Barack Obama Calls Out Woke Culture And Twitter Outrage: 'That's Not Activism'

[Skya Rhen]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/barack-obama-twitter-activism_n_5db9292ee4b0bb1ea3716bb7

Former President Barack Obama says “compromise” shouldn’t be frowned upon and described Twitter outrage as “not activism.”
Speaking at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago on Tuesday, the former president called on Americans to abandon ideological purity tests in politics.

“This idea of purity, and you’re never compromised, and you’re always politically woke and all that stuff. You should get over that quickly,” he said. “The world is messy. There are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws.”

Obama also called out what he perceived as a “danger” among younger people.

“There is this sense sometimes of ‘the way of me making change is to be as judgmental as possible about other people, and that’s enough,’” he said, then offered an example:

Like if I tweet or hashtag about how you didn’t do something right or used the wrong verb. Then, I can sit back and feel pretty good about myself because, ‘Man, you see how woke I was? I called you out.’ I’m gonna get on TV. Watch my show. Watch ‘Grown-ish.’ You know, that’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change. If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not going to get that far.

**********************************************************************************************


This advice is much needed as we head into the Primaries...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Wise words.

[calimary]

45. As always. Miss you madly, President Obama

[Gothmog]

73. I miss having a real POTUS

Link to tweet

[Zoonart]

2. X1000

[Anon-C]

3. I disagree, respectfully, and am disappointed.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Why?

He's reminding people that real activism isn't throwing a little shade on Twitter and then just sitting back and thinking you've done something and feeling good about yourself. He's absolutely right.

[Anon-C]

15. He is right about that, and that point is well made.

I think twitter shade can be a very effective massing of popular sentiment. For more marginalized voices it really is the only dog in the fight we have in this media landscape, especially post Citizens United. A little shade on Twitter brings a great return on investment and we should laud the level of engagement and connection it brings when it is our side doing it.

But what disappoints me is his use of the word "woke". That parrots a right wing attack that has grown to have racial connotations as you know and is used patently as a bulwark for bigotry.

To wit:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-and-dave-rubin-blame-diversity-and-woke-culture-for-california-fires

BLAME THE LIBS

Tucker Carlson and Guest Blame Diversity and ‘Woke’ Culture for California Fires
Justin Baragona

Published 10.29.19 11:28PM ET

Fox News host Tucker Carlson and his guest, conservative YouTube personality Dave Rubin, both insisted Tuesday night that the wildfires burning across California are due largely to progressive ideology, “woke” culture, and diversity in hiring.

During Tuesday’s broadcast of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson welcomed on Rubin, a political commentator and podcaster, to discuss the issues surrounding the large fires engulfing the state, including those related to the electrical grid and firefighting methods.

“PG&E strikes me as almost a metaphor for the destruction of the state,” Carlson said about the state’s power company. “Here’s the utility which doesn’t really know anything about its own infrastructure but knows everything about the race of its employees. How did we get there?”

After noting that he lives near one of the fires in the Los Angeles area, Rubin immediately took aim at liberal politics as the main reason the wildfires have grown so large and dangerous.

“The problem right now is that everything, EVERYTHING, from academia to public utilities to politics, everything that goes woke, that buys into this ridiculous progressive ideology that cares about what contractors are LGBT or how many black firemen we have or white this or Asian that, everything that goes that road eventually breaks down,” he declared.

As Carlson nodded and said “that’s true,” Rubin continued, complaining that this isn’t how “freedom is supposed to operate.”


---

If President Obama had omitted the word woke in his critique, I likely would be better with it. But given its use on the right to inculcate bigotry and then dove tail with their critiques? Come on!

[BannonsLiver]

17. That he included woke is the best part of the point he made

I loved it. That segment of our social media world deserves all the pillorying it gets.

[Anon-C]

18. Apparently all but me are in agreement.

So be it.

[tonedevil]

24. I agree with you. /nt

[Anon-C]

28. Thank you, Jack!

[BeyondGeography]

34. Me too

This is a very ineffective use of his platform.

