AMAC Exclusive by Joshua Charles
With the radical left rapidly redefining the commonly understood meaning of words from “infrastructure” to “citizen,” it can be hard to keep up with the dizzying array of lingo, jargon, and dogma that is needed to understand what the heck Democrats are talking about these days.
It is getting to the point where conservatives need a new dictionary to translate the left’s “woke” talkback into plain English.
To help AMAC readers navigate this brave new world with confidence, we will be bringing you occasional updates on what common words now mean when used by leftists.
The first three entries in the “woke” dictionary? “Racist,” “Racism,” and “Equity.” These words are everywhere in our modern political discourse. But they don’t mean what they used to–at least not to those on the left. Understanding what these terms mean to the “woke” is key to understanding their rhetoric and ideas. `
Racist:
Ibram X. Kendi is an often-interviewed professor who is widely considered to be one of the “scholarly” voices behind “Woke” ideas about race, “systemic racism,” and “Critical Race Theory.” His bestselling 2019 book, How to be an Antiracist, reveals a great deal about modern leftism.
At the beginning of that book, he provides the following definition of “racist”:
One who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea.
At first glance, it may seem that even some conservatives could sign up for most of this definition. But one detail to notice is that one can now be deemed a “racist” for inaction as well as action. It’s not just about how you view others and what you believe in your heart–it’s about what you do, and even what you don’t do–a radical redefinition of how Americans have traditionally defined “racists”. This suggests that one can be “racist” without having any bigoted thoughts or ideas whatsoever—and sure enough, that’s what people like Kendi assert. Anyone who does not actively espouse their radical political agenda can now be termed a racist.
Racism:
From this definition of “racist,” Kendi goes on to provide this definition of “racism”:
Racism is a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities. [Emphasis added]
The first thing to notice about this definition is that, just as in the case above, “racism” is no longer the internal bigotry of an individual but is itself connected to certain policies, which Kendi claims are behind what he calls “racial inequities.” We’ll get to his concept of inequity in a moment because it is the central concept of the entire “Antiracist” movement. Kendi himself sheds a great deal of light on what he means by “racism” in this remarkable statement:
The most threatening racist movement is not the alt right’s unlikely drive for a White ethnostate but the regular American’s drive for a “race-neutral” one. The construct of race neutrality actually feeds White nationalist victimhood by positing the notion that any policy protecting or advancing non-White Americans toward equity is “reverse discrimination.”
In other words, Kendi believes that being “race-neutral” is itself an example of “racism.” This shows that the word “racism” no longer means what it did in the past. It doesn’t just mean the racial bigotry, animus, and discrimination that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe to be truly awful and indeed sinful. It’s a new definition of “racism” that is fundamentally linked to a concept Kendi and others call “equity.”
So what exactly do they mean by the word “equity”?
Equity:
“Woke” ideology depends on this all-important idea of “equity,” so it is important to understand what they mean by it.
Kendi provides the following definition of “racial inequity”—with examples—in How to Be an Antiracist:
Racial inequity is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing. Here’s an example of racial inequity: 71 percent of White families lived in owner-occupied homes in 2014, compared to 45 percent of Latinx families and 41 percent of Black families. Racial equity is when two or more racial groups are standing on a relatively equal footing. An example of racial equity would be if there were relatively equitable percentages of all three racial groups living in owner-occupied homes in the forties, seventies, or, better, nineties. [Emphasis added]
In other words, “equity” is not equality understood in the traditional sense of equality of opportunity–it now means equality of result. Kendi claims any result in which racial groups are not “relatively equal” statistically speaking is by nature an example of racist “inequity.” His and every “antiracist’s” task is to ensure that all racial groups are perfectly equal in every statistical measure. Anything less is “racial inequity.”
