You know the problem with Republicans, they can’t take a woke. Who knew that as Americans we’d get to a point where it was considered a sin to be awake and a virtue to be asleep. For those on the right wing, who want to fight a culture war, or even 10 different culture wars at once, wokeness is the new boogeyman. Move over affirmative action. Excuse us, multiculturalism. Hey, immigration, we need that seat. It makes sense. For me, thick-headed conservatives, enlightenment is just another big word they can’t spell, pronounce or define. The woke, wokeism, the wokesters, whatever form it takes, the idea is that you whisper its name to frighten people, and then maybe get some of them to run to you for saving. I don’t know, if I were in the market for protection, I’m not sure I’d hide behind a puny little runt like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, no matter how mean and prickly he is. 

DeSantis has plenty of mouth, but not much muscle. That’s why his tough guy act doesn’t ring true. See, DeSantis is no Dirty Harry. He’s not even a Barney Fife. Still, there is no question the Florida Governor has been fear-mongering around the “woke-arati,” hoping to raise a little hell and a whole lot of campaign contributions to run for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. He has warned supporters about the evil powers of the woke-tocracy and bragged that Florida is quote, where wokeness goes to die. Let’s take a closer look at exactly what DeSantis is trying to save people from. Now, to be honest, I have been critical of the woke mob myself for presumptuously telling people like me that we’re not Latino, but quote Latinx.

Sure, I was upset by what the woke were doing, in my name no less. Yet DeSantis is going farther. He wants to wipe the woke off the map, since he blames them for all of society’s ills. 

And when DeSantis expands his attack on rigid woke thinking, and attempts to get rid of critical race theory and race efforts at universities to strive toward DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – well, he’s gone too far. At that point, his culture tantrums are just an obvious and ugly attempt to try to pander to whites who see themselves and their children as aggrieved victims who have gone from running this country to being run over by demographics. If you feel put off or left behind or otherwise marginalized, then DeSantis is the candidate for you. 

For me, DeSantis’ race-play feels a lot like someone who was born on third base going out of his way to deny others a chance to even play the game. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good look for a white male who went to Yale and Harvard Law School to complain about elitism and rail against privilege, all for the sake of some short-term political expediency. 

See, DeSantis, a former member of Congress, who now serves as governor of a major state is hardly the outsider he pretends to be. Indeed, far from it. DeSantis has always been on the inside. He has little to complain about and the fact that he now has only recently started to complain about the woke, feels contrived and calculated, even phony. That’s too bad because while this particular act in the culture wars may be fake, the division and resentment that it stirs up is all too real.