DeSantis targets “woke” and ignores real problems

Gov. Ron DeSantis seems to base his unquestionable popularity on claiming Florida is where “woke goes to die.” What does he think is “woke?” Is it banning abortion, which the nation rejects in overwhelming numbers?

Perhaps it is permitting same-sex marriage, another issue that most Americans seem to accept. Perhaps it is recognizing that interracial relationships can foster as much love among people as those of the same race; or maybe it’s wanting the needs of anyone who is not white, heterosexual and Christian to also receive help from him or our state government.

Or, it could be in abusing his power to punish those who don’t buy his philosophy. Perhaps it’s ignoring our pervasive racial past and present, and those who suffered from it, and continue to do so.

Far more likely, it is a catchy slogan with emotional appeal. The opposite of woke is asleep, and the DeSantis administration would seemingly prefer that rather than tackle real problems, like school quality, affordable housing, property insurance, poverty, COVID-19 and climate change. Those who run for public office should endeavor to solve them, rather than consider that their role is to ensure they do not.

Some people come to Florida because it is warm in winter (maybe too warm, if the present winter is any example). Others may come for tax reasons. Those who come here are not necessarily liberal, but they are certainly not so backward as to reject all that is supposedly “woke.”

For many of them, part of making America great may still be admitting the prejudices of the past, and then doing something about them. That is where much of American greatness truly lies.

– Michael Peskoe,

Miami Beach