'Woke is Dead' and meeting in the middle
On the Today programme on Radio 4 this week Piers Morgan was interviewed about his new book 'Woke is Dead'. I have in the past found some of his 'brand' to be the kind of abrupt verbal aggression that is often passed off as 'no nonsense' but in reality is often a deeply problematic assertion of privilege. I think my heckles were already up at the mention of his name. Working with children and in a caring profession, abrasively criticising those who might be more vulnerable than you is never going to feel comfortable.
To my great surprise, I found myself agreeing with some of the things he said. A key point was his statement that 'I want everyone to enjoy the same rights I have'. His discomfort with the gleeful 'LOL' post about Charlie Kirk's death from the student who debated him at the Oxford Union, I too would share. Disagreeing with someone should not mean you want them dead.
I happen to think that much of what Piers Morgan said, actually reflected the origins of 'woke'. That we should stay alert and 'wakeful' about the erosion of others' dignity or rights; we should not demonise or cancel people who disagree with us; we should actively want others to share the rights we enjoy, in practice as well as theoretically. That we should be able to talk to each other about difficult issues without falling out.
I am not claiming that these values are consistent with Piers Morgan's former statements or ways of talking to people, nor that I would agree about his conclusions on what has been called 'woke'. But it was a moment of hope that in these complex times we can meet in the middle if we take the temperature down; ideally with a curiosity about others we perceive as different from us in some way. The interview was skillful, as it sought to understand, rather than just offer a counter view or criticism preemptively. 'Inquiry before advocacy' is a great rule of thumb if you want to understand others.
Meeting in the middle is something at the heart of ISA. From our Norms of Collaboration, to our RAPID model of decision making, to Peer Mediation we work hard on learning to listen to each other.
We do this because we expect and value diversity of identities, world views, opinions, insights, experiences and beliefs. Do this because we want the richness that comes from diverse thinking within a community. We do this because we don't believe that one 'side of the argument' holds all the truths and sole claim to the moral high ground. We do this, because slightly surprisingly to me, we agree with Piers Morgan that we want others to enjoy the same rights that we enjoy and to live together well.
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