Woke Definition and Culture

           

                                                                                

                    Our current political climate leads to many ideas and words being twisted and 

mischaracterized by both left and right-leaning voices. This is especially true with the word, “woke” 

which has been misused often in political discourse. There is immense value in understanding the true 

origin of the word “woke” and making strides to understand woke culture to enhance our critical 

thinking skills.

My definition of "woke culture" has not changed. I listen to a lot of political commentary which I believe has helped me gain a well-rounded understanding of the word. Woke culture is defined differently depending on which political party you subscribe to. Many on the left believe that to be woke means to be informed and aware of social injustice. However, many on the right believe that to be woke means to police other’s words and be politically correct.

              Woke means awareness of inequalities in society, but to the right's credit many times they use the word correctly, especially when the left goes too far. I agree with Donald Trump when he says that he does not like the word because “half the people can’t even define it” which was a reference to the right's often misuse of the word. Perhaps it is not the most mindful choice to use a word that can be so easily ill-defined. The benefits of woke culture are that many marginalized groups are more likely to be advocated for and injustices are in many cases brought to the attention of the general public. However, woke culture can go too far when it begins to silence those with opposing views or value "equality" over objective abilities when it comes to roles that require standards for performance. Both the right and the left can go too far when they place more emphasis on feelings than facts. The right must be careful not to use the word to mean anything liberal that they don't like. Understanding woke culture can help one become a critical thinker because one must challenge their own political biases when rethinking their use of hot-button words, especially while living in a polarized political climate that we are living in today. To understand woke culture when approaching from either political party one must be willing to put aside loyalty to their party and address the impact of the word's use on political discourse. Critical thinking is the process of creating one’s opinions based on facts which is what is needed to understand woke culture.

              Understanding the definition of “woke” and the effects of the use of the word on different communities can help one to become more open-minded to differing political opinions. When one becomes more open-minded their capacity for critical thinking increases, allowing for an increasingly objective opinion to be created. This is what critical thinking consists of. Thus, critical thinking can be developed by challenging our current views on the use of the word “woke” and better understanding of woke culture.

 

Sources

 

Alfonseca, Kiara. “What Does ‘woke’ Mean and Why Are Some Conservatives Using It?” ABC News, ABC News Network, 2023, abcnews.go.com/Politics/woke-conservatives/story?id=93051138.

 

Murray, Conor. “What Does ‘woke’ Even Mean? How a Decades-Old Racial Justice Term Became Co-Opted by Politics.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 7 June 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/06/06/what-does-woke-even-mean-how-a-decades-old-racial-justice-term-became-co-opted-by-politics/?sh=27cfed95513d.