What does Florida’s HB999 mean for Floridians and America in general?

Everyone should be concerned with the type of legislation like HB999 coming out of Florida. Effectively the language it uses is so broad as to be able to wipe out entire cultures from existence in the state.

We all have heard of  the term “woke” and how pervasive it has become in negatively defining the cultural boundaries set by folks like Florida’s governor. No one can really say what “woke” means but it’s usually aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI, policies or themes that many in the Republican/MAGA party don’t like. It really is as bad a concept and idea to define as it’s proponent below struggles with.

That could mean almost anything and the ambiguity is convenient enough for the proponents of the term to blame failures of policies and institutions they don’t like as being too woke.  For example an editorial complaining about SVB falling on hard times can say that it’s collapse was due to the Bank’s paying too much attention to DEI and not how to keep itself solvent and people really think that’s a thing and give it traction in the discourse about the bank’s failure.  Of course they completely ignore the impact of Trump era deregulation.

This idea of  things being “woke” is behind HB999, which has taken aim at “prohibit(ing) universities or colleges from using any funds to promote, support, maintain, any programs or campus activities that support or adopt diversity, equity and inclusion.”  and sharp eyed opponents have every right to be outraged over the implications of the bill.  It’s language, as vague and open to interpretation as the term “woke”  could limit or remove from college campuses, fraternities, sororities, studies of different ethnicities, centers for different groups of students, impact the way tenure is arrived at for college professors and whether subjects are taught and how.  

I’ve never understood the Right’s opposition to diversity and equity. America, since it’s inception has been diverse.  Europeans, Africans and indigenous people have always been on the Continent at the same time. Equity and inclusion have been harder to come by and how they are received and implemented in American society have usually been dictated by Europeans motivated by fear of the diminution of their control over wealth.  HB999 controls who teaches the new MAGA/GOP narrative of America and can reduce the impact of diversity on Florida’s college campuses to effectively zero.  It’s as if it erases the existence from the state of groups of people the government of Florida considers “woke”.  They vanish from the curriculum being taught and their ability to organize and address concerns on colleges and universities is not allowed, eliminated.  Ethnic cleansing without the blood or the mess, done in the halls of government. 

#RonDeSantis #fascism #florida #GOP