I listened in amazement as that NFL quarterback who believes he is a critical thinker explains the lie he told the world in regard to his vaccination status. Following the sketchiest advice from those who major in misinformation, the QB, tried to make himself look or feel better? Quoting Martin Luther King, spouting nonsense about the cancel culture and being in the ‘crosshairs of the woke mob’, our famous athlete refuses to “give in to them.” I admire his skill on the field and even had taken to rooting for him after his appearance as a reasonable human being on Jeopardy. Turns out he is just another self serving person who put their own perceived cleverness ahead of what is best for his teammates and the general population. Well, he has now immunized me from repeating his name—Go Seattle.
Karen asked me what does “woke” mean. I thought I knew and the definition is clear. “To be alert to injustice in society, especially racism.” This simple little word was intended to remind us to be “aware and alert to how racism is systematic and pervasive and suffuses American life. “Wake up from the slumber of ignorance and passive acceptance” according to a New York Times opinion columnist. Our famous QB feels he is in the crosshairs of a mob, really, people who are looking for racial equality are a threat? If you add critical race theory to woke-ness you have a rally cry for those who fear history, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all.
The word also reminded me of the Beatles, A Day in the Life and Blackbird. Lennon and McCartney often turned to the daily news for song inspiration. “I read the news today, oh boy” followed by other items in the headlines. “Woke up, fell out of bed” in the news there was a story in the Far and Near news brief in the Daily Mail, “there are 4000 holes in the road in Blackburn, Lancashire”. It became a part of the song along with the compromise to add, “now we know how many holes it takes to fill Albert Hall.” Which makes about as much sense as the arrogant QB.
One my favorite Beatle songs is Blackbird. Paul McCartney cowrote the song with Lennon but the inspiration came while reading a newspaper account of the U. S. race riots in 1968 and the song is a metaphor of the struggle for black civil rights. The Lyrics and music are simple but not to be forgotten.
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take those broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise….”
At the risk associated with a white guy quoting MLK,
“If you can’t fly then run,
If you can’t run then walk.
If you can’t walk then crawl.
But whenever you do, you have
TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD!”
This reminder “woke” me up, we are traveling a long and winding road.
Hank got vaccinated and had the same complaint as Bird Big, his wing was a little sore. I was thankful he was allergic to misinformation. Thanks for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated.
A salute to our Veterans for all they have done to keep our democracy safe.
Take good care. Mike