Definition of Woke, why the controversy?

mum2three

These days it seems to mean anything which does not conform to the norm. People who think of themselves as 'woke' are misguided.

People who think of themselves as 'woke' are misguided.

I've no idea whether I personally am woke or non-woke but, in case I need to make a decision on it - can you explain why those who profess to be woke are misguided?

Do you have any clearly defined examples?

I'd rather be woke than sleepwalking into disaster. Trump hates woke - enough said.

How many politicians and world leaders are aware and well informed in a political and cultural sense’. Mmmmm!

To be woke appears to not have any common sense.

James and Jon do you have examples of too much woke?
I suspect most of us would agree on the need for women’s onky spaces but well informed and aware folks would agree with us.

JamesandJon33

Probably because in some instances ‘woke’ is taken to extremes .

Extremely aware and well informed? Is that something that should be an insult.

As my granny used to say, it's called common sense, but it's not that common.

The term woke came from a song by Leadbelly. Telling his people to wake up to the racism around them. It has been appropriated by various people so its original meaning has now become meaningless.

Wyllow3

Ah, its quite clear who is attempting to claim the moral and political high ground with "Common Sense" - its Reform,

See the picture, and supporters frequently quote "common sense and decency" suggesting us plebs dont have it

Who just said he has ‘COMMON SENSE’ when, BEFORE any investigation, he said the reason for the recent US fatal Air crash was DEI! … Yup TRUMP… 🤮
Farage and Co are cut from the same cloth!
Reform by Name but not by Nature.

MaggsMcG

Words go from everyday words to offensive all the time. I've lost track. You can't use learning disabled any more you can't use stupid or idiot anymore. I was answering a Disney fun question the other day with the word Dumbo and I got deleted because it was against community guidelines. I'm fairly tolerant with all the things that are going on but some of them are totally ridiculous and I can't get on board. ie 👍 is aggressive. It used to be a form of agreement.

It's OK to say (as I do) my granddaughter has a learning disability, because its "person first" not a label.

mum2three

These days it seems to mean anything which does not conform to the norm. People who think of themselves as 'woke' are misguided.

misguided why?

Words go from everyday words to offensive all the time. I've lost track. You can't use learning disabled any more you can't use stupid or idiot anymore. I was answering a Disney fun question the other day with the word Dumbo and I got deleted because it was against community guidelines. I'm fairly tolerant with all the things that are going on but some of them are totally ridiculous and I can't get on board. ie 👍 is aggressive. It used to be a form of agreement.

mum2three

These days it seems to mean anything which does not conform to the norm. People who think of themselves as 'woke' are misguided.

Or actually have a point of view that differs from theirs.

mum2three

These days it seems to mean anything which does not conform to the norm. People who think of themselves as 'woke' are misguided.

That is your definition, but not the correct one.

These days it seems to mean anything which does not conform to the norm. People who think of themselves as 'woke' are misguided.

Ah, its quite clear who is attempting to claim the moral and political high ground with "Common Sense" - its Reform,

See the picture, and supporters frequently quote "common sense and decency" suggesting us plebs dont have it

I didn’t realise that the word was in use in the twentieth century in any way other than “(s)he woke up.” I have only known it in the present usage in the past five to ten years - very twenty-first century.

MaiBea

I’m very often referred to as woke in an accusatory tone and reply “thank you” with a beaming smile 😊 I think it’s often used by people who do not know it’s true definition 😊

👍👍👍

I don't use the word "woke" as it's ambiguous. It has so many meanings now and they are open to interpretation. I don't hear it in use either as I believe many people are reluctant to use it.

To my mind there seem be two kinds of people now. You are either woke or have common sense. I don't think either side could clearly define what those terms mean.
They should be made to translate the terms into Latin and would then find both the terms are meaningless in which case people don't really know what they are talking g about.
John Cleese came to the same conclusion in a series of TV interviews. Not about the commonsense, I have to confess.

But there are great differences on the political spectrum including the right and we need broad terms.

I don't agree with the casual use of "extremist" however in conjunction with right or left, it belongs to a small number of people whose views are "off the chart. "Sensible" belongs to us all I think, we all think out own views are "sensible" left or right.

Nanna8 Im with you. Fed up with the expression Far Right. Not Far anything just plain right quite frankly, sensible and really most people in this country are sensible and not stupid and attention seeking in their opinions. Neither are we r.cist. Just ordinary folk of all colours and persuasions trying to the best for our families.

I just think it's become too loaded and indeed confusing to be useful anymore. Accusations of wokery nowadays have moved so far it often bear no relationship to the original meaning and just meaningless. People can just be specific about what they mean instead.

The word woke originated as USA slang.

Those of a certain group [conservatives,usually white & male] have always wanted to keep the status quo, and not lose their power and influence, so they co-opted the word to insult anything and everything they see as threatening their power.

I'm proud to be WOKE !!!

ViceVersa

Said this before, but I'll say it again,, when it comes to being 'woke', the inimitable Kathy Burke says it all: "I love being woke. It’s much nicer than being an ignorant tw**!

Agreed!