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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder why so many people are hostile to 'woke' things?

279 replies

malificent7 · 01/02/2020 18:46

Isn't the definition...aware of and against injustice in society especially racism?
Why are so many turning against progressive attitudes atm and aibu to think people almost revel in political incorrectness nowadays?
Megan and Harry are criticised for being too 'woke' as she does yoga and they like animals etc.
Likewise millenuals are sneered at for being woke and snowflakey.
Well i am proud to be woke...better than the opposite.

OP posts:
Hirsutefirs · 01/02/2020 18:47

People are hostile to bullshit, including woke bullshit.

Finfintytint · 01/02/2020 18:48

Woke for me means trendy and unthinking/ non critical.

RuffleCrow · 01/02/2020 18:49

It's gender identity politics that has soured the once noble cause, imo.

It's something superficial, meaningless and pointless tacked on to a lot of genuine issues in the hope it can disguise itself as one of them.

MorrisZapp · 01/02/2020 18:49

Progressive values have existed for generations. Nobody my age wants to be lectured by a teenager on what words we may or may not use.

BeepOpsiePie · 01/02/2020 18:53

Because they want to carry on being knobheads forever without being called out on it!

Agree that some “woke” stuff is misguided though and actually turns people against it e.g. white people claiming that white people shouldn’t share reaction GIFs of black people because it’s blackface Hmm

MilkTwoSugarsThanks · 01/02/2020 18:54

Nobody my age wants to be lectured by a teenager on what words we may or may not use.

And yet we will take it upon ourselves to lecture older generations we deem racist/sexist/etc ...

Tbh OP the problem with "woke" is that it tends to come with a liberal sprinkling of hypocrisy and, as mentioned by PP lack of critical thinking.

SilverySurfer · 01/02/2020 18:55

I asked once on here what it meant and I honestly still don't understand. Nor do I understand why you need a made up name for being "aware of and against injustice in society especially racism." Shouldn't everyone be aware of those things? It sounds like virtue signalling to me.

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 01/02/2020 18:56

In my experience the word Woke is used to describe the sort of person who is usually quite young, late teens early twenties who think they're so superior because they see the world differently, they're "awake" to social injustice and everyone else is just following the herd like sheep.

In reality theyre no different to the other socially aware young people that came before them.

AudacityOfHope · 01/02/2020 18:56

I don't think woke is a direct synonym for being against injustice though.

I think it describes a person who might be seen as a serial virtue signaller, who suffers a lack of critical thinking, wants to be seen as a guardian of rightthink and publicly shouts down anyone who disagrees or who wants to debate the issues.

pigsDOfly · 01/02/2020 18:57

I'm very much against injustice and racism but yes, I'm hostile to all this 'woke' nonsense.

Mainly, because it's a bloody stupid word and many people who are claiming to be 'woke' seem to be climbing onto some sort of trendy 'woke' bandwagon.

It's all 'ooh, look at me I'm against injustice.' Virtue signaling, in other words.

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 01/02/2020 18:59

think it describes a person who might be seen as a serial virtue signaller

This is a good way to put it actually.

AllergicToAMop · 01/02/2020 19:00

Megan and Harry are criticised for being too 'woke' as she does yoga and they like animals etc.

No. No they aren't 😂 I think you misunderstood the term "woke"...

AutumnRose1 · 01/02/2020 19:01

Because woke has come to mean ridiculous things, not justice related things.

Its like there’s an oppression tower and whoever the woke consumer ti be at the bottom of the pile are the only ones allowed to have an opinion. Unless it happens to be an opinion they don’t like.

AutumnRose1 · 01/02/2020 19:02

*consider to

Autocorrect!

mrscampbellblackagain · 01/02/2020 19:03

Barack did a good reply in an interview recently laughing a little at who could be the most woke. The general theme was judge people by their actions and don't sit there being all smug for being the most woke keyboard warrior.

