In 1986, Huey Lewis and the News released one of their better hits, “Hip to be Square”.
It’s a tribute to “bourgeois bohemians”.
The band quoted from the book “Bobos in Paradise” on the phenomenon of people of the 60s starting to “drop back in”, cut our hair and work out while keeping our bohemian tastes.
We made it hip to be square.
So, in my ever-challenging effort to keep my hipness and not be too square, I got to thinking about being “woke”.
My Dad used to slap the bottoms of my feet when he wanted me out of the sack in the morning but this “woke” is not about foot-slapping.
“Woke” is a term defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).”
Now, I’ve always thought I was a pretty “woke” dude, not only about social and racial matters but life in general. I thought of myself as a wide-horizon sort when it came to being “woke”.
But the term has narrowed as society continues to try to subdivide us more and more to prevent any true agreement or cooperation.
I guess I just can’t be “woke” unless I display equal parts racial, social and sexual components.
You see, what Huey Lewis and the News was singing about was when we children of the 60s with our long hair ands protest songs joined the real world and started to buy homes, raise families, and earn a living.
While the faded and torn bell bottoms and flannel shirts and bandanas were replaced by slacks and polo shirts, we still had our ‘60s idealism beneath the wash ‘n wear duds we were sporting.
We couldn’t say, “Take ‘the man’ down!” because we were “the man”.
While we used to be “with it”, now you have to be “woke”.
And, much like my generation, we had trouble thinking “the man” could be “with it” just like those today who feel no one is woke but them.
It’s these same woke folks who toss the term “Karen” about.
“Karen” is a pejorative term for a white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal.
This 2010 stereotype would be an aggressive, minivan-driving mom.
“Karen” is further subdivided into “Becky,” which is a younger woman unaware of or taking advantage of her privilege.
Some call Becky the new “Valley Girl”.
For sure!
But it further subdivides into a “Stacy”, a typically attractive blond woman deemed promiscuous by men.
Oh, by the way, there’s a male counterpart to Karen, Becky and Stacy.
It’s “Chad”.
Woke, Karen, Becky, Stacy and Chad are nothing new.
We were singing and chanting the same stuff in the 60s.
The difference is today, if you’re not woke, a Karen, Becky, Stacy or Chad, you would have simply been known as “the man” in the 60s.
I turn to one of my favorite philosophers of that decade, Jimi Hendrix. From his “Axis: Bold as Love” album was the selection, “If 6 Was 9”. Jimi sang:
“White-collared conservative flashing down the street,
pointing their plastic finger at me.
They’re hoping soon my kind will drop and die,
but I’m gonna wave my freak flag high, high.
Fall mountains, just don’t fall on me.
Go ahead Mr. Business Man,
you can’t dress like me.
Sing on Brother.
Play on drummer.”
Feel free to exchange ‘woke’, ‘Karen’, ‘Becky’, ‘Stacy’ or ‘Chad’ for any of the words noted in the above lyrics.
Pretty much the same message, just different terms to describe it.
Maybe 6 is 9.
