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Just
when you thought the outlandishly abominable antics and disturbing
and derelict rhetoric coming out of the Republican party could not
get any more ludicrous, party members have managed to outdo
themselves. Earlier this month, South Carolina senator Tim
Scott made the claim that
woke supremacy was as bad as White supremacy. Yes, you read that
right! Truth be told, given the deliriously frantic level of media
coverage devoted to “all things seemingly provocative” or
likely to get political pundits, bloggers, cultural critics, and
other assorted political junkies riled up, ears perked and tongues
were set wagging.
Indeed,
with a straight face, the lone republican Black senator in Congress
brazenly made such a bizarre statement. Needless to say, it did not
take long for many people on the politically progressive side of the
aisle to weigh in on the controversy; this broke it down and
delivered the truth to Senator Scott. CNN anchor, commentator, and
author, Don
Lemon, spoke truth to power,
alerting the senator, in no uncertain terms, to the undeniable truth
that there is NO comparison between the two camps, not even in the
slightest! As the days passed, a few other commentators of varied
races and ethnicities took Scott to task for his wayward, untoward
commentary.
First
of all, what is “woke supremacy?” Let me answer my own
question. It is a tired, played out term that has been developed and
weaponized by the political, social, and cultural right to provide a
perverse cover for those who resent being called out and taken to
task for their vile, sinister, abhorrent behavior; many of them
perennially revel in racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic, and
xenophobic behavior. It is also a reductive entity employed by these
same men and women who wish to deprive those groups — people of
color, women, LGBTQ people, Jews, religious minorities, indigenous
people, anyone they deem less than human and unworthy — of
basic dignity and respect.
We
are the group of people who, behind racist, right wing, phony liberal
closed doors, and frequently — more so in public —
referred to in such circles as “the other” and often much
worse depending on what group is being demonized at the moment. Those
of us who refuse to partake in such submissive, denigrating,
degrading, demonizing, and dehumanizing behavior are seen as
“troublemakers” or even as “unicameral.” The
truth is that woke supremacy is a red herring. On the contrary, White
supremacy is very much real! American history has proven as such in
the past and present.
Last
I checked, so-called “woke supremacists” have not lashed
out at their opponents by enslaving them. They have not hung their
enemies from trees, chopped off their genitals and stuffed them in
their mouths, or in some cases, burned them alive.
To
my knowledge, “woke supremacists” have never taken away
people’s right to vote based on their gender. Moreover, “woke
supremacists” have never oppressed their fellow Americans
through sharecropping systems or deprived them of equitable
educational opportunities and forced them to endure subpar
opportunities.
Have
these “woke supremacists” ever unleashed water hoses,
German shepherds, and cattle prods?
Have
these “woke supremacists” racially profiled and directly
,targeted ethnically based businesses, engage in wanton acts of misogyny,
murder patrons due their race and gender and excuse such violence as
the perpetrator having a “bad day” and/or engage in
similar sadistic and overt acts of violence against their detractors?
On
the contrary, White supremacists have! And guess what? They’re
still doing it! Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson praised
White insurrectionists who stormed the US capital on January 6th and
vilified Black Lives Matter protesters;
this is a textbook example of White supremacy.
At
the moment, Republicans have brazenly, arrogantly, and brutally
declared war on democracy. Their devious and violent shenanigans
moved from Washington to political battleground states such as
Georgia,
Texas,
and Arizona,
where Republicans are pushing what they refer to as “election
integrity” bills specifically designed to bolster voter
suppression. Since Election Day 2020, at
least 250 bills in more than 40 states
have been introduced to suppress mail-in and early voting, enacting
voter ID laws, shortening voting hours, and making it as difficult as
possible for millions to vote.
There’s
more! In Oklahoma, Republicans passed a bill that grants immunity
to motorists who plow their cars into protesters.
Not only that, far right wing governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has
advocated new
felonies for injuries or property damage
that occur during protests attended by at least seven people. This,
Senator Scott, is White supremacy!
As
a southerner over 50 years old, a Black man who comes from humble
beginnings, (as he has described his background and upbringing) and
the inhabitant of a state that has had an ugly, intensive, brutal and
oppressive history of mistreatment of Black people (even by southern
state standards) Tim Scott likely knows better. In fact, I would go
further and say he certainly does! This is why he
went to FOX News and tried
(unconvincingly) to defend his disingenuous remarks.
He
is a person of color in a party that has declared political war on
people of color — his own people. Thus, in order to save face
and remain in the good graces of his GOP colleagues, Mr. Scott
decided to engage in a shameful act of intellectual dishonesty. It is
a sad and shameful commentary on his priorities.
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