I agree with him totally.

terfsandwich · 01/02/2020 19:06

Woke is bourgeois decadent class privilege dressed up as progressivism.

hamstersarse · 01/02/2020 19:06

Wokeness often involves virtue signalling - people seem to latch onto causes to just make themselves look good

Worse though, woke people have started to police people's language and make assumptions about intentions that is related to the virtue signalling in that they are always trying to catch people out with things that people say that you could if you were really trying see as some slur against someone

Alistair Stewart is a good live example of this. He was brought down by woke people and clearly is not a racist. The virtue signalling and desire to find racism and 'stand up' for something 'worthy' seems to trump reality and logic

SilverySurfer · 01/02/2020 19:10

After reading other posts on here, I'm pleased I'm not wrong about all this nonsense and can safely ignore it, let them bore each other to death.

SciFiRules · 01/02/2020 19:11

"Woke" to me suggests a "want to be trendy". People young and old have been aware off, and tried to address unfairness in society since there has been any form of society. If you need a word to describe this you probably don't understand the issue or have other than less selfless motivations.

Whatsername177 · 01/02/2020 19:13

I absolutely hate the term 'get woke' purely because of the incorrect syntax. I think the term 'woke' is used lazily - people are often uninformed about an issue but follow the trendy ideal and then accuse people of 'not being woke' when they disagree, rather than engage in a rational discussion. I also think 'being woke' often encourages this idea that there is no 'wrong' answer. In order to be progressive, you should accept that anything and everything is ok, equal and legitimate. That just isn't the case. I was recently called out for some old photos of me wearing a sari to a traditional hindu wedding ceremony. I was 15, the bride was the sister of my best friend at the time. Her mum was my second mum (and mine hers) and we spent our teenage years in and out of each others houses. Her mum dressed me for the wedding having invited me to the whole thing, including the pre-wedding traditions. Her whole family treated me like family. I had an amazing time with people who I loved and still see 20 years later. Yet someone on social media accused me of cultural appropriation and admonished me for sharing the photos of the wedding publically. In truth, they had been scanned in and shared with me by my friend who found them whilst moving house. Apparently, I need to 'get woke' and stop using my privilege to appropriate Indian culture. Confused I ended up feeling defensive and hurt over something that was a lovely, family memory. It is that thinking that I hate. I don't think Harry and Megan fall into that bracket though - they are more 'hippy' than 'woke'. (I like them and think the world should leave them alone).

hamstersarse · 01/02/2020 19:14

I also think wokeness is one of the problems between leavers and remainers.

Woke remainers just accuse leavers of racism. Period. They refuse to discuss it beyond repeating the term 'racist'

This has all the aspects of virtue signalling - it feels good to have a cause to support that seems obviously right (I mean, really, who does think racism is a good thing?!?) so they are constantly looking for opportunity to demonstrate their virtue and wokeness.

So if a leaver raises concerns about immigration and the impact on their local economy, it is automatic woke racism accusations. The wokeness blinds them to the actual real intentions and feelings behind the issues that some communities have seen with immigration. It is not racism per se to say that you do not want more immigration and that immigration has impacted communities in the UK. Yet woke people insist that it is racist and start to police language, throw insults and personal attacks. It is tiresome. NOthing is ever so black and white as the woke virtue signallers like to believe (and they only do this to other people, obviously they are allowed some nuance and context to their own lives!!)

AutumnRose1 · 01/02/2020 19:14

OP

I think you’re using the original definition of the word woke and it’s become something very different, like poster who wore a sari being criticised.

MimiLaRue · 01/02/2020 19:14

Megan and Harry are criticised for being too 'woke' as she does yoga and they like animals etc

lol, thats not what "woke" means. I would say far more people are irritated by their lecturing us on the environment whilst flying back and forth on various private jets

NameChangeNugget · 01/02/2020 19:21

Megan and Harry are criticised for being too 'woke' as she does yoga and they like animals etc

Biscuit
Jomarchsburntskirt · 01/02/2020 19:21

I think Meghan and Harry are criticised for lecturing us plebs whilst they live the life of riley on their private jets and spending thousands and thousands on il lfitting outfits.