A term for people who accept the postmodernist position that everything is a social construct(completely subjective)then go on to accept that their way of viewing the world is the only right way.(completely objective).
Most people who use "Woke" use it disparagingly with little knowledge of it's original meaning.
It's been hi-jacked and presented as some "new" term to voice frustration and dissent.
Some people even believe it means "communist baby-killers who wear drag" - LOL
To express an opinion regardless of political / social bent there are any number of terms that could be used to eloquently put forth ones beliefs.
Whenever I see the term woke used - esp as in something infantile as "He is woke" - I usually think the speaker is lazy or trying to be up with it or one who too easily follows the leader.
So if the term "Woke" is to be used only in it's new-meaning mode, then I I suggest that those using the term be referred to as "Bleaters" and are subject to the confines of "Bleatness".
Whenever I see the term woke used - esp as in something infantile as "He is woke" - I usually think the speaker is lazy or trying to be up with it or one who too easily follows the leader
That’s what it’s become in for the most part. As mentioned earlier on, certain politicians love it as a distraction from their own failures.
A leading member of the UK Conservative Party has said they’ll put a crusade against this front and centre in the next election as it sees an electorate unhappy with its economic mismanagement, scandals and incompetence.
Lazy journalists love it too. It’s easy to trigger certain types.
It reminds me of ‘soy boy’. Anyone remember that being parroted by easily-led idiots?
Wokeness is a new term used mainly by the older generation of certain groups to belittle anything they don't care about or see as not necessary of thoughtful conversation. It's an easy out for many people who have no real argument. I don't like it, it's new and I don't want to deal with it so it's 'woke.' They use it in such in very intellectual ways like when a company loses money for trying to address an issue they deem unworthy: Go woke, go broke. Yeah, that says it all.
It depends on that word ‘your’ in the question. Of course ‘my’ definition of wokeness would be something else than ‘a’ more common or general definition, stated by someone else. That’s why there are only two possible answers. If someone thinks of being woke, then wokeness is the sum of personal opinions and points of views of that person, while if someone regards himself not at all woke, then wokeness is the contrary of all personal opinions and points of view. So in this case, the latter.
wokeness n. The quality or condition of being 'woke'
And what is the definition of 'Woke'?
woke adj. To be conscious of social inequalities as determined by an intersectionist perspective.
While some might think that the addition of "as determined by an intersectionalist perspective" is superfluous, assumptions of critical race theorists are implicit in the perceived social inequalities and as such the addition is indispensable. For example, those who subscribe to a colorblind view of race, although acknowledging the reality of social inequalities would not be described as 'woke'. Rather, the term is associated with those who promote identity politics in the interest of "feminist and racial liberation," who would argue that 'color-blindness' is itself a form of racism that contributes to social inequality. But I think we all know the definition, even if not everyone is able to articulate it. Now the definition of 'woman' . . .
The definition of political correctness, identity politics, the assumed roles and relations of different genders, defined opinions histrionically relating to race, nationality, religion as to how tuition is taught and lectured in school/university.
The alleged cancelling of opinion, intolerance.
Finally possible denunciation, public ostracization, boycotting, shunned by your community.
Woke means exactly what the dictionary says: if you’re woke it just means you’re not racist, homophobic or misogynist.
The concept seems to originate with the Jamaican social activist Marcus Garvey around 100 years ago:
"The earliest known examples of wokeness as a concept revolve around the idea of Black consciousness “waking up” to a new reality or activist framework and dates back to the early 20th century. In 1923, a collection of aphorisms and ideas by the Jamaican philosopher and social activist Marcus Garvey included the summons “Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa!” as a call to globalBlack citizens to become more socially and politically conscious. A few years later, the phrase “stay woke” turned up as part of a spoken afterword in the 1938 song “Scottsboro Boys,” a protest song by Blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. Lead Belly. The song describes the 1931 saga of a group of nine Black teenagers in Scottsboro, Arkansas, who were accused of raping two white women."
Everyone knows the origin and definition of the word but it is now exclusively used by angry middle-aged men to express disapproval of anything in particular. It's the new 'political correctness'.
Business, our UK local council sent employers with over 500 employees a pamphlet, entitled....
Active attentive important facts and issues to work place issues of racial and social justice.
Over 56 pages…
A schedule of seminars….
Social transformation recognition social justice, including the support of policies to recognize cultural change, knowledge, understanding and awareness.
A thirty page survey pertaining to employee profile.
