Too “Woke”

“Woke” is a term that is thrown around regularly in rightwing circles with its users illustrating how they have ascended to a higher plane of enlightenment. It’s moronic in the sense that through language control they are the ideal, in terms of position or opinion. I find the whole synopsis to be laughable and disturbing, but why is that?

It hearkens back to other articles where I’ve made mention of psychological tools individuals use to manipulate a conversation in their favor. It stems, ultimately, from a form of negative tribalism, and while there is nothing wrong with tribalism per se, the platform of a debate stage is certainly the wrong place if we purport to value such things as honesty and genuine intellectualism. In the circumstances of discussing the merits of certain positions, it has no place in a civilized setting because, at its outset, it is a dishonest tactic used by arguably dishonest people.

You might think in this case I’m referring specifically to the “Alt-Right,” or various fringe Far Right ideologies, but you would be incorrect if all you read was the opening of this article (which most of our detractors are only capable of). No, the Left is most certainly guilty of this tactic and we see it with annoying regularity.

I’ve been observing and studying the idiosyncrasies of Far Right and Far Left ideologies, so as to better understand, on a personal level, what psychologically drives their more fanatical supporters . After all, they are simply different sides of the same coin, once you get closer to the ends of the political horseshoe (and, no, this is not a centrist article). Rabid fanaticism, knee-jerk reactions, mass paranoia, and outrageous hyperbole usually connect the two ends of the horseshoe, from a psychological perspective. At first blush, their ideological positions may seem contradictory, but it always ends in genocide and authoritarianism – one is Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism and the other is more or less the same, only called Strasserism.

Authoritarianism is, in the end, authoritarianism. And, it doesn’t matter what label you choose to wrap it in, the results are largely the same in their final destination throughout history. I was once guilty of having an authoritarian mindset, but as I’ve grown older and more mature so have my philosophical and ideological positions. I have found this is generally the case for most others. As we grow, so do our positions.

Back when I was still just a normie rightwinger, I remember hearing a phrase thrown around in our circles in regards to political positions and it went a little something along these lines, “Those who start out as normie liberals end up becoming Republicans as they experience life in the real world; while those who grow up rightwing, tend to just become more rightwing.” In a sense, there is some truth here. We are acutely aware this is not what always happens, but there is still a grain of truth buried in there. Again, our positions on things change with age, experience, and, more importantly, maturity.

I will argue there are certainly things one should absolutely remain a hardliner on; however, there are concerns in the here and now that require an adjustment of position, especially, if the goal is to win the long-game. Now, before anyone flies off the handle, remember that I’m discussing how we, as either individuals or as a greater movement, deal with events. “Winning the hearts and minds” is a more effective tactic than slinging your “woke” philosophy on the tattered edges of the internet.

We have to remember that, as rightwing dissidents, we are the exception to the rule, not the standard. The vast majority of people do not think like us or even talk like us. Our views are not mainstream. We do not have a wellspring of public support. Your average normie has no clue as to our lingo or can even comprehend esoteric memes. We are the vanguard.

It’s important to keep this in mind because it can create divides that, ultimately, lead to shooting ourselves in the foot when it comes to trying to win the hearts and minds of our people. There is, however, a requirement to rein in those that “go off the deep end.” And, it is those individuals who must be controlled in order to increase the attractiveness of any political ideology. You are always going to have various individuals, of questionable temperaments, within political movements, but it is up to the movement, as a whole, to keep the more volatile members under control, lest these individuals sabotage the efforts of the mission and movement.

A perfect example of being too “woke” is the Flat Earth Theory or that the moon landings were fake. Now, those are certainly the extreme examples of when “too woke, goes too far.” But, elements of the Dissident Right, including fringe characters, do find themselves becoming so woke that they alienate themselves even further from their targeted audience. In this respect, I mean purported “rightwingers” that now carry water for Red China, believe COVID-19 will kill us all, think the economy is only the stock market, hate conservatism (not without nuanced merit), and have a hyper obsession with minority groups. I already know this is going to stir up a firestorm among these people, most likely on Twitter, who will provide their inane and disingenuous rambles. The Bell Curve is very real and you, as a reader, should give pause to these individuals while arriving at your own conclusions.

We said in the Army, “perception is reality.” Because of this, whether these woke rightwingers are factually wrong or factually right doesn’t matter. It all comes down to how they are perceived by others. As such, these individuals will be lumped into our cause. That is why it is important to counter their destructive narratives – they will destroy your respective ideology, if left unchecked. If you don’t think this is damaging, I implore you to observe the Alt-Right’s rise and fall.

Hardcore ideologies scare off those not capable of handling them for a few reasons. One primary reason is it forces an individual to not only align, but commit themselves, to a position and, by extension, a tribe. It’s simply a tribe-based subconscious mentality in every single person. We all want to belong to a group. It gives us an identity and we do it everywhere we go – from politics, to work, to our own families. A tribe of wackos can be very damaging to a movement. Seeing a tribe of wackos is off putting to potential converts.

In closing, it’s important to be able to recognize these individuals that are in too deep. We cannot sit idly by as we let people, who get off on their own self-inflated importance and are divorced from reality, ruin what is left of sanity.

God bless you and God bless Dixie.