I looked up the word ‘woke’ after Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis bragged: ‘Florida is where woke goes to die’.
Woke is an African-American adjective meaning ‘well informed, aware and alert to racial prejudice and discrimination’.
Somehow, half of America made ‘woke’ a pejorative word – and the same people made ‘liberal’ a dirty word!
And how about the American term ‘minorities’ when talking about other people? The indoctrination is so total, that even minorities refer to themselves as ‘minorities’. And why are some Americans referred to as African Americans, Native Americans, Latin Americans or Asian Americans? As this is the case, surely pale-skinned people should be called European Americans. Or maybe everyone could just be Americans? It might make for a more cohesive society.
Black and white is a very divisive way of describing people. Most of us are shades of brown. Race is so superficial it’s impossible to know somebody’s ‘race’ from their DNA. In one family there can be a range of different features and pigments. As if it damn well matters.
And what about left and right to describe opposing political factions? The Latin word for left is ‘sinister’ and the left hand is considered the hand of the devil. For centuries Catholic schoolchildren have been punished for being left-handed. King George VI was naturally left-handed, and as a student was forced to write with his right hand, which caused his debilitating stutter. Left means being left behind or forgotten.
Right on the other hand is correct and proper. So when the press refer to the political right, there is an in-built bias that this is the right side to vote for and identify with.
Right-wing think tanks come up with masterful weasel words to describe and justify the excesses of neoliberal economic policies. Take ’neoliberal’ itself – what is there not to like? Neo means ‘new’ and liberal means ‘generous’. Yet neoliberal economic policies are tearing society apart and causing an ever-widening wealth gap. ‘Economic rationalism’ is another weasel word suggesting that anyone opposed to neoliberal policies is irrational. And how about negative growth? This oxymoron is used when an economy contracts – because the term ‘negative growth’ doesn’t impact the stock market like the word ‘recession’ might. And when billions get wiped off the value of shares it’s called a ‘correction’.
To conserve something means to protect it from harm or destruction. But ‘conservatives’ are more likely to over-exploit resources. In the face of global warming, being conservative means business as usual. Conservatives might more correctly be described as radical reactionaries, while the so-called left might better be called progressives. Maybe it’s time to rethink words that have so much impact on our lives?
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
