Woke, Cancel Culture And Tribalism. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome back Mik Jordahl to discuss the concept of Woke. Williamson begins by noting that Woke began when the great blues singer Huddie William Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly) used the term in his 1938 song “Scottsboro Boys” in which he asked people to be aware of social injustices they may face. The term gained popularity during the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s and grew more popular with the Black Lives Matter movement making it a target of the political right.
Jordahl says, “It has become a real pejorative term in general, so I almost hesitate to use it because it sort of lends credence to the rightwing perspective.” He adds, “There is a twin called cancel culture, and the Republicans have honed that to a great degree.” He goes on to explain, “There is a real effort across the board to suppress speech. And people are afraid, whether it’s on the right or left, to speak their minds.”
McClellan notes that such tribalism has been used by the right to divide us in what they decry as identity politics.