This idea of “equity” as essential equality of result or outcome was confirmed by no less than then-Senator Kamala Harris just days before the 2020 election when, in a video, she said the following:
So, there’s a big difference between equality and equity. Equality suggests, “Oh, everyone should get the same amount.” The problem with that: Not everybody’s starting out from the same place. So, if we’re all getting the same amount, but you started out back there, and I started out over here, we could get the same amount, but you’re still going to be that far back behind me. It’s about giving people the resources and the support they need so that everyone can be on equal footing and then compete on equal footing. Equitable treatment means we all end up at the same place. [Emphasis added]
While Vice President Harris pays lip service to equality of opportunity, by the end, she shows us what she really means: “we all end up at the same place.”
Thus the true nature of this ideology is revealed: so long as they control the levers of power, they will not stop until “we all end up at the same place.”
It’s no coincidence that the left’s redefinition of such commonly understood words always ends up requiring more power for them. Indeed, that’s the whole point. If these ideas sound a lot like communism to you, well, you wouldn’t be wrong.
So the credit union I work for has a mandatory “all employee” training day on Columbus Day. We were given a book “emotional intelligence 2.0” book to read and take a test. It amazes me how the CU has become so impersonal to our members and employees over the years. I see it every day I see it in some of the young people we hire, not all but some. And what gets me is how well they play the game. They come across as sweet loving and caring only to find out they don’t have a problem with antifa and other organizations. Their thinking is odd and they won’t listen to what you have to say. I’m guessing that is the direction the CU is going in as well…. Very sad world we live in right now.. Please Vote Republican in November!! Godspeed ????
They need to focus on putting in their fair share of hard work. If they spent as much time working to get ahead as they did trying to steal what they want from the hard workers, they could be equally compensated and would appreciate what they earned.
Total insanity…confuse the masses.. Hate. Hate. Hate
Under the Leftists the only equal thing will be equal misery for the masses.
The liberal leaders want us all to share in misery while they skip off and do what they want, when they want, and have what they want. Dems poor leadership!!! Scary people…
Based on the idea of racial equity whatever percentage of white people wear MAGA hats the same percentage of minority people should also be wearing MAGA hats.
His definition of racist violates a prime rule for definitions: You can NOT use the word you are defining in the definition! This leads to circular reasoning. What is a racist, a person who holds a racist idea. What is a racist idea, an idea held by a racist.
These are only the Devil’s words. We don’t listen to him.
Pass me by, I will never use the darn thing anyway. I have plenty of dictionaries!
There will NEVER be what these idiots call “equity” for tthe simple reason that they will NEVER willingly give up THEIR status!
I’ve already commented previously of which AMAC’s administration felt the need to ‘APPROVE my comment or they’ve been hacked. I received an email that my comment had been approved. The link that the notice came from was bogus because I wanted to know why my comment had to be approved. Said link could not be found. So if anyone else has experienced this, I think we need to get a message to them.
My race has never allowed me any privilege’s that I didn’t qualify for or earn holding down 2.5 jobs a week. My friends of color have been right there with me and do not support fake BLM and their pretend representing Blacks while the convicted Capital bomber holds a position of power in BLM. All lives matter , read the Constitution!!!
Barely disguised socialism leading to communism. There are too many people who think that I owe them a comfortable life when they will not work for it. I came out of the public educational institutions as did nearly everyone I know. I worked to put myself into a position to have a decent life and living. It is not my fault that someone squanders the time in school we all had not to get an education. They are reaping what they have sown and that is just too bad! We in the United States have the right to the pursuit of happiness. It up up to each of us to pursue and capture it for ourselves.
It is nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights that every American should be guaranteed equality of outcomes, just equality of opportunity. I don’t think there’s another nation on the planet that offers that, but we should send these woke folks packing and on their way to let them find it somewhere else!
This equality/equity talk is merely lip service to the masses, reparations to the “under privileged “ and “white guilt” on those easily swayed by the idea that being “given” something equates “earning” it. The Government is heading towards a Socialist/Communistic form of governing to provide the “dependency equity” upon everyone.
The only real equity we can guarantee is that found on judgement day, everyone judged on equal footing!
