How to deal with the term "woke" (whatever it means)

[gulliver]

The word "woke" doesn't appear in the Dem platform document, so it's clear that we Dems don't consider ourselves defined by the term (whatever it means). But what can be done to reform this label, if anything, and, perhaps, turn it against the right?

One way is to disassociate the Democratic Party from the word. We could simply put in the platform that Dems aren't "woke." Something like, "The term 'woke' doesn't appear in this document. It has no solid formal definition, and it appears to be a name-calling label wielded by the right to attribute to Dems whatever awful thing the right wants to label us with at the moment. To be clear, the Democratic Party doesn't deal in labels, and we explicitly don't accept this one. A voter who chooses to label themselves 'woke' is encouraged to vote Democratic if they support the Democratic Platform, as are voters who agree with the platform but either don't consider themselves woke or choose to ignore labels entirely (which we recommend)."

That sort of approach is what you might do if you wanted to emphasize that the Dems have never said we were "woke," and that Republicans saying we are, therefore, is a lie. In rhetoric, unfortunately, you often have to explicitly deny that you are saying a thing to prevent it being inferred from subtext. Republican extremists are counting on us not doing that in order to paint Dems as radical boogie people.

Another thing we could do is go the other way and define the word "woke" normatively in the platform document. The definition could emerge from the official Democratic Platform process. I would hope (and do assume) that the process is grounded in one-vote-per-person representation. You could create an "official" definition of the term "woke," in other words, for the purposes of the document. This is done all the time in official documents such as contracts, laws, and standards. If we did that, we would have a ready response whenever a Republican implies that "woke" means something awful. Just point to the definition and note that all of the awful "reductio ad absurdum" cases they like to whine about aren't in the definition.

[Diamond_Dog]

1. The Right uses it as a pejorative to refer to everything they don't like.

I don’t think half of them could even define “woke”.

I have not once ever heard a Democrat brag about being “woke”.

Inclusive, yes. Compassionate, yes. Egalitarian, yes. But not “woke”.

[gulliver]

2. That's my experience too

All of these positive, important things that people agree with are what Dems are all about, but the right just has to say the magic word "woke," and it trips us up.

[mitch96]

11. +1, exactly.

[Tetrachloride]

3. A lot of my friends are not English speakers and or are children.

I don’t have the desire to use words that they won’t understand.

I don’t want to act like a lawyer.

[elias7]

4. Does anyone have a problem with the word being appropriated from black culture?

The term has been around for sometime but has a broader and really a different meaning in its current use by white culture.

The other thing I don’t like about the term in its current form is that it implies being enlightened, which implies you’re either part of the cool group or you’re not. I don’t think this mild form of arrogance appeals to independent voters.

[Hortensis]

10. Which "current use" by which "white culture?"

I find what that seems to say profoundly insulting and "unwoke" but probably that wasn't actually meant?

Sure I think the perversion of its original meaning is a shame, but everything with worth or power gets appropriated. That's how peoples advance. In this case it was worthy and its use became powerful, almost necessitating the RW to attack and turn it to evil purposes.

Imo, the evil purposes are what need the focus. My goal is leaving these mean days behind for a future in which people once again most often smile and say you're welcome when someone admires something enough to want to emulate it.

[Gaugamela]

5. I don't identify as a Christian, but it seems to me a simple response to

the charge of being “woke” is something like: “People have a hard time defining ‘woke’, but it seems to me that it just means trying to live by the Golden Rule. ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ That doesn’t sound so bad to me.”

[SledDriver]

6. It's a "choose your own bigotry" term

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. Ron DeSantis' Lawyers Asked To Define "Woke" And The Result Is A Gem

Asking for a definition of woke seems to work. Here is the official legal definition of the term "woke" according to DeathSantis' attorneys

Link to tweet

https://www.pride.com/politics/desantis-woke#rebelltitem1

It is hard to believe they could say this without questioning themselves, but this actually happened. Florida's Stop WOKE Act that DeSantis brought to life made it it illegal for anyone who takes state money, including teachers and most college professors, to espouse that unquestionably accurate belief.

“DeSantis' lawyers were forced by the court to define "woke." The lead lawyer described it as "The belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them." https://t.co/O5HGJuJIay”

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[KentuckyWoman]

8. I involuntarily laugh when I hear it.

Last weekend we had HS graduation in my extended family. The girl's boyfriend uttered "I'm not getting into any of that woke shit". I nearly choked on a mouthful laughing involuntarily.

After I got my breath, I got serious and said sleeping through life in the dark is no way to be. I believe I even referred to him as "son" and pointed my fork at him. He was NOT happy. The girl's father was overjoyed by the whole thing. Can't stand that bratty boy.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Let it fly

Link to tweet