Army Gen. Mark Milley pushed back on claims from Republicans that the military is “woke” and as a result not prepared to take on modern threats, saying he’s “not even sure what that word truly means.”

“What I see is a military that’s exceptionally strong. It’s powerful; it’s ready. In fact, our readiness rates, the way we measure readiness, is better now than they’ve been in years,” Milley said in a CNN interview Sunday.

Republican politicians and candidates have blasted the Pentagon for so-called woke policies, pointing to efforts to recruit a diverse group of military service members and be inclusive to transgender soldiers.

Those claims have also headlined efforts to reduce military spending.

  • TheBiscuitLout@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m becoming more and more convinced that a “woke” person is anyone who calls right-wingers out on being overtly racist/sexist/fascist. Or maybe anyone who just isn’t obviously racist/sexist/fascist.

    • CobblerScholar@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s a catch all just like “communism” and “socialism” were/are. Big words that people don’t know the actual definition of that can sound scary

      • aksdb@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        At least “communism” and “socialism” have theoretical definition. But yes, they were so heavily pulled into propaganda warfare, that they basically are used as synonyms for “enemy”, as opposite of “democracy” and “freedom”, and so on.

        Btw “free speech” is another term that is watered down more and more. Also again by the right wing fuckers who complain that whenever they are criticized it would be an attack on “free speech”. Which is also bullshit. You can say (mostly) what you want without being suppressed. But you can’t expect those that hear it to just swallow it.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Ask every conservative screaming about their free speech being attacked where they stood on the Dixie Chicks during the Bush administration.

        • dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Woke does have a definition. The word has been in use for 80 some odd years. Regressives just latched onto it and destroyed all possible meaning in their determination to demonize anything they don’t like. Woke to them just means Boogeyman.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s anyone they think will call them out. They don’t even need to be called out first.

      They declare something new is woke and then we call them racist/sexist/fascist

      They’re the ones picking targets, not us.