[Anon-C]

41. In this case. I adore the man beyond words,should go without saying.

[rainin]

31. I agree with you. We need him to get in the fight with us, not tell us we're doing it wrong.

Twitter rage is what made that booing at the stadium possible. People have to know they aren't alone. Twitter is a tool of activism.

If he's calling out trump's twitter, he needs to be clear, because it sounded like he was targeting young liberals/democrats.

One of my greatest disappointments about him as President, was his instinct to get in the middle. He dressed down democrats when I felt he should be fighting for us.

I know he wanted to be the President for all Americans, but we didn't stop needing him as the leader of our side just because he became President.

Republicans don't work in the middle. They move us more to the right.

Where is the middle anyway? That's a constantly moving target...and always to the right.

[aggiesal]

39. FDR would be considered Far Left in today's politics n/t

[George II]

68. Richard Nixon would be considered left of center today.

[George II]

67. Traditionally ex-Presidents or high-level Party public figures do not get involved....

....in the day to day campaign(s). Once we have a nominee I'm sure he'll "get in the fight with us".

I can't believe anyone is faulting President Obama after what he's done for us - party AND country.

[rainin]

75. Nothing about this moment is traditional.

All hands on deck.

[loyalsister]

53. Yes!

Overall it became an unfortunate criticism when he went down that road.

[dalton99a]

19. +1. 'Woke' is lazy simplistic feel-good bullshit

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

21. Unfortunately it seems to have become the latest trendy term for "enlightened,"

used most often by those who believe themselves to be enlightened and want everyone in their social media circle to know it. Obama was obviously using the word ironically.

[Catherine Vincent]

25. "Woke"

I agree. Too overused.

[Celerity]

72. It has a 6 plus decade-long political history within the African-American community

example

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287328781#post71

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

74. But it's now being used by some to knock down

those deemed insufficiently pure, unfortunately.

[Celerity]

71. 'If You're Woke You Dig It', NYT, May 20, 1962

If You're Woke You Dig It; No mickey mouse can be expected to follow today's Negro idiom without a hip assist. If You're Woke You Dig It

By William Melvin Kelley
May 20, 1962



https://www.nytimes.com/1962/05/20/archives/if-youre-woke-you-dig-it-no-mickey-mouse-can-be-expected-to-follow.html

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/05/20/140720532.pdf

[Kahuna7]

78. It's shorthand for young people thinking they are intellectually superior

to their elders. I don't even know how that works.

[Demsrule86]

7. Without compromise and by demanding purity from our folks like Katie Hill, we will always lose

to the GOP- in terms of both elections and policy. None of our policies will become law...without the ACA-there would be no healthcare ...you have to be willing to go in and get what you can. I am sick of all these 'woke' activist...who do nothing but tear down...never see them at the GOTV meetings...to busy attacking Democrats on twitter I guess.

[dalton99a]

22. Katie Hill broke no law and should not have resigned.

What she does in her private life is her own business.

[jberryhill]

27. Having sex with one's subordinates in an employment setting is not "private life"

Try paying bonuses to subordinates in your workplace with whom you are having sex, and see how long that stays "your own business".

[Demsrule86]

57. I do not agree...unless there is sexual harrassment involved...then it is no one's business...hate

this puritanical era. And of course our folks must be 'pure' and the other side exploits this...it is stupid on our part...a consensual relationship is no one's business in or out of work.

[jberryhill]

58. So you are saying that ignoring the rules of Congress is okay?

I'm sorry, but there happens to be a rule against it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-prohibits-sexual-relationships-between-lawmakers-and-their-staffers/2018/02/06/85e4d28e-0b49-11e8-95a5-c396801049ef_story.html

Feb. 6, 2018 at 1:22 p.m. EST

The House voted Tuesday to prohibit sexual relationships between lawmakers and their employees, a remarkable rule change that brings the institution in line with the military and the private sector after a rash of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations roiled Capitol Hill.

