What is woke? Does it need to go?

Like many things in current political culture, I am behind on the latest terms. It’s not that I am not politically aware. I’m just not interested in slang. One term I have been hearing a lot lately is the term “woke.” I wasn’t curious about what it meant until recently when I read a social media comment that said that a celebrity was trying to prove how woke he was. I finally said ok, what is woke? So, I decided to research the origins of the word and what it means in today’s modern usage. I also found a few articles which state that the word needs to go.

Woke is a political term of African American origin. It refers to a perceived awareness of social and racial justice. It is derived from the African American Vernacular English, “stay woke.” According to the Oxford Dictionaries, the early political conscious usage of the term was in 1962 with William Melvin Kelley’s New York Times article “If You’re Woke You Dig It.” Erykah Badu brought the term to the modern age with her 2008 song “Master Teacher.” To “stay woke” is to stay vigilant and #staywoke was the most widely used hashtag on Twitter in 2012. By the late 2010s, the term has adopted a more generic slang and became synonymous with political correctness (Sanders, 2018). The term has also come to symbolize a pat on the back from the left affirming how sensitive one is to the issues (Hass, 2019). It denotes awareness as well as blackness and white allies can use it “if they walk the walk, they get to talk the talk” (Hass, 2019).

Despite the meaning behind the term, there are many who think the term needs to go as too many are too easily using it. It has become so mainstream that it is losing its power and meaning. When MTV announced that “woke” was the new trendy teen slang, it allowed the original cultural meaning of “stay woke” to get lost (Hass, 2019). Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune stated in his article that “’woke’ can also mean “the act of being very pretentious about how much you care about a social issue’” (2019). Sam Sanders of National Public Radio simply stated, “The word is done. It is dead. It is over” (2018). The internet has sped up the lifestyle of the term, according to Nicole Holliday, a linguist at Pomona College, and the term has gone from new to played out in record time (Sanders, 2018). Even former president Barack Obama spoke against the woke/call out culture. At an Obama Foundation Summit on October 29, 2019, he told an audience of young college students, “That’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change. If all you’re doing is casting stone, you’re probably not going to get that far” (Wulfson, 2019). Essentially the woke and call out culture were focused too much on casting judgment than advancing positive change.

It is unfortunate that a powerful message of staying aware to the social issues around us has become a badge of honor or proof that outsiders are sympathetic and join the fight against injustices against Blacks. One commenter on an article I read stated, “Being an ally without striking the woke pose. Help them find and amplify their voice and not to toot your own horn.” Another commenter posted, “’Woke’ should not be about being seen. But instead, should be about how you see yourself and the action you take going forward.” Exactly, letting your actions speak louder than your words. If you see a minority group being mistreated and you don’t like it, make sure you extend a hand in friendship. Make sure you do not repeat the same mistreatment as you interact with people of other groups. And that goes for all groups, even groups you don’t agree with. The adage is true, “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” And as Obama said in July 2018, “Maybe we can change their minds, but maybe they’ll change ours. And you can’t do this if you just out of hand disregard what your opponents have to say from the start” (Chiu, 2019).

In conclusion, I can understand the sentiment behind woke. However, the woke movement has become more of calling people out for their “un-wokeness” than trying to change the mentalities. I agree with Mr. Obama, casting stones doesn’t get us very far. As Jesus says in John 8:7, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone…” If you are going to throw stones at one’s social errors, then you better prepared to have yours be called out as well. None of us are perfect. Some are more aware of the injustices around us, instead of calling people out for their lack of awareness, use your knowledge to help them understand. While there will be some who will forever be closed to what you have to say, there are others who are willing to listen and, at least try, to understand. Stop being so condescending. Listen to learn instead of listening to respond. This is not just for liberals or the younger generations, this is for the conservatives and the older generations too. We aren’t going to get anywhere yelling at each other.

References

Chiu, Allyson (October 31, 2019). ‘He is right on all counts’: Obama finds rare bipartisan support by bashing ‘woke’ shaming. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/31/obama-woke-shaming-bipartisan-support-yang-coulter-gabbard/. Retrieved November 16, 2019.

Hass, Amanda (April 19, 2019). Earning the ‘Woke’ Badge. The New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/magazine/earning-the-woke-badge.html. Retrieved November 13, 2019.

Page, Clarence (November 16, 2019). Column: Barack Obama is right about giving ‘woke’ culture a rest. Will progressive Democrats listen? Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/clarence-page/ct-column-barack-obama-woke-cancel-culture-page-20191101-is2efucd55de3imffpq33mbbm4-story.html. Retrieved November 16, 2019.

Sanders, Sam (December 30, 2018). Opinion: It's Time To Put 'Woke' To Sleep. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/30/680899262/opinion-its-time-to-put-woke-to-sleep. Retrieved November 16, 2019.

Wulfson, Joseph A. (October 31, 2019). Obama's comments blasting 'woke' cancel culture snubbed by broadcast networks, study finds. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/media/obama-woke-cancel-culture-broadcast-networks-snub. Retrieved November 16, 2019.