Pretty much, the only racists I know are black ~ they hate jews, whites, asians and each other, so I don’t feel real bad staying away from their bs.
they expect us to all “end up in the same place” all right EQUALLY MISERABLE!
The median household income is $61,000 approx. Kamala Harris expects “we all end up at the same place” financially. Do you think LeBron James would work for $61,000/year?
So sick of this racism garbage. In what is one of the greatest countries in the world the opportunity for ANYONE to succeed are without limit. Why do we think that people storming our shores want in here? Unfortunately due to the Dem/Socialist agenda that “dream” is coming to an end. Anyone that calls me a racist without knowing me personally is themselves a racist. Just more propaganda from the socialist/Marxist camp.
The democrats use this phoney narrative to destroy America. Republicans on the whole are the least rascist. With socialism we will all be dirt poor standing in line for toilet paper and white bread!!! But that is only if we conservatives are not killed by the wicked elites on the left(Soros, Gates, Obama, Biden, Hillary, Zuckerberg, Dorsey, etc.)
Even a sixth-grader knows you can’t define a word by using the same word. Kendi is so intellectually shallow he should be an embarrassment to people who embrace his philosophy. Worthy discourse includes facts and data, not dogma.
We all need to be prepared for the coming internal conflict. Houses for sale, in my semi-rural area, are sold after serious bidding wars. Seniors are getting out of the hot spot metro areas. To hell w/ those areas.
Certain thinks like Honesty, Trust, Integrity have to be earned and can not be given by demanding then. the same it true of equality, You can not get by demanding it, you have to show that you are worthy of it.
Latinx families??? It is ironic and slightly disturbing for the author to use “woke” pronouns to describe the distortion of meaning in the “woke” language. Latino is the proper word, not because some right wingers said so but because the Spanish language demands a gender designation and the “O” at the end of Latino indicates male specifically and both sexes generally. It’s like the word human, male sounding but the word describes both sexes. Lets work to be more human or even humane would be a great goal.
As used by leftists, “racist” means “someone I don’t like and with whom I disagree but whose arguments I am unable to counter rationally,”. Nazi and fascist (carelessly or ignorantly used synonymously) mean “someone I REALLY don’t like and with whom I disagree but whose arguments I am unable to counter rationally.”
I recently had an illuminating conversation with a neighbor. For the purpose of clarity, I’m white and politically conservative, and she’s of mixed race and is liberal. We’ve always been on friendly terms.
After talking about tomatoes, she turned the conversation to the crime and viciousness running rampant in our cities and towns. And then, of course, Trump’s name came up, and a whole litany of “proof” of his racism, of the “systemic racism” in his administration, of his stealing money from us, and of his chumminess with Russia, who, by the way, paid for his campaign to become president. She also didn’t grasp the concept of private schools as an alternative to the declining quality of public education. Totally clueless.
I could barely get a word in anywhere, even when I gently demanded to be able to point out the record low unemployment rates among minorities due to eased tax and regulation policies (Trump did that.) My attempt to state the facts was futile, and she kept going back to systemic racism. The examples she spoke of, where she herself was subjected to the pain of racism (and I’m empathetic, of course) were then blamed on me, and how I was responsible for systemic racism, how it was the fault of “white supremacy” for “keeping blacks down”.
At each insult, I came back, shook my head, and said firmly “I didn’t do that, You can’t possibly blame me!”. “Well, no” she said. This went on and on, and each time I disavowed my participation in racism. She failed to discern the difference between the relatively few incidents of overt racism of today and the widespread acceptance of segregation and vile behaviors of the past. And there’s Kendi’s “racism by inaction”, because I’m white.
I used to think “progressives” had blinders on, but it’s become very clear that they are, instead, truly blind. It sounds as though the progressives won’t be satisfied until everyone drives the same car, has the same balance in their checking accounts, and declares mutiny on all the CEO’s in this country. I mentioned socialism, to which my neighbor responded that Social Security was socialism (democrats did that). “Exactly”, I said.
