Woke
Why the Word Troubles Me and What I Would Like to See Instead
Woke. We have all heard it and many on the left use it. A dog whistle to both left and right, it has evolved a great deal since its origin.
And that is my first issue. The etymology of the word is as follows: Woke is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) meaning "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". (From Wikipedia)
In the last decade it was picked up by the left and came to signify a veritable potluck of sterling qualities. I will address the problem with this pile on further.
But let’s start with the cultural appropriation. Did any ask the community who coined this word if it was OK to tamper with the meaning? Or use it at all, out of its original context?
But even if the vast majority of Black individuals would be willing to share the word, there are other problems.
Self-identification. It is almost always a bad idea, except for things like a political or religious affiliation. Almost everything else should be an accolade given by others. Pounding one’s chest while bellowing “I’m the GREATEST!” is not a good look on 99.9% of us.
Looking at the basket of meanings now attached to this word, they are all qualities that must be awarded by others, not claimed for one’s self.
Kind. Compassionate. Sensitive. Empathetic. Enlightened.
Virtue signaling is human nature. It has been around for as long as we have had a concept of “good” and “bad”. It is natural to think well of ourselves.
Many of the world’s most violent tyrants have loved dogs. Al Capone thought of himself as a philanthropist. As do many criminals, in and out of the system.
The point being that we are not the best judges of our own virtue. Demanding to be called “woke” is being a legend in your own mind.
Maybe you really are all those things. But many people who call themselves woke are none of them. And in this climate, they may not be challenged.
The word is also a dog whistle to the right. Why give them a convenient handle with which to mock and dismiss progressive values? And as long as we are using self ID this dismissal will be successful.
Substituting with adjectives such as “kind” will not work. Adjectives describing qualities, while slightly harder to mock, have the same limitations as “woke”.
Why not drop the shorthand altogether and make statements of belief instead. For example “I believe in feeding the hungry and housing the homeless” or “I believe in protecting the biosphere by swift action on climate”. There are many more such statements that could be voiced.
Or, “I am 100% anti-racist and will call out any racist actions or comments.”
The underlying sentiment is there, without the virtue signaling, the ego driven self-identification, or the obvious target for the far right.
This is why I don’t call myself “woke”. The high ideals are fine. But not the tangling the ideals into this catchphrase.
Let’s work a bit harder.
I agree wholeheartedly. I can safely say I've never used that word, and, no matter the context, I cringe now whenever I see it used.
You nailed it here. Its original meaning, sadly, has been lost. The Right Wing has co-opted it to mean something it doesn't. It has lost all effectiveness. It's a too-easy shorthand for legitimate concerns, which are now not spelled out in favor of that single word.
Thank you for this. I don't know what kind of feedback you'll get but just know I'm right there with you.
Annabel Asher: Very well spoken.
The term denotes being awake to the racial injustice and structures, and it is the racist rants of De Santis and the extreme right -- i.e., unfortunately, the controlling hoards of the Republican Party -- that will torment minorities with, "Florida is where "Woke" dies" goes hand in hand with "the immigrants are polluting our blood," with Nazi overtones.
Republicans will point out that they find it impolite to point to their racist slogans as having originated with Fascists and Nazis, and in fairness to the Republicans, it is not only the Fascists, but also the KKK and the Confederacy, with Vice President Alexander Stephens in his Cornerstone Speech of 12 March 1861, which built the Confederacy on the ideology of "racial inferiority" of the Africans. There were actually slave-holders who questioned whether their charges were fully human.
So, the Republicans are right to point out that their racism has origins other than that of Fascism and Nazism. One must be just to them.