained (Matthew 5:22, 28). So, what does this say about the person wearing the “Homophobe Headrest” shirt? Many of history’s greatest atrocities could have been stopped had people taken a dictator’s and tyrant’s words seriously before they came to absolute power. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao didn’t mince words, and because they weren’t taken seriously, they later minced 100s of millions of people.
The Woke-ists’ Cancel Culture is nothing more than “killing people” without taking a physical life. Cancel Culture has taken away peoples’ opinions, self-expression, dignity, reputations, self-worth, and even livelihoods. According to Rabbi Yitzhak Eizek Yehuda Yehiel Safrin of Komarno (1806-1874), taking away someone’s livelihood is equivalent to murder. No matter how well-intentioned, Cancel Culture still cancels a person’s self-expression and, thus, the person.
Cancel Culture is cultured murder.
Countering the Woke-ist’s Conquer And Dominate Attempt
So, how can we stand fast in the face of the Woke-ism sweeping our nation, capturing our institutions, and claiming supremacy over everything? Here are a few ideas:
Refuse to cooperate. The authority behind Wokeism is only as strong as our willingness to surrender. The Woke mob is simply children throwing a temper tantrum to force their will upon their parents. Someday they will grow up (well, hopefully). Life has a way of pounding sense into people and hammering out perspectives. Give it time. In the meantime, simply refuse to cooperate. So what if you’re booted off social media? As if Fakebook, Insta-Garbage, and Snit-Talk add anything to life. (But I must admit, the talking parrot videos are fun!)
Remember that the Woke-ist and Wokeism will eventually pass away like all Marxist/Socialist movements and fads, hopefully without doing much damage, but that’s no guarantee. The Woke mob may think they are the be-all and end-all of wisdom (“wisdom will die with you!” Job 12:2), but as Shakespeare wrote of life,
“(Woke-ism) is but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.” (Macbeth, paraphrased)
Confront God’s way. When confronted by a Woke-ist, take control of yourself and your situation and hold fast. In other words, when they try to Conquer and Dominate you, Subdue and Rule the situation.
· Stand with God’s revealed truth. When they say, “There are multiple genders!” you say, “Nope. God says only two.”
· Stand on objective truth. When the Woke-ist says, “A man can become a woman and vice versa!” demand proof that the chromosomes determining gender have miraculously changed from XY to XX because science!
· Refuse to play on their delusionally-slanted turf. Make them play on solid, level ground. Refuse to use their language as they’ve changed or twisted it. Refuse to accept the Woke-ist’s definitions that they’ve reworked to bolster their skewed ideas.
· Take control of the situation in God’s way, with love, grace, mercy, compassion, understanding, and openness. Attack the idea, not the person. They may lose control, but you must maintain control.
Walk away. Having had too many encounters with Woke-ists, I know the likelihood of the conversation (argument) devolving into name-calling, slander, and being maligned. It’s the refuge of the person without an argument. So, be willing to be slandered and maligned and just walk away.
Let Jesus be your example. He was willing to take the worst verbal and physical abuse to obey His Father and to accomplish His goal. Jesus stood firm, though it cost Him His life. “When He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). Both the Woke-ist and we will stand before God. Remember that.
Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us great counsel. We must “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Since the Woke-ist’s foundation and motivation is not of God but worldly and even demonic, we must remember that the battle isn’t against people. It’s ultimately a spiritual battle. Therefore, we need spiritual defensive and offensive equipment.
We need to wrap ourselves in God’s truth, righteousness, and the peace we have from the Gospel. We must continually trust God and walk in the salvation He’s given us, i.e., the assurance that we are His child. Above all, we must stand on the supremacy of His word over everything.
Finally, we need to pray! Yes, we need to ask for wisdom and inspiration for how we are to answer the Woke-ist. But most of all, we need to pray for the Woke to wake up to God and the reality of the world He created. Today’s Woke-ist is the one who is actually asleep, while the born-again person is the most aware. “So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled” (1 Thessalonians 5:6).
The only Supremacy that matters in this world is God’s supremacy. God is the only Supreme Being before which we must bow in total surrender. Remember, we were created to work together shoulder to shoulder under our King’s Supremacy. We can’t help it if some people can’t work well with others and try to Conquer and Dominate them. Our job is to represent our King truthfully, acknowledge His supremacy, and stand firm in the face of those who challenge it.
Sources:
Woke. dictionary.com/browse/woke
Woke. merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woke
Woke. urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Woke
What Does “Woke” Mean?… Here’s The REAL Definition The Left Doesn’t Want You To See, thegatewaypundit.com/2023/01/woke-mean-real-definition-left-doesnt-want-see
Depriving of livelihood - Part 2. jpost.com/jewish-world/judaism/depriving-of-livelihood-part-2
Sayet, Evan, The Woke Supremacy.
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts