Wokeness has a reputation for intolerance. That reputation has made some people intolerant of the woke.
At least one Floridian has resorted to what could be construed as civil disobedience to voice disdain over the influx of New Yorkers into a Palm Beach neighborhood. A number of cars with New York license plates found notes on their car windows instructing them to move someplace else if they identify with the political left, according to the New York Post.
Typed in capital letters, the message read, “If you are one of those ‘woke’ people — leave Florida. You will be happier elsewhere, as will we.”
The fliers alarmed some citizens to the extent that they reported the incident to the Palm Beach Police Department. After a brief investigation on Jan. 2, police concluded that no crime had been committed.
Only those vehicles with out-of-state plates were targeted, according to Capt. William Rothrock, public information officer for the department, and the “majority” of those had New York plates.
In a phone interview with the Post, Rothrock said, “Residents were concerned about the lack of civility and respect for personal property. We understood that concern and that’s why we started to look into the matter but we determined … it was non-criminal in nature.”
This means that the cars were not damaged, no credible threats were made and basically, there was nothing to see.
Nevertheless, some of the residents were perturbed by the incident. One resident, a former New Yorker now living in Palm Beach, told the Palm Beach Daily News, “We have seen that there are many people willing to follow through on such dangerous and threatening messages,” continued the concerned citizen, who, due to safety concerns, did not give their name. “This behavior is another sign that our democracy is in peril.”
Really? Our democracy is in peril because someone left a note on your car? What is so dangerous about suggesting that everybody involved would be happier if wokesters left the neighborhood? It may be a tad rude, granted, but dangerous? By the way, where’s the threat?
Talk about being able to dish it out but not being able to take it.
Frankly, New York itself may be the one threatened by the mass exodus to Florida. Among those fleeing from New York to Florida are top Wall Street hedge funds and financial services, according to Forbes. Goldman Sachs may be moving a money management division to The Sunshine State. Other Wall Street big dogs like investment bank Moelis and Virtu Financial Inc. are planning to move some of their operations to Florida as well.
This could be bad news for both Floridians and New Yorkers. Floridians fear that big money New Yorkers will bring their leftists politics in tow, while New York suffers from the loss of tax revenue.
Sounds like bad news all around. Some clouds, however, have a silver lining.
In a Nov. 27 interview with Breitbart News, Christian Ziegler, vice-chair of the Florida Republican Party, said that as of Oct. 31, 2021, voters who were registered Republican surpassed their Democrat counterparts for the first time in the history of Florida. The shift, according Ziegler, is largely due to the voters leaving Democrat-run cities and states. He also felt that moderate Florida Democrats feel left behind.
Are some Democrats are finally coming to their senses? It appears so.
Pragmatism is an American-born philosophy. It is the philosophy of getting things done. American philosophers Charles Sanders Pierce, William James and John Dewey were proponents of clear thinking in order to get things done. Pragmatism is the American way. Wokeism, which relies on misdirection, obfuscation and emotion, is foreign to America.
It takes a lot to get people to uproot and move to a new state. My hope is that, for many, the move will serve to clear away the fog of false rhetoric they have lived and breathed in the past. Many moderate Democrats, too, are waking up to a clear new day. The evidence? Biden and crew are in the pits at the polls. This bodes well.
Yes, the elitist lefties moving to Florida may likely bring their politics with them. But they only get one vote each. We the People are many. Take heart.
Instead of distributing fliers that further alienate wokesters, pass ones around that contain clear information concerning conservative policy results. The mass exodus is an opportunity to win people over to the right side. Others, once they get a taste of freedom, will come over on their own.