What is the woke agenda?

[Taswama]

So, my lovely mum has heard this term on the news and ask me if I can explain what it means or send her some links that do.
My first thought is that 'woke' is the modern day equivalent of 'political correctness' and specifically the trans agenda of denying biology and focusing on people's identity rather than biological reality. (I think it was the attack on Jenni Murray a few years ago that first got me interested).
But I wonder if there is a better way to explain this?
I have discussed transwomen in sports with her previously and was looking for a mainstream article on the judicial review on women's prison to send her, but couldn't find one.
We are basically a leftie family but it's the right wing press that is honest about this and using terms such as woke.

Please help, oh wise women of FWR!

@Firstbellini
‘Woke refers to people who are interested in identity politics of race, gender and sexuality but don’t care about class or sex.

It is also generally opposed to freedom of speech and sides with employers over workers.’

You have stated that class or sex do not matter in relation to being woke twice now. How does one separate class and sex from race, gender and sexuality?
Please explain further by giving at least one example.

The thing about intersectionality is that if it is used, as it so often is, to deny the axis of global oppression which is being born female, in favour of luxury beliefs about gender identity, it is not in any way fulfilling its central premise, that particular oppression is compounded and people fall through the gaps.

I think most people just use it as a slogan or label without actually considering what it means.

My first thought is that 'woke' is the modern day equivalent of 'political correctness'

I think "wokeness" is in many ways an updating of "political correctness". They both express the idea of a kind of progressive orthodoxy that is imposed in the name of social justice.

Thanks Just . That's confused me more! Is intersectionality a bad thing? I thought it was just acknowledging that a black lesbian woman will suffer more discrimination than a white straight woman

Yes, of course, but as I see it, all that inter-sectionalism ( a very recent term) suggests is what is, and always has been, already obvious. Some people face multiple hardships or difficulties. We don't need a table to tell us this. And when people start looking at the 'oppression league' as indicated by a table, instead of at the actual person, we have identity politics.

I don’t understand your question.

Class isn’t a category in the equality act, so it is clearly possible to separate class from gender, sexuality and race.

Woke means being conscious of racial discrimination in society and other forms of oppression and injustice

Most people are already, and always have been, aware that some groups of people are less powerful and suffer hardship or discrimination. The 'woke' thing, though, has become a tribal identity. Very self righteous and morally sure of itself. Engaged in never ending, highly polarised warfare.

It's all become a bit 'all animals are equal but some are more equal than others' , 'two legs good four legs bad'.

The podcast Blocked and Reported discusses a lot of issues around being ‘woke’ from a left wing non woke perspective, although the focus is the US not the U.K.

The podcast Blocked and Reported discusses a lot of issues around being ‘woke’ from a left wing non woke perspective, although the focus is the US not the U.K

I think the highly U.S focused experience is part of the problem for us here in Britain with 'intersectionality'. It doesn't fit the British experience in the same way. Same way with transgenderism. It arose as a concept from American born Queer Theory.

Just, yes I agree. Generally people in Britain are far less interested in having a culture war anyway.

@zinco
‘But what if you're making exaggerated claims about the nature of racism in society; actually going to the point of being an anti-white racist yourself, and have batshit crazy ideas you are putting forward as "solutions"?

All the time you are convinced that you are righteous and have the moral high ground?

Perhaps some people might start using "woke" in a mocking fashion...’

Try replacing ‘anti-white’ with ‘anti-black’.

IMO, Actor Laurence Fox is an perfect example of a racist person who has hijacked the term woke, makes exaggerated claims and is putting forward bat shit crazy claims as solutions.

This ignorant and disillusioned man who heads up The Reclaim Party, wants to fill the gap left by Nigel Farage and has just announced his sights on becoming the next London Major.

Woke is almost always used as a pejorative now though, and has been for years. Laurence Fox hasn’t really hijacked it.

@Justhadathought

The podcast Blocked and Reported discusses a lot of issues around being ‘woke’ from a left wing non woke perspective, although the focus is the US not the U.K

I think the highly U.S focused experience is part of the problem for us here in Britain with 'intersectionality'. It doesn't fit the British experience in the same way. Same way with transgenderism. It arose as a concept from American born Queer Theory.

Same with BLM. It's very rooted in American history and applying it to Britain isn't necessarily helpful.

