The title of the article about the mayoral debate in the ADN caught my eye: “Bronson and LaFrance trade sharp jabs.” I regretted missing this debate, so I read all about it. I quickly realized I was
in for an education: Dave Bronson said the disagreements between the two candidates was nothing less than “a conflict of worldviews.” Bronson was quoted: “This is (a conflict) about a political ideology called ‘woke-ism’ and normal. I’m normal and she’s woke. It’s that clear.” What was clear was that I needed to pay attention if I was to make an informed choice in this runoff.
Well, I admit I didn’t really understand what “woke-ism” is all about — it seems fairly recent, as far as I could tell. But normal — that’s something most people can feel comfortable about since it’s positive and good, right? And, what’s better, Bronson has been mayor the last several years; if he espouses normal, then all we’ve got to do is review his current term as mayor to see what “normal” looks like — what he says he offers if he is reelected, right?
But once I started to review his performance as our mayor, I became more and more uncertain if his “normal” is what we want to continue: the many appointments of unqualified people — library, personnel, Health Department, etc.; the many costly lawsuits by employees in his administration; the lack of any planning to properly address the hungry people who wandered our winter streets in bitter cold; the failure to provide adequate plowing during heavy winter snows. The list goes on — but it clearly is not a normal that I thought I wanted to repeat.
So, if “normal” isn’t the right choice, what about the “woke” alternative? Suzanne LaFrance, who is registered as a nonpartisan, says being focused on “left versus right” isn’t the question. She says: “It’s not about red or blue, left or right — it’s about our community and about working together.” Is that what “woke” means? I had to look up the definition: it means “an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those involving ethnic, racial or sexual minorities.” Apparently, it was recently popularized during the Black civil rights movement. I thought: it sounds like it is related to the Golden Rule — you know, do unto others as you would have them do unto you — If LaFrance is woke, it seems much superior to Bronson’s normal.
I’m sorry I missed this debate, but I’m gratified I now have a much better understanding of “normal” and “woke.” And how important these concepts are in the mayoral runoff.
— Brad Owens
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.