This is, after all, the original and authentic meaning of "stay woke." In fact, the perversion of "woke" into an epithet is perhaps the defining metaphor of our moment: Historical victims are not only being revictimized, but also mocked for never forgetting this is always a possibility in the US.

Ezra is right to call attention to his own struggle over how best to respond to that. But I think it also reflects a certain lack of preparation that, as TNC points out, Black Americans and other marginalized and vulnerable groups have never been able to afford.

There is this attitude that had Democrats won, the White supremacy we see wouldn’t have arisen. But that White supremacy was already here. Black people understand that.

The problem is Ezra Klein—& some other White progressives—believe Democrats failed voters & caused this White supremacy.

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