Clearly, I’m too woke for my own good. But the health of our nation might just depend on the woke virus spreading.
I don’t know when I caught it, but I’ve been infected with what Ron DeSantis and Elon Musk have so eloquently named “woke mind virus.” I’m like a walking, talking Petri dish of intersectionality, feminism and critical race theory, spreading my contagion to all the unsuspecting students who stumble into my classroom.
In 2018, Tucker Carlson invited me onto his show to talk about why I believe women should get paid for the added work of emotional labor that isn’t expected of their male counterparts. I politely declined—and since then, my illness has only progressed! Since I didn’t take him up on that opportunity, I thought it was high time to talk about this pathology and how I’m spreading it to all my students.
Here are some of my symptoms: I teach about marginalization, encourage my students to challenge authority, and believe that intersectionality gives us a better understanding of context in communication with others. These are symptoms grounded in an approach called critical pedagogy.
My guess is that I contracted the virus the first time I read Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (before it was banned). Unfortunately, I wasn’t indoctrinated early enough, so the symptoms only got worse. I started to let students call me by my first name. I learned about my own intersectional identities and how my white skin grants me privileges that aren’t afforded to others. And now, I’ve gone and infected these poor kids with my dangerous ideas about social justice and equity.
And don’t even get me started on critical race theory. I teach it like it’s the gospel truth, and my students eat it up like candy. My students write papers about their socialization into a racialized society and what they are doing to make the world more diverse and respectful.
In my Organizational Communication class, I’m going to teach them why Silicon Valley Bank’s woke policies are not what caused them to fail. They might end up being the next diverse person on a thriving bank’s board! It’s spreading like the body snatchers, from one person to the next until everyone is woke and nobody is safe.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I have a rainbow sticker outside my office door, and I’m not afraid to use it. People have come out to me before they come out to their families. And I’ve supported them! We’ve discussed how to exist in a world that will try to knock them down. I’ve said “gay” and other queer words … with a positive connotation. I guess Fox News and Nikki Haley were right to say that the Don’t Say Gay bill wasn’t enough, because I just can’t stop saying nice things about gays. Clearly, I’m too woke for my own good.
I teach about marginalization, encourage my students to challenge authority, and believe that intersectionality gives us a better understanding of context in communication with others.
I recently found out that the word “woke” in “woke mind disease” is actually an acronym: Wrong for Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.). I didn’t know I was shedding a virus that would hurt everyone in my workplace! I thought it was just an epidemic in Florida, but apparently, it’s spreading and Ron DeSantis has to use his expertise to stop it everywhere.
But you know what? I’m proud of my disease. I’m proud to be the poster child for this terrible affliction that’s sweeping the nation. So go ahead and expose your kids to me. Let me infect them with my symptoms of empathy and compassion. Let them catch the woke mind virus and spread it like wildfire. They will care about marginalized others, recognize inequity in our society, and like other recent epidemics, ruin an upcoming family gathering. But the health of our nation might just depend on the woke virus spreading.
Up next:
U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. For as little as $5 each month, you’ll receive the print magazine along with our e-newsletters, action alerts, and invitations to Ms. Studios events and podcasts. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.