A policy combating/monitoring/challenging discrimination, perceived hierarchies, and HR policies that highlight unethical or unjust behaviors'.
Included was an suggestion of a company wide program, delivered by independent consultancies, of structured empathetic awareness.
The eye watering cost at our expense.
Along with the loss of productivity to our business.
If this is the wokeness in action I am sorry our solicitors will formally challenge.
'SJW' has also been claimed by right wingers as a pejorative term. Social injustice seems much more preferable to them for some reason
I thought the same thing.
I remember having an exchange with a moron regurgitating Jordan Peterson. When I said social justice for me means giving everyone a fair crack, the moron started gibbering about Marxism and communists promoting equality of outcome.
It means to cover a controversial or malicious objective by using a benign surface. It's often characterized by hiding bigotry behind claims of inclusivity.
For example, antifa are, indisputably, a terrorist group in the US. However they hide behind claiming to be 'anti-fascist' which is something anyone can agree with. If you dislike then for... well, being terrorists, then they claim you're fascist for doing so.
There are other examples, BLM destroying black businesses, the NRA being against gun rights, etc, but I figured Antifa would be the least objectionable one I could use.
To me, "wokeness" refers to an elevated level of sensitivity to social issues especially related to race and gender issues. "Wokes" believe they are morally right on these issues which entitles them to "call out" behavior which departs from their stance.
I read with benefit the 2020 Vox article A history of “wokeness” by Aja Romano which you cited. Thank you for sharing it. Admittedly, I found the article to be somewhat inconsistent.
In the introduction, Romano states that since 2014 the term ‘woke’ “has evolved into a single-word summation of leftist political ideology, centered on social justice politics and critical race theory.” Here Romano interestingly acknowledges that this evolved definition is “bipartisan.” However, Romano bemoans this definition since “none of these recent political concepts has anything to do with the idea of demanding that people ‘stay woke’ against police brutality.” Romano states that “the way that terms like ‘woke’ and ‘wokeness’ are used outside of the Black Lives Matter community seems to bear little connection to their original context, on either the right and the left.” Thus it appears from this introduction that Romano would advocate for a de-evolution of the term’s use to strictly the issue of police brutality. This is not actually what the author does.
As the article progresses, in the very words you cited, Romano associates ‘wokeness’ with “the idea of Black consciousness ‘waking up’ to a new reality or activist framework.” This is a decidedly political definition that goes beyond the context of police brutality. Romano even later speaks of “the original” use of the term ‘woke’, one that is a “politically charged usage of always being on the lookout for systemic injustice.” Romano continues that by 2017 the term ‘woke’ “had already begun to show up in other political contexts, like at the 2017 Women’s March.” Here Romano distinguishes feminist advocacy from African American advocacy, with the term ‘woke’ presumably only validly serviceable in the case of the latter. Thus if one were to agree with Romano, the term ‘woke’ would not correctly be used to describe those who are “not homophobic” or “not misogynist” as in your definition. Gay rights and women’s rights should be distinguished per Romano.
Yet even for Romano, the benchmark for the term’s use appears to be how it is used by Black Lives Matter. Here we may note the following on the founders of BLM by Mary Romero in her 2018 book Short Introductions: Introducing Intersectionality:
From its inception, the BLM Movement embraced intersectionality… However, the initial attention overemphasized Black men as victims of police violence, and the deaths of women and transgender people of color were invisible. This was not intentional, as the founders of the movement, Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors, identify as Black queer women. As they engaged in public discourse and social media, clarifications appeared. The hashtag #SayHerName was a rallying point around the police shootings and killing of Black women. Soon BLM’s mission statement on the website stated that BLM "affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, Black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and Black lives along the gender spectrum" (http://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory).
Thus contra Romano, the form of advocacy for African Americans promoted by Black Lives Matter is grounded in intersectionality. As such, the term ‘woke’ as used by Black Lives Matter assumes intersectionality in its perception of social inequalities as I said in my definition above. This implicit intersectionality also allows for the inclusion of gay rights, women’s rights, disabled rights, etc. as part of its African American advocacy so that your definition of ‘woke’ would find its home here as well. However, I cannot ultimately accept your definition as my own given its clear disassociation with identity politics. There is a certain political dimension to the term ‘woke’ that goes beyond merely describing some who is not racist, not sexist, etc. For example, Thomas Sowell is not a racist, but I do not think anybody, right or left, would call him 'woke'.
