I read in the news and online all the time how conservatives, in the U.S. and yes, here in Canada as well, are trying to shape the world in an image that is neither Christian or ‘family oriented’ but rather white supremacist / neo-Fascist.
One of the primary battlegrounds in the war against Fascism is literacy, and the access to materials that help shape our world view into one of inclusion. In Florida, for example, there are strong penalties against teaching Black History as history has recorded, for the sake of avoiding making white children feel guilty about what their ancestors perpetrated against Blacks! This includes removing books from libraries that run counter to white supremacist dogma.
The end goal of course is to create a society of people that has had their world view shaped into ‘hetero white is good, all others bad’; a semi-illiterate society that is malleable to the will of the leaders of the Fascist movement. A society without literati, without scientists, without poets and artists, in short a society at a standstill resisting all forms of progress.
There are many ways to counter this movement and progressives are slowly coming to realize that without their direct action the war will be over before it really has started! The simplest way is to push literacy. Someone on Facebook posted a meme that says it all “Good libraries have books that can offend anyone!”. Libraries, like poets, artists and scientists, need to push the limits of societal norms. It is a critical part of creating progress and opportunities for us all to grow!
And if being ‘woke’ creates progress and opportunities for my children and grandchildren then count me in.