Nothing dark, frightening or ugly about being woke
You might wonder why the likely Republican candidates for president seem so obsessed with the term “woke.”
It’s simple: the word’s definition is vague and generally unfamiliar to white Americans. Savvy politicians can make it sound un-american and pejorative in the context of their hateful political rhetoric.
The Black community created that historically informal expression.
They know that in their everyday lives it means staying aware of what’s happening around and to them. But sadly, they also know what these presidential candidates mean when they use it. Republicans have borrowed and are redefining the word to be something dark, frightening, and ugly.
The very fact that it is not a common “white” term makes its meaning easily manipulable for sinister political ends.
Regardless of what these politicians say, their rant about woke has nothing to do with promoting freedom, democracy, education, or social justice. It has everything to do with spreading electoral division, racism, and white supremacy. Of course they can’t say that.
So, they use this code.
Mark Mathys, Columbus
Education opportunity missed
The city of Columbus missed an opportunity to justify the new law restricting magazine capacity.
Had they catalogued all of the injuries and deaths occurring in Columbus for the last several years, pointing out how many of them involved high-capacity magazines, and how this law would have reduced or eliminated injuries, I am certain all of the objectors would understand the value of this ordinance.
John Platt, Arlington