What Exactly Does 'Woke' Mean?

[Delbow]

49 minutes ago, Waldo said:

I wouldn’t assume people who don’t like the woke brigade are conservative, sexist, homophobic etc.

 

My perception of woke people, well, a large part of it, is they have a particular political agenda, and they’re quite happy and willing to distort and misrepresent and ignore facts and truth; whatever it takes to push their agenda forward, they feel is justified.

 

Not liking that kind of thing, doesn’t make you conservative, sexist, racist, or whatever.

 

Nothing wrong with being aware of social injustice, so long as it’s something you’ve deeply and fairly considered all the ins and outs of; rather than something you’ve approached in a partial cherry-picking kind of way.

 

It’s the agenda at all costs and intellectual dishonesty, that’s the issue.

This is what I talked about in the first post though - you're describing people who you brand 'woke' without defining what that means. If I was going to describe someone as racist, I could at least define that descriptor.

[leviathan13]

7 minutes ago, Delbow said:

This is what I talked about in the first post though - you're describing people who you brand 'woke' without defining what that means. If I was going to describe someone as racist, I could at least define that descriptor.

The definition of 'woke' isn't the issue - it's what people see as 'injustice' is where the confusion lies.

 

One side see injustice as one thing and the other see injustice in another way.

 

I don't like to call people woke just as i don't like it when people use terms such as gammon - it's childish and shows that you can't debate with the person as they are doing what i was told you shouldn't do in a discussion which is attack the person not the argument.

[Waldo]

12 minutes ago, Delbow said:

This is what I talked about in the first post though - you're describing people who you brand 'woke' without defining what that means. If I was going to describe someone as racist, I could at least define that descriptor.

I have, at least in part, described what I feel represents woke behaviour.

 

If you’re after a global definition, as opposed to individual views and ideas on what it means, surely a dictionary is the place to look?

[Delbow]

2 minutes ago, leviathan13 said:

The definition of 'woke' isn't the issue - it's what people see as 'injustice' is where the confusion lies.

 

One side see injustice as one thing and the other see injustice in another way.

 

I don't like to call people woke just as i don't like it when people use terms such as gammon - it's childish and shows that you can't debate with the person as they are doing what i was told you shouldn't do in a discussion which is attack the person not the argument.

I think you're on to something there. I'll have a think about that

[Anna B]

Woke = woken up.

Woke quite simply means being aware; in particular, aware / informed of what's really going on, rather than just accepting a given agenda. This usually involves some research and an ability to look at things from different angles.

 

Unfortunately it's now being used as a term of abuse by a certain type, usually right wing, Establishment types who want to undermine the truth, and then it gets complicated.

 

[leviathan13]

7 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Woke = woken up.

Woke quite simply means being aware; in particular, aware / informed of what's really going on, rather than just accepting a given agenda. This usually involves some research and an ability to look at things from different angles.

 

Unfortunately it's now being used as a term of abuse by a certain type, usually right wing, Establishment types who want to undermine the truth, and then it gets complicated.

 

Whoa!!! Bit of a paradox there...

 

You promote people looking at things from 'different angles', but if the Right want to do that, they're undermining the truth???

 

So, people can only have an opinion if it's the right opinion?? Otherwise they're 'gammon'/-ist/-phobic... etc.

[hackey lad]

2 minutes ago, leviathan13 said:

Whoa!!! Bit of a paradox there...

 

You promote people looking at things from 'different angles', but if the Right want to do that, they're undermining the truth???

 

So, people can only have an opinion if it's the right opinion?? Otherwise they're 'gammon'/-ist/-phobic... etc.

[Anna B]

1 hour ago, leviathan13 said:

Whoa!!! Bit of a paradox there...

 

You promote people looking at things from 'different angles', but if the Right want to do that, they're undermining the truth???

 

So, people can only have an opinion if it's the right opinion?? Otherwise they're 'gammon'/-ist/-phobic... etc.

The 'anti-woke' person IMO only want to see things their way, ie the MSM way, and dismisses everything else as 'conspiracy theory.' I think woke people are more accepting of other points of view.

Only my opinion...

[leviathan13]

1 hour ago, Anna B said:

The 'anti-woke' person IMO only want to see things their way, ie the MSM way, and dismisses everything else as 'conspiracy theory.' I think woke people are more accepting of other points of view.

Only my opinion...

I think, in the modern day, many on both sides struggle to accept the views of those on the other side. I think your explanation above is extremely basic and doesn't capture the nuances of either viewpoint.

 

For example i've never voted Conservative, yet many of my opinions are seen as right-wing by modern standards. The older Labour generation who despise the Tories have some of the most outdated views of anyone and their opinions are at odds with the modern, younger Labour supporter's views.

 

I'd love to see your evidence for woke people being more accepting of other views, considering what's happened to the likes of JKR and those questioning the agenda of BLM and Extinction Rebellion.

 

Do you think someone can be against racism but disagree with BLM as a political group, for example?

[trastrick]

15 hours ago, Anna B said:

Woke = woken up.

Woke quite simply means being aware; in particular, aware / informed of what's really going on, rather than just accepting a given agenda. This usually involves some research and an ability to look at things from different angles.

 

Unfortunately it's now being used as a term of abuse by a certain type, usually right wing, Establishment types who want to undermine the truth, and then it gets complicated.

 

Here's a interesting article on the topic, that answers many of the questions that surround the term, "woke".

 

It's just another white "cultural appropriation" of a black term for for being wary of injustice.

 

(Like Sir Keith Richards, wailing the blues, in his fake New Orleans accent.  )

 

https://www.vox.com/culture/21437879/stay-woke-wokeness-history-origin-evolution-controversy