The comments

of AOC

that early

Woke-ism

“was crazy”

may be

honest

reflection

or shrewd

correction

or a suggestion

that 

it failed.

Before

folks were

Woke,

if  others

spoke

in ways

that offended,

the Language

Police

condescended

and tended

to shame

and blame

in the name

of dignity

and identity.

This did not

happen

suddenly.

It’s really

how language

moves ideas

and ideas

move language

and how

cultures evolve.

To solve

one problem

for feminists,

the emphasis

on marital 

status

(or not)

begot

the term,

Ms.

Perhaps

ambivalent,

but it is

equivalent

to Mr.;

not Miss

or Mrs.,

as it 

dismisses

marriage

as relevant

to maturity

or identity,

as Mr.

does for

males.

The idea

of equality

needed

to be

addressed

in the way

in which 

we address

each other

politely.

It took

a while

for some

to

get used

to using

Ms.,

especially

without

thinking

about why.

And so

the outcry

and ridicule

became,

if not 

the rule,

then commonplace,

but many 

more

began to embrace

the concept

and the title

as vital.

Enlightenment.

Awareness.

Woke.

Progress

then backlash

when politics

and linguistics

create

whiplash.

Who knew

that young

people

knew

what

pronouns

are?

And did 

#Me Too

go too far

or cut off

the conversation?

Excesses

and mistakes

should be

undertaken

not 

at the 

expense

of  good intentions

forsaken.

DEI 

is poison

now,

because

implementation

was absurd.

Diversity,

equity,

and inclusion

should

not be 

an intrusion

upon

merit

and excellence.

Will artificial

intelligence

neutralize

what

has become

ever more

politicized?

If language

serves

to emphasize

concepts

or dis or re-

enfranchise,

we must

share this

enterprise,

and exercise

free speech

judiciously.