The prohibition, pushed by Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), took immediate effect as Congress moved toward changing the system for reporting and adjudicating employees’ claims of sexual harassment. The House approved language Tuesday establishing an office to advocate for employees during that process and a separate bill requiring lawmakers to reimburse taxpayers when they are involved in workplace settlements.

“Thanks to the #MeToo movement, the American public has made it clear that they have had enough,” said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). “They expect Congress to lead, and for once we are.”

[George II]

60. That's a good, necessary rule, but my understanding is that the affair occurred...

before the election, starting in 2017 and it ended before she took office.

https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/23/20928700/katie-hill-congresswoman-resigns-leaked-red-state

RedState reported that she and her husband had been involved in a relationship with a female campaign staffer, beginning in 2017 and ending after Hill moved to Washington in 2019.

[Captain Zero]

32. this

this

[Demsrule86]

55. I agree.

[iluvtennis]

35. + agree

[BannonsLiver]

14. Sometimes the truth hurts.

[Joe941]

59. me too. Sad to see this.

[BlueWI]

61. +1000

A planet in climate crisis, criminality in the White House, and this is the topic of the day from our greatest former president?

As brilliant as Obama was, we handed younger people a nation in environmental, political, and civil crisis. Maybe a more righteous calling out of discrimination has a role in stigmatizing willful racist and sexist behavior, along with a commitment to civility within our institutions.

At this point in midlife, I think we owe younger people apologies for all that we have left unfinished, not lectures on how much sharper we are than them.

[redqueen]

4. Agree completely. Yang stepped out in front on this issue

and was pilloried for it.

[pamela]

6. "Grownish"

Damn, I miss that man.

[oldsoftie]

8. Thank you Mr President. I've hated that stupid "woke" nonsense from the start.

[KPN]

9. The best President in my lifetime is without a doubt right about this. And compromise works well

in our society, our two party system, when there are two sides to it. It works even better when every side, including the fractions within a party, have a role in it and there is equity as far as give and take across all segments. That's what we need to strive for as a society. Compromise that is equitable across all stakeholders.

When was the last time we had that?

[Peacetrain]

11. Yep.. he was in my lifetime also.. I miss his calm soothing approach

especially when you compare it to the erratic train wreck we have in the White House right now

[Act_of_Reparation]

42. "Compromise is equitable across all stakeholders"

Wrong.

Absolutely. Wrong.

Here's an example: How is compromise with Richard Spencer equitable to anyone? What does Richard Spencer bring to the table that anyone but racists like Richard Spencer would want?

There aren't two sides to every story. Not every side is worth considering. Compromise is not always the best option.

[Skid Rogue]

10. God, I love Obama!!!!

I want my favorite President back! He's 1000% right.

[FloridaBlues]

12. A voice of reason!

[BeyondGeography]

13. Fine. Can he rip Republicans for destroying our politics now?

Grown-ups can do that, too.

[TidalWave46]

49. +1 NT

[dalton99a]

20. "Woke"? Throw that word out of the political lexicon

It is stupid "my way or the highway" bullshit

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. It's become shorthand for "I'm enlightened about all political matters

and you're not."

[dalton99a]

37. +1. It's nice to be 99.99% pure. What Democrats NEED is power, not purity.

[Javaman]

26. I never liked purity tests to begin with. They are silly. however...

I would like Dems to adhere to the basic tenants of the modern Democratic party. aka helping the poor, unions, women's right and the environment.

[Pepsidog]

29. He is so correct. We need grass roots door knockers. We have to get off our butts and do something.

[JonLP24]

30. He would be better off calling out Gamegate Alt-right trolls

People complain about others supporters on Twitter but it is the Conservatives that are way worse. This goes for everyone I see candidates on all sides of the political compass being ripped to shreds even though they are mostly great.

I support Bernie because even though he isn't perfect he would make an excellent President.

You might as well vote Republican if you don't want to be politically aware or woke or whatever. It is much better to keep your head in the sand.

[Locrian]

54. indeed

Funny too how its the mainstream that most employs purity tests.

