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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that the opposite of woke, is asleep?

265 replies

QuertyGirl · 27/01/2023 12:04

Following on from a conversation with my elderly (but very with it) Aunt the other day.

She stated that she was anti-woke and I asked her if that just meant that she wasn't interested in equality, social justice any more. Being literally "asleep" to this sort of thing, as opposed to being awake or "woke". She definitely is not asleep to that stuff.

Another conversation with a (middle aged like me) friend and we agreed that when woke is used as an insult, it's no different to the old "political correctness gone mad" cry.

So, is anti-woke to be willingly asleep to stuff?

OP posts:
SlightlyJaded · 27/01/2023 12:08

No. It's an anti-willingness to be outraged at everything and jump on every bandwagon and cancel everything that doesn't immediately sit well with your immediate and current school of thinking.

I am probably in favour of the same things as most woke young people: equality/social and racial justice and human rights, but I am not in favour of refusing to entertain an alternative view and give someone who disagrees with me airtime. I am also not going to jump on every campaign and hashtag bandwagon without considering the flip side or the deeper consequences of that campaign.

To be the opposite of Woke is 'Open'.

SlightlyJaded · 27/01/2023 12:09

*To me

HesDeadBenYouCanStopNow · 27/01/2023 12:42

I agree woke is seen as politically correct gone mad rather than awake to x issues. It started one way and has morphed to the extreme.

Being anti woke is to be ordinarily concerned with x issues / balanced in views not asleep

For example Anti woke people often believe penises don't belong in female prisons. Woke people this TWAW so anyone that says they are a women should be housed as a woman.

Hopefullyupwards · 27/01/2023 12:56

I think 'woke' as an insult is sometimes meant as 'political correctness gone mad'. I find the people who use it (online) often go beyond that, so would say for example someone is woke if they advocated for a lower threshold for free school meals or not shipping people off to Rwanda. I personally haven't come across those who claim to be anti-woke having middle of the road values, or being open to debate. IRL, it doesn't really come up for me.

GabriellaMontez · 27/01/2023 13:09

The meaning of woke has changed over the last few years. For example when certain people decided it would be 'awake' to house male rapists in women's prisons.

Tinkerbyebye · 27/01/2023 13:16

SlightlyJaded · 27/01/2023 12:08

No. It's an anti-willingness to be outraged at everything and jump on every bandwagon and cancel everything that doesn't immediately sit well with your immediate and current school of thinking.

I am probably in favour of the same things as most woke young people: equality/social and racial justice and human rights, but I am not in favour of refusing to entertain an alternative view and give someone who disagrees with me airtime. I am also not going to jump on every campaign and hashtag bandwagon without considering the flip side or the deeper consequences of that campaign.

To be the opposite of Woke is 'Open'.

This

youshouldnthaveasked · 27/01/2023 13:18

Woke and awake are not the same thing

ItsCalledAConversation · 27/01/2023 13:20

The opposite of woke is conservative/republican.

Helleofabore · 27/01/2023 13:40

GabriellaMontez · 27/01/2023 13:09

The meaning of woke has changed over the last few years. For example when certain people decided it would be 'awake' to house male rapists in women's prisons.

Yes. 'woke' has been redefined just as other terms have been in the past years.

Just like the words 'tolerant'. The studies that are now coming through that seem to have a common thread that those who view themselves as the most 'tolerant' in the population are in fact, the exact opposite. That people in the age groups up to around 28 now lie about what they actually believe because they fear abuse and ostracism from their friends, support groups or just social groups and sometimes families.

It is a great concern to anyone with children.

FourTeaFallOut · 27/01/2023 13:41

No. Woke is signing from the hymn sheet without looking at the words.

FourTeaFallOut · 27/01/2023 13:42

Singing, even.

QuertyGirl · 27/01/2023 13:44

@Helleofabore

Link to studies please?

OP posts:
LINABE · 27/01/2023 13:46

SlightlyJaded · 27/01/2023 12:08

No. It's an anti-willingness to be outraged at everything and jump on every bandwagon and cancel everything that doesn't immediately sit well with your immediate and current school of thinking.

I am probably in favour of the same things as most woke young people: equality/social and racial justice and human rights, but I am not in favour of refusing to entertain an alternative view and give someone who disagrees with me airtime. I am also not going to jump on every campaign and hashtag bandwagon without considering the flip side or the deeper consequences of that campaign.

To be the opposite of Woke is 'Open'.

Well said!

