I’ve heard the term “woke” a lot lately, often spouted by politicians or from voice-overs in political ads. I admit that I didn’t know the meaning of the term, but it seemed to be used as a pejorative as if it was a bad thing to be. That didn’t seem to fit my sense of the word as being conscious or awake. I was confused why anyone would take the position that being conscious was somehow a bad thing. I wanted to know more and started by looking up its definition, which Merriam-Webster defines as:

Woke: aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice.)[1]

This doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me. Indeed, by this definition it’s an attribute we would all like to have. I am obviously not getting something here and have to read further.

As it turns out, Wikipedia has a pretty good summary for the history and use of the word. It appears that the original positive meaning of the word is largely how it is defined by Merriam-Webster above, but its meaning has been hijacked and used as a sarcastic trope for liberalism. In its current use, it refers to one who is considered to be too liberal or progressive.

In essence, the current pejorative use of the term “woke” amounts to name calling, not unlike what occurs on school playgrounds, except in this case, it is adults doing the name calling. Someday, I am confident we will evolve beyond this, but I find it sad none-the-less. We are better than this.

*****

Kevin Deeny

[1] “Woke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woke. Accessed 9 Apr, 2022.