As for the claim that the word has been “hijacked by racists, homophobes and misogynists”, I think the “bipartisan” view noted by Romano arose precisely because of the injection of intersectionality of Black Lives Matter which has allowed the term to cover many social issues. Interestingly, Romano does not discuss this angle, but instead attributes the change to linguistic appropriation by white people. Nice.
Never heard of this word until I read the comments. To me this is an American or western invented word that has no meaning to me nor do I see any reason to use it.
Wokeness - The activities of people who have awakened in the morning.
Example: The wokeness of people enjoying a nice cup of coffee to start the day. "The best part of waking up is (favorite coffee) in your cup." Enjoy!
47 Comments
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John-San
Idiocy
dagon
A cringe term like with the term "cringe" which I cringe to use.
A term hijacked by corporate interests funding politicians and a culture war to distract from the corporate looting of the public treasury.
Originally meaning elementary humanity for some of the marginalized.
Overextended and semantically stretched out of shape in some instances.
Moonraker
Good question that should really be directed at all those who use it with such abandon.
Olive
A term for people who accept the postmodernist position that everything is a social construct(completely subjective)then go on to accept that their way of viewing the world is the only right way.(completely objective).
daikaka
The desire to blacklist/cancel anyone who holds a different opinion
theResident
It means nothing to me. Hence I have no definition.
Toshihiro
wokeness - being overly critical towards issues that could have been passed off or ignored.
dagon
Isn't that just international old-school conservatism/xenophobia?
wallace
Very much an American expression. A way to avoid discussion on important issues like slavery.
browny1
Most people who use "Woke" use it disparagingly with little knowledge of it's original meaning.
It's been hi-jacked and presented as some "new" term to voice frustration and dissent.
Some people even believe it means "communist baby-killers who wear drag" - LOL
To express an opinion regardless of political / social bent there are any number of terms that could be used to eloquently put forth ones beliefs.
Whenever I see the term woke used - esp as in something infantile as "He is woke" - I usually think the speaker is lazy or trying to be up with it or one who too easily follows the leader.
So if the term "Woke" is to be used only in it's new-meaning mode, then I I suggest that those using the term be referred to as "Bleaters" and are subject to the confines of "Bleatness".
rcch
The collapse of intellectual freedom and the “ death “ of Western Culture/Western Civilization.
bass4funk
Exactly!
dagon
Irony, thy name is...
Jimizo
That’s what it’s become in for the most part. As mentioned earlier on, certain politicians love it as a distraction from their own failures.
A leading member of the UK Conservative Party has said they’ll put a crusade against this front and centre in the next election as it sees an electorate unhappy with its economic mismanagement, scandals and incompetence.
Lazy journalists love it too. It’s easy to trigger certain types.
It reminds me of ‘soy boy’. Anyone remember that being parroted by easily-led idiots?
Mocheake
Wokeness is a new term used mainly by the older generation of certain groups to belittle anything they don't care about or see as not necessary of thoughtful conversation. It's an easy out for many people who have no real argument. I don't like it, it's new and I don't want to deal with it so it's 'woke.' They use it in such in very intellectual ways like when a company loses money for trying to address an issue they deem unworthy: Go woke, go broke. Yeah, that says it all.
Jimizo
I find you hear that expression less and less.
The problem with throwing the word ‘woke’ around like a hyperactive parrot is that many of the things they regard as woke don’t go broke.
Sven Asai
It depends on that word ‘your’ in the question. Of course ‘my’ definition of wokeness would be something else than ‘a’ more common or general definition, stated by someone else. That’s why there are only two possible answers. If someone thinks of being woke, then wokeness is the sum of personal opinions and points of views of that person, while if someone regards himself not at all woke, then wokeness is the contrary of all personal opinions and points of view. So in this case, the latter.
jeffy
wokeness n. The quality or condition of being 'woke'
And what is the definition of 'Woke'?
woke adj. To be conscious of social inequalities as determined by an intersectionist perspective.
While some might think that the addition of "as determined by an intersectionalist perspective" is superfluous, assumptions of critical race theorists are implicit in the perceived social inequalities and as such the addition is indispensable. For example, those who subscribe to a colorblind view of race, although acknowledging the reality of social inequalities would not be described as 'woke'. Rather, the term is associated with those who promote identity politics in the interest of "feminist and racial liberation," who would argue that 'color-blindness' is itself a form of racism that contributes to social inequality. But I think we all know the definition, even if not everyone is able to articulate it. Now the definition of 'woman' . . .
