Kind thanks for joining in the discussion here in The Outside, appreciate your participation, lets have a nice clean discussion in search of enlightenment or failing enlightenment plane old philosophical fulfilment - If I or anyone else in this discussion starts making derogatory comments about each others cognitive function or anything else please don't hesitate to call 'em out on it, the only way we'll progress is by pulling down barriers of ignorance or prejudice and the only way to do that is by holding up a mirror to it.
So...
In the original Star Wars threads there was some degree of dissatisfaction from more than one member with one or two being actively vocal with the direction Disney has taken the story lines of the franchise in several cases, and indeed what the corporation is doing in terms of inclusion, equality and diversity. I do not want to bring up any particular TEST member or their specific examples do wish to carry on the discussion in a less combative, more contemplative place.
...annual "pride" parade was hijacked & shut down by other "pride-ful" activists that were demanding that the parade which is supposed to be celebrating their group of individuals be used to protest in favor of a group of people that would happily genocide them all for being like they are...
That's definitely at the more extreme end of IRL events however is a valid observation of themes raised in the original series of threads in regards to inclusion and some members views on morality, interpersonal relationships and decorum/discretion in just how much needs to be shared with the world.
To start with I'd like to look at the concept of 'woke' and exactly what that means. The definition as found on Mirriam-Webster states it is being "aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)"
aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice) —often used in contexts that suggest someone's expressed beliefs about such matters are not backed with genuine concern or action… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com
Quite how being aware instead of ignorant of racial and social injustice has been turned into a pejorative statement I don't know, but it intrigues me...?
Current examples of things currently being labled 'woke include things such as Black Lives Matter highlighting persecution of skin colour minorities in caucasion countries, LGBQT+ recognition/persecution, Gender Identity Recognition, movements which are anti racial and religious hatred, civil movements protesting mass killings in other parts of the world, going down to things like Green Technologies and Climate Change awareness.
But there are other things which could be counted as 'Woke' under the disctionary definition which are mostly not - The most blatent example Millatary Veterains charities which focus on and help with their struggles post-service really should also be counted as woke as they are aware and attentive of that ongoing societal injustice.
Other recent age examples such as where Christians joined hands and defended muslims at prayer and similarly muslims had protestected Christian churches, could be described as Woke but again, rarely are:
Striking photos of unity have emerged from the chaos in Egypt as Christians stood to protect a group of Muslims as they prayed.
www.dailymail.co.uk
What would we terms things from the past as being "Woke" that were objectively not negative things worthy of a pejorative use of the word? Womens Suffrage and equality movements bringing equal rights and conditions to 50% of the population, the end of Apartheid and Segregation leading to better cercumstances , the end of Slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade, indeed things today that touch on what some define as "woke" but don't seem to sit under the same umbrealla such as the absolution of the death penalty for Homosexuality in the UK and US. Under the disctionary definition, these things were/are woke...
But would one point to countries in the world today that for example don't allow girls access to education and women access to work and say they are models to how the world should be? I very much doubt anyone who uses the term "Woke" as a put-down would hold those views unless they were also accompanied with an unhealthy dose of gynophobia...?
So is the pejorative "Woke" actually more inclined to be used to describe Extremist elements of those racial and social justice issues where intrusive activism occurs?
Mass organised protest. Civil uprising. Obstructive actions of people standing up and saying something just isn't acceptable anymore, sometimes in small groups sometimes en masse, a quiet majority finding it's voice against a vocal minority... is this what is meant when people use the term "Woke" in a negative manner, and has that been simply misappropriated where elements of those themes have been used to prop up/propel (or simply are present) in plotlines of TV shows made by a company which has since its inception has fielded products based on stories of injustice such as Cinderella, Snow White etc?
So moving back to your example:
...Given how many of the participants were dressed, I would not want to be a barista in the middle of that because there's no telling where they'd be holding their "currency". Also, while the fight would be going on, the loud speakers would have to be blasting music from The Village People, to remind them that not everybody that looks like a cop is a person they hate.
Extremist/Extremism. Not all members of minority group X are going to celebrate/seek recognition with an extravagant display of flesh and will be in the minority just as (for example) there isn't a brothel on every corner of a place noted for heterosexual activity such as Amsterdam but there is definitely a district of the city famed the world over for its red-lights. Does that mean the whole nation of the Netherlands is akin to the more depraved parts of the capital city? No and Hollands national identiy is definately one known for it's more liberal leaning but not one based on any one aspects of it seemingly because while it
is more liberal, it's not neccecerily that much more extreme. But those more extreme elements can be coerced, beaten or bent into acting or even serving wants against their or anyone elses greater interests such as you indicate in your example.
I would suggest although there are extremes in every facet of civilization (including Movie Franchise Fandom), we must be wary of grouping and othering sections of society as this in itself can be used as a tool to coerce and corrale a nation of opinions to extreme avenues themselves, potentially leading to a very dark (re: evil?) place indeed.
Your example is a complex and seemingly controdictory one, but one one I cant accurately comment on without the context of the original report - for example one of the controdictions is your claim of potential genocide being purportated against the pride-ful if they had the chance, is Africa has bought claims before the International Court Of Justice of an actual geanocide being purpotrated against that same section of people the price-ful would be protesting for...
And even then reports are bought to us through a lense. The wants, needs and agendas of that lens and what it includes or omits are also accompanied by the complications of the allogory of Platos Cave:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave where people have been chained to the wall of a cave from birth. They are positioned so they can only see the wall, where shadows from a fire behind them are cast. Objects are paraded infront of the fire, and the voices of the people carrying the objects bouce off the walls to be heared, with Socrates (the orator of the story) stating for the chained the shadows are the reality as they have never seen anything else, they know not of anything else and indeed that there
is anything else outside the cave to know about in the first place. TV screen, News Article, even social media post. Unless you have first hand expiriance, can you really know any of which you see is really what happened or is happening?
