The View Co-Hosts Hail Jane Fonda for Defending ‘Woke’ Activism
Los Angeles, CA – On Monday’s episode of "The View," co-hosts heaped praise upon liberal activist and actress Jane Fonda following her politically-charged speech at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. Fonda’s speech defended the importance of "staying woke" and speaking out about empathy.
Ana Navarro: Never Too Old or Too Successful to Stand Up
Co-host Ana Navarro lauded Fonda for her unwavering activism, even when it has come at a personal cost. "This is a woman who has been protesting and standing up for her beliefs. Sometimes I’ve disagreed with her, and it has cost her at times. It has had great costs at her career, and you do not give up on America. You don’t turn your back on America. When America needs us to stand up, speak up, and show up, we have to continue doing it," Navarro said.
Navarro also criticized those who dismiss activism as "tired" or "belonging to the younger generation." Fonda’s speech, she argued, served as a reminder that "you are never too old, that you are never too successful" to make your voice heard.
Sunny Hostin: Woke Means Caring About Others
Co-host Sunny Hostin addressed the recent co-opting of the term "woke" by the right. "In the African-American community, the term meant acknowledging social justice inequities, acknowledging people’s suffering," Hostin asserted. She expressed anger at those who reject the term as "disinterested in their lived experiences."
"That tells me that you don’t care about my lived experience. You don’t care about the oppression of the LGBTQ community. You don’t care about the oppression of the disabled. You don’t care about the oppression of immigrants. You don’t care about your fellow neighbor, and that is ungodly. That is not Christian," Hostin said.
Whoopi Goldberg: Woke Activism Has Driven Change
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg argued that discomfort is an inherent part of social change. "There have not been changes made in this country that were made without people being woke," she said. "All of these things were challenged by people who said, oh, maybe they didn’t say you’re too woke, but they used whatever the hip word of the time was. This has always been, it will always be. This is what change does, and it makes people uncomfortable."
Goldberg further stated that "equality can feel like oppression to those that have always been at the top of the ladder."
Fonda’s SAG Speech: A Call for Empathy
Fonda’s speech at the SAG Awards, after receiving the Life Achievement Award, focused on the importance of empathy. "Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. By the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people," she said.
Fonda urged listeners to extend empathy even to those with different political views. "A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way. And even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy and not judge but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent, because we are going to need a big tent to resist successfully what’s coming at us," Fonda said.
