We all have different ways of reacting to how the world is changing, which makes nostalgia a pretty popular diversion.
A recent guest column in the Wall Street Journal was titled “When the news was delivered by boys, not computers.” That shouldn’t require much explanation. The writer, of course, delivered newspapers in his youth. He recounted the lessons he’d learned and his still-lingering habit of reading an actual newspaper in his hands.
The column generated several letters to the editor from equally nostalgic people, most of whom were once paperboys, one of whom added this:
When children watch parents read a printed newspaper or turn the pages of a physical book, they internalize the idea that reading matters. When they see a parent scrolling on a cell phone, they perceive that the parent is distracted.
Feel free to clip that part out and hand it to your children. Your grandchildren are watching them.
But indeed, the world changes. We were in Columbus, Ohio on a recent weekend performing grandparent duties — our youngest son and his wife were on a trip. Their coffeemaker seemed to be on the fritz, so I ventured out on a caffeine run; thought I’d get a Columbus Dispatch while I was at it.
The convenience store, one which I’d patronized with no complaints on previous trips, probably would not have any idea of what “nostalgia” means. The coffee was lukewarm, but rather than wait through the long line of the Horton’s drive-thru across the street, I figured we could zap it. But then I could not find any newspaper rack. There was none; they don’t sell them there anymore. And then the clerk couldn’t make change of a $20-bill for the $2.38 total. Had to use my charge card.
It is a world in which I am increasingly puzzled.
Here’s another puzzle (changing gears a bit): Can you define the term “woke”? It’s exact definition is a subject of debate. I’ve yet to find one I totally agree with, but I found the results of a recent USA Today poll interesting. A majority, 56 percent, agreed with “to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices.” Only 39 percent chose “to be overly politically correct and police others’ words.”
Meanwhile, in a Washington Post poll, a majority of respondents viewed being called “woke” as “more of an insult than a compliment.” And, I’ve read, other unspecified polls show a majority of Americans oppose the use of gender-neutral pronouns and even “forced” use of selective pronouns. Confused? All of that reminds me of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s comments regarding a 1964 case involving pornography. He could not offer a definition but “I know it when I see it.”
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson wrote a column several weeks ago that I considered running but did not. His headline was “‘Wokeness’ is winning.” While that might be an understandable conclusion based on the USA Today poll, he based his argument on a recent poll conducted by the University of Chicago and funded by the Wall Street Journal. I didn’t run the column because I found it outrageous, as it displays either a) a total lack of understanding of what “wokeness” is or b) how confusing the concept can be. Actually, it displays both.
I had thought about running his column and then inserting my responses immediately afterward — or even within his narrative. But instead, just this one example in order to make my point. Robinson writes:
In one of the poll’s most striking findings, respondents were asked, “Which of these concerns you more about schools today?” — and given the choice of two statements. A whopping 61% were more concerned that “some schools may ban books and censor topics that are educationally important,” as opposed to 36% who worried more that “some schools may teach books and topics that some students or their parents feel are inappropriate or offensive.”
According to his definition, I am “woke” but I assure you I am not. I would accept a characterization of being “Awake, Not Woke,” which happens to be the title of a book by Noel Mering I’d recommend. Actually I would agree with both concerns but the poll requires us to make a choice. Since the chances of someone being offended by something that might be said at school or perhaps a book or display in the library is absolutely 100 percent (which means there’s nothing we can do to change that ) I’m more concerned about too much control over topics and books in our schools and libraries.
That is not to say I’m OK with sexual topics being discussed in kindergarten or third grade, which (I think) removes me from the “woke” camp. However, I don’t believe there’s a need to draft a law to that effect. I trust our principals and teachers and school boards to police such matters. At least here in River City.
And all this came to mind a week or so ago when I discovered that there are some “communication” issues between some elected officials and the Wells County Library. It is unclear whether “wokeness” has anything to do with all this, but I find it interesting. Makes me curious. And puzzled.
miller@news-banner.com