Peter Neil
Humorless.
Alongfortheride
The most pathetic word in the English Language that a total fool has invented in more recent times. I walk away from anyone who uses that word
itsonlyrocknroll
"wokeness?"......
The definition of political correctness, identity politics, the assumed roles and relations of different genders, defined opinions histrionically relating to race, nationality, religion as to how tuition is taught and lectured in school/university.
The alleged cancelling of opinion, intolerance.
Finally possible denunciation, public ostracization, boycotting, shunned by your community.
Take your pick.
Be afraid, very afraid.
Alfie Noakes
Weird question.
Woke means exactly what the dictionary says: if you’re woke it just means you’re not racist, homophobic or misogynist.
The concept seems to originate with the Jamaican social activist Marcus Garvey around 100 years ago:
"The earliest known examples of wokeness as a concept revolve around the idea of Black consciousness “waking up” to a new reality or activist framework and dates back to the early 20th century. In 1923, a collection of aphorisms and ideas by the Jamaican philosopher and social activist Marcus Garvey included the summons “Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa!” as a call to global Black citizens to become more socially and politically conscious. A few years later, the phrase “stay woke” turned up as part of a spoken afterword in the 1938 song “Scottsboro Boys,” a protest song by Blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. Lead Belly. The song describes the 1931 saga of a group of nine Black teenagers in Scottsboro, Arkansas, who were accused of raping two white women."
https://www.vox.com/culture/21437879/stay-woke-wokeness-history-origin-evolution-controversy
Unfortunately the word has been hijacked by racists, homophobes and misogynists in an attempt to make it mean something else entirely. They've failed.
TrafficCone
It’s about empathy for others. When taken to ridiculous extremes, it’s woke
John-San
Wokeness = Marxist = idiocy. You don’t need a sentence to describe it.
browny1
On the knocker Alfie N.
Pity more people don't know this.
As I mentioned in my earlier post it's probably because they bleat more and think less.
Anonymous
Indeed.
That slavery should still be practiced in the 21st century is a disgrace.
Anonymous
Why are you restricting the meaning? Doesn’t it also mean not transphobic, not ageist, not ableist, etc.?
Paustovsky
Everyone knows the origin and definition of the word but it is now exclusively used by angry middle-aged men to express disapproval of anything in particular. It's the new 'political correctness'.
itsonlyrocknroll
Business, our UK local council sent employers with over 500 employees a pamphlet, entitled....
Active attentive important facts and issues to work place issues of racial and social justice.
Over 56 pages…
A schedule of seminars….
Social transformation recognition social justice, including the support of policies to recognize cultural change, knowledge, understanding and awareness.
A thirty page survey pertaining to employee profile.
A policy combating/monitoring/challenging discrimination, perceived hierarchies, and HR policies that highlight unethical or unjust behaviors'.
Included was an suggestion of a company wide program, delivered by independent consultancies, of structured empathetic awareness.
The eye watering cost at our expense.
Along with the loss of productivity to our business.
If this is the wokeness in action I am sorry our solicitors will formally challenge.
Jimizo
I thought the same thing.
I remember having an exchange with a moron regurgitating Jordan Peterson. When I said social justice for me means giving everyone a fair crack, the moron started gibbering about Marxism and communists promoting equality of outcome.
Waste of time. Useless.
Sensha
It means to cover a controversial or malicious objective by using a benign surface. It's often characterized by hiding bigotry behind claims of inclusivity.
For example, antifa are, indisputably, a terrorist group in the US. However they hide behind claiming to be 'anti-fascist' which is something anyone can agree with. If you dislike then for... well, being terrorists, then they claim you're fascist for doing so.
There are other examples, BLM destroying black businesses, the NRA being against gun rights, etc, but I figured Antifa would be the least objectionable one I could use.
Texas A&M Aggie
Is “wokeness” even a word?
TokyoLiving
A hate speech word from the conservative losers..
For example..
Dochira
To me, "wokeness" refers to an elevated level of sensitivity to social issues especially related to race and gender issues. "Wokes" believe they are morally right on these issues which entitles them to "call out" behavior which departs from their stance.
John-San
Tokyoliving: The topic is. Your definition. Not “what do you think of other poster’s definition” Read the brief mate.
diagonalslip
oh! I always thought it was a mis-spelling of Ewok, who were or will be "a tribe of primitive creatures that bring down the technological Empire."