Actually, US politics and society in terms of being rooted in identity politics on one side and very conservative on the other side is not how want Britain to be.

@WarOnWomen

To be woke is to be awakened to the social injustice that exists based around different groups having privilege and power over other groups who are powerless and oppressed. It's all based around identity. People in the privileged section are told to check their privilege and people in the oppressed group are victims.

My objection to it as a minority ethnic woman is that everything is seen through a lens of identity politics. As a BAME I must be oppressed. Actually no, I'm not. I feel being woke means that I have to see myself as a victim. I refuse to believe I don't have personal agency. Just because I am from a BAME group doesn't mean I look at everything with that lens. I have other priorities as a mother and as a daughter, for example, with aging parents. I am complex human being who has a whole host different, sometimes conflicting priorities and needs.

I also don't want or need white people to check their privilege. It's so condescending. My DPs niece is ashamed to be white with her privilege. That's not right, is it? She's not the only one either.

Exactly this. And also BAME people like myself are waiting for the backlash. I have seen on various anti racism boards very bad things happening - I’ve seen white women who are married to black men and who have mixed raced children being attacked and told they are inherently racist as one example. This is not right.

IMO, Actor Laurence Fox is an perfect example of a racist person who has hijacked the term woke, makes exaggerated claims and is putting forward bat shit crazy claims as solutions.

I think the term has been hijacked by both left and right for very similar aims - to maintain the status quo.

The term woke is misleading , as I understands to means an awakening to new ideas. However it is not a awareness of freedom as in the effort to promote a new set of ideals those with other opinions are being hailed as backward or worse. I believe wokeness originally may have been well intentioned but is an excuse used by some to push an agenda through and deny others their rights and chance to express their opinions freely

Exactly this. And also BAME people like myself are waiting for the backlash. I have seen on various anti racism boards very bad things happening - I’ve seen white women who are married to black men and who have mixed raced children being attacked and told they are inherently racist as one example. This is not right.

That really is upsetting.

Thanks everyone, really interesting.
So I know what woke used to mean and how it is now being used. But I'm not clear about what mainstream media mean when they talk about the 'woke agenda'. My mum will have heard it on BBC or Radio 4, almost certainly.
I want to say it is powerful white people creating a hierarchy of repression, with gender non-conforming / trans people at the top and gender being more important than sex. This means women are told that their biology is irrelevant and even mentioning it is discrimination.

‘Woke agenda’ has been co-opted by conservatives (and therefore MSM) to create phoney culture wars - metropolitan areas v rest of the UK, POC v white people, liberals v conservatives ... whatever they don’t like really. Much like ‘political correctness’ stopped being about thinking about the language you use and behaviours you exhibit, and became a pejorative term, accompanied by eye rolling. IMO.

I want to say it is powerful white people creating a hierarchy of repression, with gender non-conforming / trans people at the top and gender being more important than sex. This means women are told that their biology is irrelevant and even mentioning it is discrimination

i wouldn't say it was abut 'powerful white people'.....that is almost framing your response to your mother's question in a very inter-sectionalist. almost woke kind of way.....in which white people are automatically the baddies.....

‘Woke agenda’ has been co-opted by conservatives (and therefore MSM) to create phoney culture wars

I don't think there is anything 'phoney' about highlighting the ideological constructs and agendas behind intersectionalism/wokeism.

I know the concept of 'culture wars' is bang on trend right now on the left too; with the left is tending towards denying that there is such a thing as cancel culture and so on...while we all know there is.

The woke agenda denies that there is an agenda.

Another term now frequently used to dismiss those who question the 'woke agenda' is 'moral panic'.

One thing to bear in mind with the woke movement is how its ideals stack up against what it actually does in practice. In practice it is highly authoritarian and against free speech (ie in favour of suppressing the speech of those who are not of its tribe).

You're not looking at a movement that believes in liberal ideals.

Yes I'm assuming it is to do with the government plan to protect free speech at universities.
Ok 'powerful white people' may not be helpful!

Wheresyourclapham

"IMO, Actor Laurence Fox is an perfect example of a racist person who has hijacked the term woke, makes exaggerated claims and is putting forward bat shit crazy claims as solutions."

Could you give an example of how Lawrence Fox is a racist? I think he is a highly annoying person, but I have never heard him say anything racist.
Is this a bit like saying JKR is "transphobic" when she is no such thing?