Seems to me that you - and so many others - have been gaslighted on this issue.
A black friend of mine once told me that the phrase "stay woke" (way back before any of us ever heard of BLM or Me, Too) was something mothers would tell their kids (especially sons) before going out. It was a reminder of "the talk" parents needed to have with their kids, especially in the Jim Crow south. Things like "don't look at white people," or "keep your hands where they can be seen,", etc. I'm no expert, as it was just part of a wide ranging, casual conversation, and we didn't get into gritty detail, but it was clear to me that it was all stuff that white people never have to give a second thought.
Recently, "woke" has been hijacked by the likes of DeSantis and others, and turned upside down in an attempt to diffuse any efforts to raise awareness of the plight of those who don't conform in one way or another to the norms established by a powerful few. BTW, what's the opposite of 'woke'? Asleep? Unaware? Ignorant?
As for this:
"...would outlaw classroom teaching in Florida that would cause students to "feel guilt, anguish or any form of psychological distress" because of their race, color, sex or national origin. What's wrong with that?"
I couldn't disagree more about there being nothing wrong with that. First of all, it's so vague as to appear innocuous on the surface, but to allow for it to be interpreted and applied in ways that that do the opposite of what it claims, depending on who you are. Do you think the implementation of this law does anything to address the "anguish or psychological distress" of black, gay, trans, or other non-white, non-Christian, non-hetereo/cis gendered students? If anything, it compounds their distress. It's just another form of scapegoating, and it's harmful to all, IMO. It's also right out of the authoritarian playbook...
This law is being used as an excuse to censor what is being taught in Florida classrooms, even what books teachers can put on the shelves or in their libraries. More and more, teachers and doctors are fearful of following what they know, under risk of being fired, fined, or even charged with crimes. US history is being white-washed (and heaven forbid a woman has a problem pregnancy and needs certain kinds of medical care)! We've all heard the old axiom that "those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it".
Finally, haven't we all heard plenty about how younger generations are spoiled, entitled, not willing to work, etc., etc.? Didn't the GOP used to believe in the values of responsibility and accountability, something we can probably all agree is much needed in our society? I can only imagine how a generation shielded from the realities of our past will grow up...
******************************************* After writing the above, I decided to do some fact checking (as I often try to do), and found this well-written commentary:
http://medium.com/ellemeno/woke-and-wokeness-the-word-and-the-concept-416d8c66d6be
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