[TygrBright]

33. He's maybe the only one who can do so effectively. Thank you, Sir. n/t

[iluvtennis]

36. This....

“This idea of purity, and you’re never compromised, and you’re always politically woke and all that stuff. You should get over that quickly,” he said. “The world is messy. There are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws.”

[Tarheel_Dem]

38. As usual, Obama speaks truth!

[melman]

40. "purity"

Ugh.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

43. Ugh is right. Purity exists only in the mind of the person claiming it,

and therefore leads to nothing but pointless disputes about who is and is not sufficiently pure.

[melman]

44. Nope. It's actually the complete opposite of that.

Nobody ever 'claims' purity, it's only claimed by the people pointing fingers at those they claim are claiming it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

46. The purity-claimers don't actually use the term "purity."

They do, however, accuse others who do not march exactly in step with their drummer of not being "woke" like they are.

[Cha]

63. Exactly.

[peggysue2]

47. Caught a clip of President Obama delivering that message

And I thought, 'thank you, sir.' It's about time someone spoke to the nonsense being taken seriously, the ongoing judgmental shots on . . . everything and anything.

Or to boil it down: You wanna be woke or do you wanna win?

Because of his stature and the respect he commands, Obama is the perfect messenger for this particular message.

Thank you, President Obama!

[intheflow]

64. You can be both woke and want to win.

He didn't say to not be/become woke, nor did he say people publicly criticizing the political system on Twitter don't want the left to win. He said to take a nuanced approach to politics. Absolutes like "Woke OR Winning" are not in the spirit of what he was saying. At all.

[peggysue2]

65. No one wins or moves forward . . .

If you invest in purity politics and throw stones in every direction. You're simply not going to get far in any endeavor. Realizing that simple fact comes with experience and age.

And who wins in the meantime? The opposition.

[TCJ70]

48. The amount of Twitter drama that gets posted here is depressing...

...as no one should care what some random person puts there. Tweets from candidates and the president? Sure. But anyone else? Who cares.

[redqueen]

56. I agree. I am shocked to see tweets from random people

posted here as if they're meaningful.

Most of them don't even have many engagements. Like, they're not even popular ideas, so WTH?

[rictofen]

69. Come on, clearly we're in dire need

of hearing what The Hoarse Whisperer and Ragnarok Lobster have to say about everything.

[LAS14]

50. Enthusiastic K & R!!!

[comradebillyboy]

51. It's pretty clear who Obama is referring to but his words

will fall on deaf ears.

[DBoon]

52. Uncompromising purity in practice is ugly and violent

The Khmer Rouge aspired to revolutionary purity resulting in the death of millions of their countrymen

functioning democracy require respect for differences and an ability to compromise.

[jcmaine72]

62. The problem is that...

...many White Nationalists and bigots now dismiss ANY criticism or calling out of their hatred as "Woke Culture" run amok. IMO, singling out so-called "Woke Culture" without addressing the racist, white supremacist culture that it was created to counteract plays into the hands of the RW. It, in effect, validates their argument that they're being victimized and witch hunted by "PC librul commies".

[loyalsister]

66. To be a fly on the wall if this were to come up

in a conversation with his daughters. I have a suspicion that this criticism represents a generational divide.
Living in a college town gives me an opportunity to get to know the woke folks who make up the faculty and students who are doing a lot of heavy lifting in trying to bring about positive cultural change.

[Gothmog]

70. I agree with President Obama

Link to tweet

?s=20

[SterlingPound]

76. He is not wrong

Twitter is a joke as well as more than 80% of the crap on it


If you want to be effective go volunteer at your local campaign office instead of being on twitter

[Kahuna7]

77. The woke-sters were none too pleased at being call out...Still

somebody had to do it.

[Gothmog]

79. What Barack Obama gets exactly right about our toxic 'cancel' culture

Link to tweet

The point Obama is making is that politics -- and life -- are rarely that cut and dry. No one, including you, is all good or all bad. "People who do really good stuff have flaws."