Helleofabore · 27/01/2023 13:51

QuertyGirl · 27/01/2023 13:44

@Helleofabore

Link to studies please?

Sure. I will go and get the links later.

There are at least two are stashed on the 'Break it Down for me?' thread on the feminist board, if you want to go and look in the meantime.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3145470-Break-it-down-for-me?page=36

A study on 'woke' was down in 2021 by Dr Frank Luntz too.

It is becoming a finding across data collected for different reasons.

Helleofabore · 27/01/2023 13:52

done. not down

chocolateismyjam · 27/01/2023 13:52

SlightlyJaded · 27/01/2023 12:08

No. It's an anti-willingness to be outraged at everything and jump on every bandwagon and cancel everything that doesn't immediately sit well with your immediate and current school of thinking.

I am probably in favour of the same things as most woke young people: equality/social and racial justice and human rights, but I am not in favour of refusing to entertain an alternative view and give someone who disagrees with me airtime. I am also not going to jump on every campaign and hashtag bandwagon without considering the flip side or the deeper consequences of that campaign.

To be the opposite of Woke is 'Open'.

Not usually a fan of quoting just to say "This", but...... This.

ImmigrantAlice · 27/01/2023 13:53

I believe passionately in human rights, women’s rights, equality of opportunity, safety and dignity for all, and so on, but don’t see “woke” as being about this at all.

It’s the “woke” who scream abuse at women trying to hold a public demonstration. It’s the “woke” who scream “fascist” at babies, let town people’s tyres forhaving the wrong cars, throw statues in the river, and argue that male rapists belong in female prisons.

Black Lives Matter, sending dick pictures to JK Rowling, hounding Kathleen Stock out of her job, throwing eggs at royalty, these are the causes that appear to matter to the “woke”, and I have no time for any of it.

Thepeopleversuswork · 27/01/2023 13:55

I think "woke" has several meanings. It began as a word for progressives, then started to be used as a pejorative term by gender critical feminists and other people who were upset about some elements of the trans movement (and for the record I largely agree with them). But now it has now become a kind of dog-whistle phrase that's used to attack anything which makes a person feel guilty about their lack of social conscience (or lack thereof).

As PPs have said it's largely supplanted "political correctness" as a non-specific bugbear for people who are made uncomfortable by other people espousing progressive causes, whether that be LGBTQ rights or social justice. And is now widely used by right wing ideologues, gammons and often not very bright people who read the right wing mid-market papers as a catch-all for any cause they consider to be to the left of them on social issues.

So I think it very much depends on who you are talking to.

Gymrabbit · 27/01/2023 13:59

Yes when I think of woke it’s the sort of people who espouse kindness and tolerance while calling those with more conservative views ‘gammons’ and saying they are stupid, as so aptly demonstrated by
Thepeopleversuswork

barneshome · 27/01/2023 14:00

QuertyGirl · 27/01/2023 12:04

Following on from a conversation with my elderly (but very with it) Aunt the other day.

She stated that she was anti-woke and I asked her if that just meant that she wasn't interested in equality, social justice any more. Being literally "asleep" to this sort of thing, as opposed to being awake or "woke". She definitely is not asleep to that stuff.

Another conversation with a (middle aged like me) friend and we agreed that when woke is used as an insult, it's no different to the old "political correctness gone mad" cry.

So, is anti-woke to be willingly asleep to stuff?

No it is not being woke and offended by anything and everything

ReneBumsWombats · 27/01/2023 14:01

Are you thinking of a particular issue?

barneshome · 27/01/2023 14:02

Gymrabbit · 27/01/2023 13:59

Yes when I think of woke it’s the sort of people who espouse kindness and tolerance while calling those with more conservative views ‘gammons’ and saying they are stupid, as so aptly demonstrated by
Thepeopleversuswork

Really?
Woke people are amazing self absorbed and get angry when anyone has a different point of view to themselves and think that no one should be allowed to express an opinion that differs from their own
I call that ignorant and narrow minded and very right wing rater than kind

Viviennemary · 27/01/2023 14:02

I'd say the opposite of woke is common sense. Which isn't always applied by woke people.

barneshome · 27/01/2023 14:03

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Thepeopleversuswork · 27/01/2023 14:03

@Gymrabbit I have no problem with people with conservative views per se. I do think a subset of people with conservative views are ill educated, ill-informed (getting most of their political opinions from the right-wing press) and often quite bigoted whom I have no problem calling gammons.

And you're quite happy to dish out "woke" as a catch-all insult so you should be able to take "gammon".

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