“Everyone complains about the weather. But no one does anything about it.” Seemingly, much the same can be said about our current storm of “wokeness” and cancel culture. Conservatives bemoan social media bans of those who dare question leftist conventional wisdom over climate change, election results or the efficacy of masking against the China virus. Traditionalists decry the teaching of critical race theory to five-year-olds. But we feel helpless. What can we do? After all, the mainstream media, the leftist social media giants, the courts, and the governments in the United States and Israel are all dominated by progressive liberals who seem impervious to criticism. (Such domination having been achieved by tactics like social media companies suppressing news stories unfavorable to the left, so as to skew the results of elections.) We are also afraid of being “cancelled.” I mean, if they could successfully cancel Donald Trump, and they did, what hope do any of us have in fighting them? Such defeatist thinking, while understandable, is wrong. There still are things that each of us can do to reverse the situation. If enough people join in, matters will turn around. Here are three easy things you can do right now: Say what’s on your mind . Leftists are bullies who rule through fear. In large part, they only have power over you if you give them that power by letting them intimidate you. If enough people speak up, the left will retreat. They can’t cancel most of the population. Millions of people acting collectively have more power in this respect than any one man, even a President. If someone defriends you for your views, be happy . Radicals and those brainwashed by them are apt to cut social ties with those who express contrary views. Even relationships with their supposed closest friends. Most people don’t want to lose friends. I get it. This is another way that the left scares people into silent compliance with woke craziness. But think about it. If someone defriends you merely for expressing political views they don’t like, how real of a friend were they in the first place? You are better off without them, n’est pas? Learn which companies and institutions support the woke lunacy, and then don’t patronize them. Over the years, I have been amazed at the number of good Jews I have encountered who would repeatedly criticize The New York Times for its constant anti-Israel propaganda. My surprise not being in response to the criticism, but rather to its repeated nature. For these same Jews would continue to subscribe to the Times , and thus, in effect, support its hostility to Zionism. Heaven forbid they should miss the theater critic’s review of the latest Broadway hit. Or the sports page. My friends, if you are patronizing woke companies, you are not only not opposing leftism, you are paying the leftists for the very rope that they will later use to hang you and your children. Woke companies are a primary funding source for the evil that the left now perpetrates. Cut off the funder’s funds and the problem will be solved. All the above is also applicable to the schools and universities you choose to send your kids to. Don’t go broke helping a school that’s woke. Having made my case, I would grant that there are exceptions. In the real world, it isn’t feasible for all people to cut all ties to all woke businesses. Happily, however, to paraphrase Pirkei Avot, you are not expected to personally complete all the work required to combat leftism. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do your fair share. For example, if you are employed at a woke company, I am not advocating that you get yourself fired by wearing a MAGA hat to work. Nonetheless, you should seriously consider looking for a job elsewhere. And don’t forget that, in some situations, it may be illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee for his political views. Or let’s say you feel that YouTube doesn’t share your values. Thus, you want that company out of your life. But you own a business. Moreover, your major source of new business comes from YouTube ads. If YouTube really holds an effective monopoly over video promotion for your market, you should not bankrupt your company by discontinuing its YouTube advertisements. (I admit that I use YouTube myself for certain things, due to the lack of any realistic alternatives.) On the other hand, there is no reason that you still can’t oppose YouTube by other means. For example, instead of watching videos commenting on American politics on YouTube, watch them on Rumble. Or send a message to You Tube’s owner, Google, by using a different search engine when you browse. Similarly, say you feel that Amazon is too woke. You want to give it a figurative Bronx Cheer. But you are living paycheck to paycheck. There are certain items that you can’t buy elsewhere, except at a much greater cost. If that’s you, continue to buy those few things on Amazon. But where the price is the same, or virtually so, you can take your business elsewhere. (Incidentally, this “heter” certainly doesn’t apply to someone who has the means to spend a few extra dollars in support of a righteous cause.) If masses of good people would cut their spending with woke concerns even in half, let alone more than that, we would quickly regain at least a semblance of normality. As the slogan goes, “Just do it.” Marc Berman writes on politics, law, culture, and religion. He can be reached at marcberman222@gmail.com . He is also a chazzan (cantor), whose latest recording, a rendition, with orchestral accompaniment, of the Aleinu of the Rosh Hashanah / Yom Kippur musaf service, can be found here and below Aleinu - Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah Music