This is especially true when it comes to the political realm and the 2020 campaign. At the moment, the fight within the Democratic Party is between the liberal, "no compromise" wing (represented by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders) and the establishment, pragmatic wing (represented by Obama's former Vice President Joe Biden.)....

To be clear: What Obama is advocating for isn't that people change their beliefs. Instead, he is reminding us all of our common humanity, that we have much more in common than politicians and partisans would like us to believe. Seeing people as less like cardboard cutouts and more like, well, people, would do us (and our politics) a world of good.

[highplainsdem]

80. Good for him! I hope people listen.

[Gothmog]

81. Obama tells Democratic candidates to ease off talk of revolution

Link to tweet

Former president Barack Obama on Friday urged Democrats running for the White House not to lurch too far left in their pursuit of the nomination, while at the same time seeking to quell concerns in the party about its 2020 hopefuls and the messy primary season to come.

The comments — made in Washington at a meeting of the Democracy Alliance, a powerful network of liberal donors — marked some of Obama’s most pointed words yet about a fluid primary in which he is not picking sides. They echoed previous comments in which he warned about the dangers of pursuing purity and rigidity in politics.

“This is still a country that is less revolutionary than it is interested in improvement,” Obama said. “They like seeing things improved. But the average American doesn’t think that we have to completely tear down the system and remake it. And I think it’s important for us not to lose sight of that.”....

“My point is that even as we push the envelope and we are bold in our vision, we also have to be rooted in reality and the fact that voters, including Democratic voters and certainly persuadable independents or even moderate Republicans, are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain, you know, left-leaning Twitter feeds or the activist wing of our party,” he said.

[betsuni]

82. K&R

[redqueen]

83. Gonna say it again - Yang stepped out in front on this.

He was personally targeted by a comedian. When people called for the comedian to be fired, Yang stepped up and said that was too much.

He took a lot of heat for it, but it was the right thing to do.

[Gothmog]

84. President Carter agrees

Link to tweet

Former President Jimmy Carter sees little hope for the U.S. to change its human rights and environmental policies as long as Donald Trump is in the White House, but he has a warning for his fellow Democrats looking to oust the current administration: Don't go too far to the left.

"Independents need to know they can invest their vote in the Democratic Party," Carter said Tuesday during his annual report at his post-presidential center and library in Atlanta, where he offered caution about the political consequences should Democrats "move to a very liberal program, like universal health care."....

Still, Carter stressed, Democrats nationally must "appeal to independents" who are souring on the current administration.

Trump's job approval rating, according to Gallup, has dipped to 40 percent, mostly because of declining support among independents.

Carter alluded to arguments from self-identified progressives that Democrats will sacrifice votes on the left if they don't embrace the liberal base: "I don't think any Democrat is going to vote against a Democratic nominee," and he insisted that he's not asking the left to sacrifice its goals, only to see that winning elections is necessary to accomplish any of them.

[Gothmog]

85. Obama tells Democrats worried about the primary field to 'chill out'

Link to tweet

Appearing at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser attended by about 100 of Silicon Valley’s deep-pocketed donors, the former president told the crowd that it is paramount that the party stay focused on defeating President Trump next November rather than be consumed by intraparty squabbles and purity tests, CNN reported.

“Everybody needs to chill out about the candidates but gin up about the prospect of rallying behind whoever emerges from this process,” Obama said in response to a question about the primary, according to CNN....

“I’m always suspicious of purity tests during elections,” Obama said, according to the New York Times. “Because you know what? The country’s complicated.”....

“This is still a country that is less revolutionary than it is interested in improvement,” Obama said at a Nov. 15 meeting of the Democracy Alliance in Washington. “They like seeing things improved. But the average American doesn’t think that we have to completely tear down the system and remake it. And I think it’s important for us not to lose sight of that.

“My point is that even as we push the envelope and we are bold in our vision,” he said Nov. 15, “we also have to be rooted in reality and the fact that voters, including Democratic voters and certainly persuadable independents or even moderate Republicans, are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain, you know, left-leaning Twitter feeds or the activist wing of our party.”