The term "woke" originated from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), which is a variety of English spoken by many Black people in the United States and Canada. Woke initially referred to being aware of racial discrimination and prejudice. The phrase "stay woke" has been used for over a century, but its popularity increased in 2014 as the Black Lives Matter movement gained ground.
As we move further into the 2020s, the meaning of "woke" is becoming broader and has come to include a more comprehensive understanding of social injustices like racial inequality, sexism, and the denial of LGBT rights.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has added woke to its list and defines it as “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)”. However, the term has a history of being used negatively by some conservatives to describe anything considered too liberal or progressive.
After the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in a protest rally in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014, the term "woke" gained popularity. On that day, the youth was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson, who alleged that an altercation between him and Brown ensued when Brown attacked him in his police car to get his service pistol. The struggle continued until the pistol fired. This event ignited unrest in Ferguson.
Woke Ideology’s Fundamental Principles
"Woke" is an ideology that says American culture is repressive, focusing on people's ethnicity and identity. It seeks to promote equality by supporting oppressed groups and separating individuals based on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
The following are the fundamental principles of Woke ideology.
1. "Equity" is defined as "the state, quality, or ideal of being just, impartial, and fair." The notion of equity is related to fairness and justice. It is beneficial to see equality as more than just a desirable condition of circumstances or a high value. It must be seen as a structural and systemic idea.
2. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”, often shortened to “DEI” are policies that aim to promote a more inclusive and diverse environment in various fields. However, some people argue that DEI’s association with woke ideology only benefits certain groups of people who adhere to a specific worldview.
3. “Intersectionality” is a concept that combines different traits like race, gender, and sexual preference to create identities that show some groups as more oppressed than others. This approach can lead to competition between groups to find out which one is the most oppressed, creating an "Oppression Olympics.”
4. “Anti-Racism” is the belief and practice of treating all people equally, regardless of their race. This philosophy involves acknowledging personal privileges and confronting acts and systems of racial discrimination. Some modern anti-racism movements include the Black Lives Matter movement, a group that highlights racism, discrimination, and racial inequality affecting black people, and the Human Rights Movement, a group that purports to resist “racism, imperialism, colonialism, segregation, patriarchy, and oppression of indigenous peoples.”
5. "Cultural Responsiveness" opposes the idea of a common American culture and instead elevates foreign civilizations. It suggests redesigning schools to be more pleasure-focused, eliminating homework and grading, and separating students into affinity groups based on race, gender, and sexual orientation. The goal is to eliminate failure as an option.
6. "Social Emotional Learning" (SEL) is a method of teaching children about their environment and society, as well as how to interact socially with an awakened perspective. It promotes emotional and psychological affirmation and helps students understand the emotions experienced by activists. All emotions are genuine and have a purpose.
7. "Climate Justice" is a term used to support policies that aim to correct environmental injustices by justifying discriminatory policies and wealth redistribution. This concept is now widely used by the Left and government agencies that oversee climate policy. Moreover, it is increasingly incorporating features of equity and anti-racism.
8. "Environmental, Social, and Governance Framework" (ESG) is a set of guidelines that assesses an organization's performance based on sustainability and ethical considerations. It measures business risks and opportunities by these yardsticks as well. “Environmental” measures how an organization impacts the planet. “Social” measures how an organization impacts people, including staff, customers, and the community. “Governance” measures how an organization is governed, including transparency, company leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights
9. "Gender Ideology" is the study of the differences and similarities in human views on men, women, and alternative gender identities across cultures. It is different from biological sex and treats gender as plural rather than binary. Gender ideology can also refer to attitudes about the responsibilities, rights, and roles of men and women in society. These attitudes can be general or specific to a domain, such as legal, familial, political, social, or economic.
Woke Ideology Promotes Inclusivity and Social Justice On Social Media But Stifles Free Speech.
Woke ideology, as represented by various rules and standards of political correctness that permeate social media, has reached the point that in one’s effort to obey or observe these rules, one ends up greatly limiting or modifying what one has to say. Woke ideology has gained momentum in recent years, and while it purportedly aims to promote “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” it has instead created a culture of fear and self-censorship among netizens.
For example, Facebook’s infamously vague “community standards” excessively censor the massive amount of political content that is expressed by its billions of users. This is from a company that sells itself as a staunch defender and champion of free speech, democracy, and human rights.
For its part, X (formerly Twitter) enforces community standards that ban hate speech, harassment, and other types of abusive conduct. However, these restrictions may be regarded as unduly broad, thereby suppressing valid conversation. X often censors or deletes talk about sensitive topics such as race, and gender, even if they contain well-intentioned arguments that could advance discourse on these subjects.
Mob mentality can arise out of the dynamics of social media, a situation in which users who voice unpopular viewpoints are swiftly condemned or assaulted by a huge number of individuals. This kind of horde attitude might deter people from speaking openly on controversial or sensitive issues for fear of social ostracism or professional repercussions.
Fear of retaliation or condemnation from others may cause people to avoid expressing certain opinions or using certain terms, even if such opinions are legal and non-abusive. This fear of social ostracism can lead individuals to stay silent or conform to the dominant narrative, even if they disagree with it.
To conclude, woke ideology can have a chilling effect on free speech, academic discourse, open discourse, and internet discourse. It can be a gag that stifles the exchange of ideas and limits critical thinking. Ultimately, this can lead to a less diverse, less inclusive, and less tolerant society, which is contrary to the professed goals of the woke movement. It is important to strike a balance between ostensibly promoting social justice and equity and respecting freedom of expression and open dialogue.
References
1. Crenshaw, K. (1989). *Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics*. University of Chicago Legal Forum.
2. Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2017). *Critical Race Theory: An Introduction* (3rd ed.). New York, NY: New York University Press.
3. DiAngelo, R. (2018). *White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism*. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
4. History.com Editors. (2020, August 6). Michael Brown is Killed by a Police Officer in Ferguson, Missouri. HISTORY. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/michael-brown-killed-by-police-ferguson-mo
5. Kendi, I. X. (2019). *How to Be an Antiracist*. New York, NY: One World.
6. McIntosh, P. (1989). *White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack*. Peace and Freedom Magazine, July/August, 10-12.
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