It must cause her great anguish, seeing the little Trump” sticker on my truck. I, therefore, must be racist…
So, I guess if we are to subscribe to these new “Woke” terms, white men need to stop getting married, and just start making babies with every woman they see, whether or not the women want to make babies! They should never pay child support which, to be fair, a whole lot of white men already don’t pay, or under pay! Alimony? What’s that? We also need to stop speaking English, but, most young white people, male and female already don’t speak English! They speak a mixture of bull crap and foul mouth, all the while thinking they so fly! The way I see it, whites are already acting Black, and Blacks are already acting white, so, wut up, Homie?
The frightening part about this is that it is being taught in our schools. It is at every grade level and until we put our foot down and stop this it will only get worse. We will lose our children and grandchildren to the indoctrination of the Left forever!
AMAC what’s this awaiting approval on my comment about??
Every bit of this is just hooey because the Left’s analogies of anything critical never applies to them. This guy that wrote all this garbage is deluded and looking to capitalize on ‘Capitalism’, which the Left is trying to destroy. Just wanting to make money on his book also knowing the sheep will swallow it whole.
kendi seems a bit on the angry side…..I’m wondering who the real racist is here…….hmmm
let’s just all give one another a life time participation trophy…now that would be true equity………nuff said jimbo
Equity is not about making any group better. It is about bringing everyone done to the lowest common denominator, and making us dependent upon the government for the small favors our elite rulers deem to reward us. Sounds a lot like the former USSR, and several current countries. North Korea, China, Cuba, Venezuela, et al. The common thread – Communism…
The logic of Kendi and Harris matches that of all ideologies-it only supports their claims, not the truth.
Miss the days when one did not have to worry about what to say, how to say, when to say, if should say. Also, not having be concerned about feelings.
Weren’t we taught in school that you aren’t supposed to use the word you are trying to define in the definition? Certainly would make more sense to me.
You hear the following phrases and declarations from the Left all the time —
o “America is systemically racist.”
o “African-Americans are being targeted by police.”
o “We need to level the playing field for all citizens and new immigrants.”
On and on . . . ad nauseum. The litany of accusations by the Left against their own country is simply stunning in today’s “Woke” climate.
But this is nothing new. The Democratic Party and its supporters have been using the same tactics
of “class warfare” and racism for decades, often to their own advantage.
What they don’t tell you and what they conveniently ignore is that “Equality” has a whole different meaning to the Left. Likewise with its view of “Equity.” If America was is so racist, why are so many people of color from other nations trying to get in? Indeed, why is it that so many people of color are not lining up to get out of America?
Try digesting that for awhile and any rational person would have to conclude that the message of the Left is plainly one big LIE designed to divide Americans rather than unite us.
I am a Cuban exile from back in 1961. To help everyone get perspective, the Castro regime tried to make everyone “equal” in a number of ways. Note that Fidel Castro did not admit being a “Marxist Leninist” until December 2nd, 1961.. Before that date, however (on August 5, 1961), the Cuban government changed the Cuban peso to a new currency. One of the first steps to financial “equity” came after that. We could only exchange old currency to the new currency at a rate of $200 pesos per family unit with a limit of $10,000 per family unit (if the money was in a bank). Then the government prohibited all private economic activity as well as foreign investments. Since then, in Cuba there have been many different forms of currency to use. This even applies to exchange money received from family in the U.S.A., etc. I am not familiar with all the details now (since I left years ago) but in a communist system, the changes are not for the benefit of the people. I can say this based on communications with family members still in Cuba.
Just with that action there was “equity” among everyone (of course, except the ruling class). .
I’ve read a book that mentions ‘Newspeak’ and what they are doing is bringing that book to life.
The way I see it, according to the above definitions of racism and equality the NBA and NFL should be labeled as racist since the vast number of their players are of one race. Therefore for every African American drafted to these sports, there needs to be a person of another race drafted as well. Also since black Americans constitute about 13% of the US population it seems these sports organizations are severely racist.
