Forum Topic

What does woke mean?

I have seen this expression many times lately and wonder if it is English!The reason I am asking is due to this article title:"The anti-woke backlash is no joke - and the progressives are going to lose if they do not wise up"https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/the-anti-woke-backlash-is-no-joke-–-and-progressives-are-going-to-lose-if-they-dont-wise-up/ar-BBZt61R?ocid=spartanntpYes it is all to do with Lawrence Fox and his appearance in Question Time.  Woke???

Ivonne Holliday ● 2476d13 Comments

adjectiveINFORMAL•USalert to injustice in society, especially racism."we need to stay angry, and stay woke"

Jane Carter ● 2476d

Thank you Jane!  Why not use awake?  I know, I am getting old!

Ivonne Holliday ● 2476d

Woke basically means "The act of being very pretentious about how much you care about a social issue".  So Lilly Allen is woke, people that take offence to be seen to etc... that is woke. The people that take things way too literally and can't take a joke.

Gabrielle O'Mahoney ● 2476d

Thank you. That makes perfect sense. For someone like me, very used to hearing people pontificating about racism, sexism and every other sort of "ism", and then finishing their point with some sort of insult about "old people", without even recognising the irony, this provides me with a wonderfully  succinct way of describing them.

Janis Humberstone ● 2476d

"Woke basically means "The act of being very pretentious about how much you care about a social issue"."The meaning of a word can change. It has come to be the same sort of put-down as "PC" was. Word fashions can change quickly.

David Ainsworth ● 2476d

As a Star Wars fan, am I wrong in finding a mixed-up Ewok woke ?

Bill Christie ● 2476d

I'm with Janis, fed up with "woke" people being pretentious and holier than thou and seeing problems where there are none.  Also in many cases hypocritical.  It's good to be aware of what goes on in the world and guard against racism, sexism and greed, but some of these people should teach/lead by example instead of just being clever dicks.

Bunny Payne ● 2476d

Literally think Lily Allen. The minute she gives all her salary per year away and lives on the minimum wage and opens her doors to the people on the street or lives in a one bedroom flat as there is only one of her I'll listen to her.

Gabrielle O'Mahoney ● 2476d

I do my Chinese in it.

Barbara Stevens ● 2476d

A very funny SNL sketch parody for Levi "woke" jeans.  https://youtu.be/adPXDTvADD0

Maxine Campbell ● 2476d

The recent surge in discussion of "wokeness" seems to have been brought on by an actor claiming that the sight of a Sikh soldier in a British Army lorry with white soldiers was somehow distracting."Fox said: “There were Sikhs fighting this war... Ok, you’re now diverting me away from what the story is.”He added: “There is something institutionally racist about forcing diversity on people in that way.”" (ES 21/01/20)As if he is the person who gets to define what the story of the film is.Later, in the Daily Mail (!), he admits his own ignorance of the history of the war.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7915341/Laurence-Fox-admits-didnt-know-Sikh-soldiers-fought-shoulder-shoulder-British.html

David Ainsworth ● 2476d

Ha ha ha ha!!  Barbara, priceless!!

Ivonne Holliday ● 2475d

Excellent descriptions Gabrielle and nice link Martine!I watched that question time and a definite fan of Lawrence Fox now but bet he doesn’t get asked back - probably been (non colour specific)listed by the bbc by now ;-)

Mike Warman ● 2475d