They've got a point!
They've got a point!
Thanks to the commenter who reminded me that it's not bad to be reminded that the term is only a pejorative because conservative racists made it so.
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145 comments
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Isn't woke used ironically? People who are 'woke' are not woke, but ignorant.
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When did we decide that the worst people in the world get to decide what words mean
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We didn't. Woke has gotten a bad name from online activity that mostly consists of self-congratulatory behavior & discussions that primarily reinforce their existing beliefs without fostering genuine debate, critical self-reflection, or engagement with diverse perspectives. Dogmatic self-righteousness of those online voices can often seem more focused on mutual validation & alienating others (for personal validation) than on winning people over (changing their minds) to achieve real change. It gives an impression of phony, performative activism for self-gratification that may make progressivism & good causes look fake & insincere.
Some people are arguably woke (in the older sense) enough to acknowledge faults & critically reflect on them.
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It's just how linguistics works I guess.
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La la la lava
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Being woke means being aware of the societal injustices in the world. The opposite of sleeping on something
"Stay woke" means "keep paying attention"
Which is why it's hilarious when the right says they're anti-woke. Like a child who thinks the monster goes away if they cover their eyes
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Isn't woke used ironically?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: nnnnnnnmmnmmnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmnmmnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmnmmnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmnmmnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmnmmnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmnmmnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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I don't recall seeing it used that way. What I have seen is:
Positive: being woke is being aware of social injustices
Negative: conservatives use it as a slur to mean anything positive that involves people who are not white men
Ironic: calling normal everyday things woke, like taking showers or wiping your ass
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The term is a classic instance of "double speak". Twenty years ago, the running joke was of Libertarians calling anyone who still supported the idea of a federal government "Sheeple" and insisting that they needed to "Wake Up!" and come around to Ron Paul and Ayn Rand's point of view.
Ten years ago, "Woke" was a liberal term describing people who recognized the chronic threat of police brutality and state prosecutorial bias towards minorities.
Three years ago, the ultra-reactionary Houston pastor Ed Young launched a Church Awake campaign to counter what he believed was "Woke Culture" in the city.
The Atlantic's columnist thinks it is when you are obsessed with policing language. The ABC's columnists think it means being an educated black progressive. The Heritage Foundation thinks its when you manufacturer grevencies like checks notes the existence of slavery, I guess? The Kentucky AG thinks it means when transgender athletes are allowed to compete in high school sports.
What's it supposed to mean? Everything and nothing. It's a term of enlightenment and a pejorative seemingly both at once.
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The meaning is actually pretty clear. Being "woke" means being aware of social injustice, specifically the systemic racism in US society. Being anti-woke simply means that you outwardly deny said systemic racism but in reality it means you're condoning it.
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Being “woke” means being aware of social injustice
From the left-liberal perspective, sure. But Libertarians and far-right theocrats have also employed the term as a positive self-descriptor, insisting that they had a more enlightened and historical view.
Being anti-woke simply means that you outwardly deny said systemic racism
Racists have employed the term to mean they blatantly reject the history put forward by liberal scholars. It's a form of political denialism, not unlike climate change denial or holocaust denial.
The irony is in how reactionaries will embrace the term and its synonyms positively - Dark Enlightenment, Great Awakening, Objectivism, "Wake up Sheeple!" - to imply they're the ones who truly understand the victims of state persecution (inevitably, rich white cis/straight men).
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Everything and nothing.
It is in many ways a tribal signifier, and you're going to get different stories about what a tribe is like from its members and from its enemies. It's not that different from "Democrat" or "Republican" in that sense, although at least both Democrats and Republicans usually agree on who is a Democrat and who is a Republican.
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145 comments