As
many of us rely on the snooze button to extend our beloved sleep by a few more
minutes, I kicked this dependency years ago as I felt that hearing my annoying
alarm even once in the morning was enough to start my day off irritably. Hitting
snooze gives us the false sense of peace by tricking our minds into thinking
that we are awarding ourselves those few extra minutes of sleep, when we could
have really just set our final alarm for five minutes later. This attempt at perceived
gratification comes at a cost.
Of
course, I will not spend an entire blog writing about the dangers of hitting
snooze in the morning, but it does act as the perfect analogy to the recently
popular term “woke.” The dictionary definition of woke as the adjective I will
be exploring in depth is being “alert to injustice in society, especially racism.”
Contrary to the traditional definition signifying that a person is simply conscious
and out of a sleep state, the new definition points to an expanded
consciousness that allows a person to be aware of certain prejudices and
injustices in society. So, referring to my original analogy, it seems as though
that being woke is met with a great degree of resistance.
Waking
up early in the morning goes against our physiological instinct of resting
until our body and mind tells us it is sufficiently refreshed and recharged.
When we set an alarm and rise before our body and mind are ready to do so, we
are met with resistance in the form of lethargy, unhappiness, and regret. The
latter is what led me on my own quest to be woke, after realizing that the norm
I had been living was not enlightened, nor was it socially acceptable.
As an
adolescent- and admittedly as an adult today- I found entertainment in the
controversial rap lyrics of Eminem, raunchy scenes depicted in teen movies, and
raunchy one-liners in television shows. Up until the emergence of the term woke,
I hid behind the philosophy that I was merely enjoying some harmless
entertainment and was not perpetuating any adverse social problems. I continue to
use this conscience-soothing mantra from time to time, whenever Eminem releases
a new album, or I laugh at an inappropriate joke while watching a Chris Rock
stand-up comedy special. Despite my occasional reliance on a convenient statement
of reassurance, in the back of my mind, I am aware that it is entirely possible
that my willingness to accept socially unacceptable opinions as a form of
entertainment does not contribute to a progressive society- even if it is just
an off-the-cuff punchline or catchy verse.
Although
social tensions are at an all-time high, the existence of new offensive
material is not scarce. If it was, Netflix would be going the way of
Blockbuster anytime now. Since gratuitously offensive entertainment is more
prevalent now than ever, I wonder if many of us are pushing the figurative
snooze button to allow us to watch scenes of sexual and physical violence, as
well as dramatized racism and sexism. It may very well be that we can compartmentalize
what constitutes real social atrocities and fiction.
The
problem is that we have become so efficient at accessing the snooze button, it
is within arm’s reach whenever we feel like a few extra minutes of blissful
escapism. If we give ourselves the right to drift in and out of social consciousness
at will, we might be tempted to lay back down- or in this case, just back down-
when we are presented with unfavourable circumstances. Far be it from me to
step up on to a soap box and preach about the dangers of staying un-woke (if
that word can actually be found in a traditional or urban dictionary), I am
simply acknowledging my own susceptibility to the peace of mind that comes with
not caring. Will I stop binging on content that is violent and/or sexual in
nature on Netflix or abandon a twenty-year admiration for Eminem’s derogatory
music? Absolutely not- or at least not any time in the foreseeable future; I
will just think twice about the implications of accepting socially toxic
material as entertainment.
Basically,
it is easier and uses less energy to simply stay asleep rather than make a
conscious effort to jump out of bed and greet the day with an unfamiliar
excitement to forge new paths. However, if we give ourselves the motivation to
stay woke instead of relying on a counterintuitive snooze button, we are rewarding
our efforts and equipping ourselves with the ability to set new habits and see
the world through a new, more enlightened and socially conscious perspective.
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