So if s black activist call a white person racist are they not being racist themselves. As for equity I always thoght that was how much money you had.Most of these left wing activist are either barking up the wrong tree or just plain mad.
This guy, ‘Kendi’ has a major problem. From my point of view and being as politically correct as a corkscrew is straight, when I have something to say I simply spit it out [so-to-speak]. Another form of expression practiced as often as possible is referred to as, ‘Blunt Honesty’.
As for these woke folk, there is a good chance any of them and myself would never get along in a conversation.
A few years ago a friend from Brooklyn was in NH and I being from Manhattan were having what we referred to as a fun talk. Some bystanders had the look of horror upon their faces as after we separated and went our separate ways, one of them approached me and asked if we were going to kill each other. So it goes to be the nature of the beast. We both from NYC thought of it as a friendly conversation.
In conclusion, these of the woke mind set are a new fadd sort of like the Beatnik’s of the late 50’s or the Yuppie scum of the 80’s.
Three words I am very tired of this year: Woke, CriticalRaceTheory(CRT) & Jim Crow. WOKE is the dumbest cuz it does not make any sense. And Jim Crow is being thrown out by POTUS and others without ever explaining what they.mean. Where did word Jim Crow come from?
Communists All
Equity: If you make $25 an hour you would then get $15 an hour, regardless of your education or experience or both.
Equality: You have the same opportunity as I to get where you want to be.
Equal opportunity is required. Equity is not posible. Equity means that everyone would have to put out the same level of effort and achieve accomplishments having the same value to others. Competition is a core attribute of humanity that results in progress. I have always taught my children that if you want what most others do not have you must be willing to do what most others will not do.
“From each according to his ability and to each according to his needs” stifles progress and retards higher standards of living for everyone.
This all started years ago when the “common he” was dropped and the “progressives” forced “they” as a singular pronoun! Now many words’ definitions have been bastardized! “Gender,” “tolerance,” “racism,” etc.
How do you educate those who do not want to be educated as well as those who are too dumb to be educated ???
The current system is a socialist brain-washing process !!
The mass hysteria and intellectually dysfunctional notion that comprises the so-called “woke” mindset, along with mis-definitions and mis-applications of the words “racist,” “racism” and “equity” in our society, leads parts of our society down a categorically wrong and very dangerous path. The idea that equality means everyone has a comparable share of “everything” is just plain idiotic (actually stupid). This concept of so-called “equality” has NEVER existed in any society on earth, starting with the Garden of Eden and on down to the present time.
Are there sections of our society that are disadvantaged on some levels or in some areas of life? Of course there are! However, our nation is not founded on the socialist principle that everyone is equal at the finish line, but instead provided with equal opportunity at the starting line! It’s up to each individual to expend the effort necessary to become educated, learn a trade or profession, work diligently to become a contributing member of society and a good citizen, and overall to become part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Most of those whining about and embracing the “woke” mindset can best be characterized as “professional victims” and who have a misguided and overblown sense of entitlement (it comes down to envy on so many levels). These “woke” folks fail to understand that they are personally responsible for their own fate. In the final analysis, they cannot offload this responsibility to “everybody else.” If the “woke” folks are unwilling or uninterested in taking responsibility for their own lives, then they need to understand that where they end up in life was a deliberate “choice” that THEY made along the way.
A good example of someone who “gets it” is Dr. Ben Carson, a black man who became a neurosurgeon and who was appointed by President Trump to a Cabinet position. Dr. Carson should be a shining example and idol to all these “woke” folks that personal effort and hard work will pay big dividends throughout life.
‘Advanced Woke Dictionary’ may some day include: ‘Regression Therapy’ for espousing ‘racial inequality’ in a past life, ‘signs and symptoms’ of racial inequality in your pet; (and how to
eradicate it), ‘signs and symptoms’ of pancakes that take on a ‘racial tone’; and how to placate yourself when, the top Marxist has: five mansions, a private plane, and an airport; (when you have a simple, ‘lower middle class’ home.) Could get ridiculously complicated!