Time to Get the Lead Out
They’ve turned “woke” into a punchline — something to mock, dismiss, or roll your eyes at. Why? Because it’s easier to discredit the word than reckon with what it actually means.
“Woke” was never about arguing over coffee orders or policing T-shirt colors. It wasn’t about trends, lifestyle choices, or the internet’s latest moral panic. It meant being awake. Aware. Eyes open to injustice, ears tuned to warning signals. Watching out not just for yourself, but for others. Because danger doesn’t always knock — sometimes it creeps.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t about someone else’s rights, or problems that belong to other people in far-off places. What’s coming isn’t targeted — it’s sweeping. The erosion is real, and it’s accelerating. They’re not just coming for “them.” They’re coming for you, too.
The forgetting is deliberate. The ridicule is strategic. That’s why remembering matters.
So best listen to Huddie Ledbetter , Lead Belly, who said it plain: ‘Stay Woke.’
Because they always come in the dark, and asleep is exactly what they’re counting on.
Click over to read more in my latest article at CounterPunch.
