Woke
Woke is a widely-used adjective. While there is no single definition it is generally understood to involve supporting or believing in various notions that are widely accepted among social justice warriors. People who consider themselves woke generally:
- Consider themselves to be left-wing
- Support identity politics
- Support feminism
- Believe in rape culture
- Believe in male privilege
- Believe that street harassment is a serious problem
- Reject cultural appropriation
- Favour strong limitations on free speech
- Favour diversity over merit
Dictionary Definitions
Oxford English Dictionary
woke, adjective: Originally: well-informed, up-to-date. Now chiefly: alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice; frequently in stay woke[1]
Werriam-Webster
- aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)[2]
History
The term is derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) meaning alert to racial prejudice and discrimination. Beginning in the 2010s, it began to take on a wider meaning covering all areas in which social justive warriors are involved.
The phrase stay woke had emerged in AAVE by the 1930s, in some contexts referring to an awareness of the social and political issues affecting African Americans. The phrase was uttered in a recording by Lead Belly and later by Erykah Badu. Following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, the phrase was popularised by Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists seeking to raise awareness about police shootings of African Americans. After seeing use on Black Twitter, the term woke became an Internet meme and was increasingly used by white people, often to signal their support for BLM, which some commentators have criticised as cultural appropriation. Mainly associated with the millennial generation, the term spread internationally and was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017.
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