ArtistAtLarge
You cannot define a made up word.
spinningplates
Alfie Noakes a few posts above has it right.
The term was co-opted from the black civil rights movement.
The modern 'definition' translates for me as 'someone I don't need to waste time with'.
jeffy
Alfie Noakes,
I read with benefit the 2020 Vox article A history of “wokeness” by Aja Romano which you cited. Thank you for sharing it. Admittedly, I found the article to be somewhat inconsistent.
In the introduction, Romano states that since 2014 the term ‘woke’ “has evolved into a single-word summation of leftist political ideology, centered on social justice politics and critical race theory.” Here Romano interestingly acknowledges that this evolved definition is “bipartisan.” However, Romano bemoans this definition since “none of these recent political concepts has anything to do with the idea of demanding that people ‘stay woke’ against police brutality.” Romano states that “the way that terms like ‘woke’ and ‘wokeness’ are used outside of the Black Lives Matter community seems to bear little connection to their original context, on either the right and the left.” Thus it appears from this introduction that Romano would advocate for a de-evolution of the term’s use to strictly the issue of police brutality. This is not actually what the author does.
As the article progresses, in the very words you cited, Romano associates ‘wokeness’ with “the idea of Black consciousness ‘waking up’ to a new reality or activist framework.” This is a decidedly political definition that goes beyond the context of police brutality. Romano even later speaks of “the original” use of the term ‘woke’, one that is a “politically charged usage of always being on the lookout for systemic injustice.” Romano continues that by 2017 the term ‘woke’ “had already begun to show up in other political contexts, like at the 2017 Women’s March.” Here Romano distinguishes feminist advocacy from African American advocacy, with the term ‘woke’ presumably only validly serviceable in the case of the latter. Thus if one were to agree with Romano, the term ‘woke’ would not correctly be used to describe those who are “not homophobic” or “not misogynist” as in your definition. Gay rights and women’s rights should be distinguished per Romano.
Yet even for Romano, the benchmark for the term’s use appears to be how it is used by Black Lives Matter. Here we may note the following on the founders of BLM by Mary Romero in her 2018 book Short Introductions: Introducing Intersectionality:
Thus contra Romano, the form of advocacy for African Americans promoted by Black Lives Matter is grounded in intersectionality. As such, the term ‘woke’ as used by Black Lives Matter assumes intersectionality in its perception of social inequalities as I said in my definition above. This implicit intersectionality also allows for the inclusion of gay rights, women’s rights, disabled rights, etc. as part of its African American advocacy so that your definition of ‘woke’ would find its home here as well. However, I cannot ultimately accept your definition as my own given its clear disassociation with identity politics. There is a certain political dimension to the term ‘woke’ that goes beyond merely describing some who is not racist, not sexist, etc. For example, Thomas Sowell is not a racist, but I do not think anybody, right or left, would call him 'woke'.
As for the claim that the word has been “hijacked by racists, homophobes and misogynists”, I think the “bipartisan” view noted by Romano arose precisely because of the injection of intersectionality of Black Lives Matter which has allowed the term to cover many social issues. Interestingly, Romano does not discuss this angle, but instead attributes the change to linguistic appropriation by white people. Nice.
藤原
Never heard of this word until I read the comments. To me this is an American or western invented word that has no meaning to me nor do I see any reason to use it.
kyushubill
Dave Chappelle defined it best:
Unemployed purple (or green, blue, orange, rainbow) colored hair, unemployed people dictating to employed people how society should be.
bass4funk
Traditionalists, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
...or liberal ones.
For example..
https://www.menshealth.com/uk/mental-strength/a38051454/do-you-speak-woke-a-glossary-of-the-terms-you-need-to-know/
That's just the beginning.
blue in green
A Philosophy where up becomes down, and down becomes up.
Then attempt to penalize & punish those who still think up is up,
with attempts at guilt, shame, threats, fines, cancellations,
edicts, even closing bank accounts...
Since the majority still believe up is up,
the general reaction is to boycott these trespasses
and the companies supporting them by dropping their products, goods, or services...
Hence the term, "Get woke, go broke".
Chico3
Keep it simple. Woke - Past tense of wake.
Wokeness - The activities of people who have awakened in the morning. Example: The wokeness of people enjoying a nice cup of coffee to start the day. "The best part of waking up is (favorite coffee) in your cup." Enjoy!