Tariq Saeedi
The first two parts of this series were ‘reports’ and this part is an opinion piece. It is also the concluding part of this short series.
The Pension Rage swirling angrily in France may spread at some point in time to the other OECD countries but there is no real risk of that kind of thing taking place in Central Asia.
The real threat for Central Asia in the context of anger and clashes is the Woke Culture. This threat is only theoretical, hypothetical, at present but that is no reason to ignore it entirely.
The Woke Movement (the phrase Stay Woke) dating back to 1930s had noble intentions but since 2010 it has speedily transformed into Woke Culture, a grotesque transformation of its former self.
The number of endless causes diligently donning the robe of Woke Culture is mind-boggling. There is no end in sight. The only end in sight is the existence of the societies as a vibrant, diverse, functioning organism wherever this Woke Culture has taken roots. It is a termite, eating the societies from within.
Let us look at some of the things that are wrong with this Woke Culture.
Take the example of this whole LBGTQ+ thing.
I would like to state that personally I don’t have any issues with someone’s sexual orientation or their decision to identify themselves (and, to transition or not) to a gender that is different from the gender of their birth. It is a personal choice and as such there should be the freedom to exercise their choice.
The issue becomes contentious when it is rammed down the throat of the entire society.
In what world is it justifiable for a Drag Queen to give lap dance to nine-year old kids, or give lecture to elementary school children that there are 72 genders. And, don’t even talk of the ‘visual aids’ they use.
The way the puberty-blockers are being given to the children is frightening. There is no reliable path for anyone who wants to ‘de-transition.’ They are doing something they cannot undo.
Genders are being invented at the drop of a hat. Pretty soon there would be the need for more toilets than classrooms in the school. And, what about those who have started identifying themselves as ‘baby?’ Would there be the nappy-changing stations for them?
In Woke Culture there is no room for dissent or even discussion. Anything even slightly out of line from their position is opposed vehemently.
No matter how refined the proponents of the Woke Culture pretend to be, their behavior is that of an extremist and violent movement.
J K Rowling had the courage to stand up against this poppycock and she has been hounded mercilessly and endlessly, to the extent of receiving death threats on almost weekly basis. For whatever it is worth, I would like to say in plain language that I stand with Ms. Rowling.
There is the drive to convince the people to ‘imagine Harry Potter without J K Rowling.’
Imagine this kind of thing coming to Central Asia. Shall someone call for imagining Rubaiyat without Omar Khayyam?
There is also the massive campaign to rewrite the classics, the latest hit being the Gone with the Wind.
If the Woke Culture were to take roots in Central Asia, will someone propose to rewrite the Fables of Mulla Nasreddin?
The mutilation of literature is tantamount to shredding the fabric of the society because the classic literature is a solid bond between the past and the present, between the generations of yesterday and today,
Some awakening is taking place but it could be too little, too late.
Some sports associations have started prohibiting the transgender females who reached puberty as males from participating in the women’s events.
Some prisons are considering isolation blocks for the transgender prisoners because of the frequent complications caused by their presence in the male or female prisons.
Johny Luk, an an article for Aljazeera, has highlighted some pertinent points.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/6/24/what-is-woke-culture-and-why-has-it-become-so-toxic
In the article titled “Why ‘Woke’ became toxic,” he says, “Wokeness also implies that those not in the club are asleep, deluded or wrong. This instant judgement forms a dividing line, forcing the other side to become defensive and further entrenching the debate. The moral superiority platform is hardly a way to bring sceptics on board, especially when wealthy and privileged campaigners who have co-opted wokeness do not even follow their own standards, such as celebrity Dame Emma Thompson, who flew across the world to join an Extinction Rebellion protest about climate change in London in 2019. This particular protest involved blocking bridges and roads in the heart of London, including stopping ambulances, and the public outrage was so great that it damaged its own cause, as it provided the impetus for a new Police Bill which will restrict noise levels and timings for future protests.”
Luk further writes, “It seems some civil society institutions have also become more radical, leaving even their original champions flustered. Simon Fanshawe, a pioneer in equality rights and founder of Stonewall, was disowned by the very charity he founded for merely highlighting concerns from women about the introduction of self-ID for trans people, signaling that the charity now mandates only rigid conformity to its new focus on gender ideology and a hierarchy of wokeness that is splitting the progressive agenda.”
“Social media has also raised the stakes. Where an offensive remark may once have resulted in a scolding from a friend or foe, people are now only a tweet away from being “cancelled” – a relatively new term for withdrawing one’s support for a person – which could result in losing your job or worse,” he writes.
Dana Teoh Jia Yi, a final year communications and new media student at the National University of Singapore, in an article for Today Online, has spoken candidly.
In the article titled ‘This is why I don’t want to be woke. Don’t cancel me for it,’ she writes, “What I cannot get on board with is the cancelling of people and organisations for believing or saying something that opposes the “woke stance”, whatever the issue.”
https://www.todayonline.com/gen-y-speaks/gen-y-speaks-why-i-dont-want-be-woke-dont-cancel-me-it
She writes, “The fact is no single individual is capable of gathering all the information there is on any topic. The world and the repositories of information it offers are far too large and complex. Which is why we actually need others to find out about these things, create their own views, and share them with us. Even if they come to us with opinions we deem less-than-savoury. Of course, in a perfect world, we would all be single-minded — we would agree on these grey-area issues, and everyone would live happily ever after. But we don’t live in a world like that. We live in a world where people read, subscribe to, and preach different things. That is the richness of the human experience — everyone brings something unique to the table.”
“Wokeism and cancel culture threaten genuine collaboration and discussion, and subsequently, the expansion of thought and knowledge. Taken to an extreme, they are truly a disservice to humanity. So if you’re anything like me, I hope you can find the courage to disagree with the mob and speak your mind. And if you’re “hella woke”, please don’t cancel me,” she writes.
If there is no room for dissent, there is the need to create one. The destiny of Central Asia should be in the hands of Central Asia. /// nCa, 5 April 2023
CONCLUDED.
Links to first two parts of this series: