The word ‘woke’ is often attributed to Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, who coined the phrase in 1938 as part of an afterword to his recording of ‘Scottsboro Boys’, inviting an alertness to racial prejudice and discrimination.
Today, the use of the word most often occurs as a slur, which to my mind serves to highlight a couple of things. Either, that the user is taking the word to mean something different than the stated meaning, perhaps redefining it to apply to someone whose views they deem politically correct, an application that on arguable occasions, may have validity, or the intent is to use it as a cudgel with which to bash someone whose opinion differs from theirs, and usually to the detriment of a narrow band of people.
I find this second application invidious; it seeks to apply an element of respectability to what is often an ‘ism’ or a phobia; choose your form: racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia – there are others. Choosing to argue against such proponents may invite the use of ‘woke’ when they seek to define your views or behaviour.
It enrages me that populist politicians, most notably on the right, use it as a form of dog-whistle, giving it a veneer of respectability while at the same time seeking to appeal to the baser instincts of those they court, stirring fear and hatred against minority or marginalised groups, wilfully preying on ignorance.
While far from being the original manifestation of this form of hatred, arguably one of its worst proponents is Donald Trump. I rage at the empowerment he has given to white supremacists and the impotence I feel at being unable to do anything about it.
In the penultimate volume of 'A Little Something To Hide' we meet Jimmy, a character that I'm sure all fair-minded people will dislike. I find him repellent, and having created him, I did a reasonable job of divesting him of redeeming features. There is nothing to like about Jimmy, you can choose your own adjective/noun combination to describe him - mine can't be uttered before the watershed.
I deliberately wrote Jimmy with no notable character arc; he doesn’t deserve one. There is no epiphany for Jimmy, no redemption, no recognition that he, and what he stands for, is repugnant. He exists to highlight that people like him occupy our world, that their views are abhorrent, and that they can be corrupted and persuaded into believing that their thoughts and actions have validity. Likewise, in their small way, they are capable of corrupting others.
Jimmy is a bloody awful character to read in isolation, my least favourite, but nevertheless he represents a regrettable phenomenon in our world today. If nothing else, in writing 'A Little Something To Hide' I didn't want to shy away from darker themes, with Jimmy, I've trodden a grim path. He is a man of ‘…isms’, harbouring them all, baring his prejudices for us to see.
Views such as Jimmy's stem from ignorance. A lack of understanding and acceptance of other cultures, a willingness to believe in fabricated threats, the superiority of one’s own beliefs. Many are induced into thinking so by others who prey on their fears, which are more often than not groundless.
Granted, there are some cultural ‘norms’ that I believe to be offensive: the treatment of women in Afghanistan and other oppressive regimes, the persecution of homosexuals in many parts of the world, faith-based discrimination, anti-immigrant sentiment toward vulnerable people fleeing conflict or repression. There’s more, although I’m conscious of inflicting my belief system at the same time as railing against those with whom I disagree – an exercise in hypocrisy.
There’s a danger of sounding too puritanical, albeit humane, which is where populists seek to exploit the word ‘woke’. By attaching a connotation to it that those opposed to their views are sympathetic to the evils they promote, woke leaning individuals are deemed to be antithetical to populist beliefs.
It’s a simple and distressingly effective technique. Populists seek to channel the frustration that some experience from financial hardship against those that have had little to no influence on the social and economic circumstances that led to the adversity. Populist rhetoric diverts attention from government policy, corporate and oligarchal greed, and other contributing factors which are far more causal to the difficulties that face many individuals and communities.
We should shut off the mouth-pieces, starving the populists like Trump in the US and Nigel Farage in the UK of oxygen, leaving them to wallow in their own pools of toxicity without the platform to poison others.
Rather, let us promote education, tolerance and understanding of other cultures. Promote sympathetic ears toward the most vulnerable, and be not afraid of that which we know little about, but embrace the different, discover something or someone new that we might be better and richer for the experience.
I apologies for inflicting Jimmy upon you, but thanks for supporting my tales.
A Little Something To Hide: Part ten - Jimmy
Jimmy likes the great American way and all things white. He’s one of two drivers on the coach and he hates his fellow worker and most of the world. For fun at weekends, he and his friends don their white robes, quaff a little Rebel Yell, and take their hatred onto Gallup’s streets.
=============
Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury. Discover his serialised novel, 'A Little Something To Hide' at craigbrownauthor.com
Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Twitter/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2024
29 October 2024
