“Daily Show” guest host Sarah Silverman made short work of what’s become the Republican Party’s signature issue in recent years: wokeness.
Right-wing figures have blamed the military’s recruitment problems on wokeness, but Silverman spotted a new poll of teens and young adults that finds the top reason they’re not enlisting is that they don’t want to die.
“Only Republicans would have the freakin’ lips to blame the lack of army recruitment on wokeness when the number one reason [is] that people really like not dying,” she said. “These Gen Z kids are like, why would I go get shot in the Middle East when I can get shot in the comfort of my middle school?”
Comic/actor Silverman sarcastically added: “I’m kidding. That doesn’t happen in America.”
She also revealed why it’s a non-issue in the military in her Tuesday night monologue:
Republicans have insulted the U.S. military over the issue. Last month, Donald Trump claimed that “we have a woke military that can’t fight or win,” while last year Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) whined that the military is “more interested in pronouns than winning wars.”
Yet in the new poll, just 5% named “wokeness” as a reason for not enlisting. The much bigger reasons include fear of injury or death, post-traumatic stress disorder, leaving friends and family, and putting life on hold.
