In March I mentioned to a friend that my daughter recently spoke at a global UNESCO conference in Abu Dhabi on “safeguarding cultural heritage”, mainly relating to climate change. He asked if that was an anti-woke message. I was confused as I hear so many interpretations of what “woke” means today. Did my friend infer that this message was a positive or a negative? I asked myself, how could anyone question climate change or the importance of country’s cultural heritage today.
The term “woke” is being used often these days, especially in politics by conservatives when trying to position their political brand as a better alternative to what they claim is the woke ideology of progressives. Creating a memorable, evocative name for differentiating a brand from competition or an adversary is important for successful branding. Republicans have always excelled at selecting inflammable, emotion inspiring names or expressions to describe their critics and philosophies. For examples, overt names used by Trump and his allies that excite their MAGA audience include “elitist”, “fake news”, “weaponized”, “cowards”, “socialists”, “de-fund”, “snowflakes” (for progressive students), etc.
How “Woke” Has Expanded
“Woke” now seems to be the most striking term to distinguish a conservative brand, used primarily as an insult to progressive values. The concept of being “woke” was originated by the Black community in the mid-1950s to refer to someone who is informed, educated and conscious of social injustice and racial inequality. Wikipedia points out that since 2010, the interpretation of woke has broadened to encompass a wider array of identity-based social justice issues, and used as a shorthand to stereotype the American left. The most common targeted causes are diversity, sexual orientation and inclusion issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, critical race theory, voter rights, reproductive and abortion rights, and inclusive education in schools.
Many conservatives refer to wokeness as simply a disdainful word that is associated with anything sounding liberal. Nikki Haley decried wokeness as a “virus more dangerous than any pandemic, hands down”. Trump has positioned his personal anti-woke brand as a “cultural warrior who is protecting vulnerable Christians”. Ron DeSantis is very adamant about this ideology: “because woke represents a war on truth, we must wage a war on woke”. Under DeSantis’ crusade against wokeness, Florida has banned discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary school grades and rejected AP African American history courses in state high schools.
Most Americans don’t share this negative, restrictive view of wokeness. In an Ipsos Poll in March 2023, 56% of Americans agree with the original definition that woke means “to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices”. Yet 39% also side with the Republican view, “to be overly politically correct and police others’ words”.
Falsehoods To Support “Woke” Today
Unfortunately the relentless passion behind these woke accusations has given rise to misinformation and conspiracy theories as the explanation for some economic crises. When the Silicon Valley Bank failed, conservatives blamed it on wokeness, in particular the bank’s commitments to workplace diversity and environmentally and socially conscious investments (i.e. the policy on “diversity, equity and inclusion”, also known as D.E.I.). plus investing in E.S.G.:
- Donald Trump Jr. said that “SVB is what happens when you push a leftist/woke ideology”
- Stephen Miller, a key aid to Trump, accused the bank of wasting its funding on “trendy woke BS.”
- Ron DeSantis blamed the bank’s diversity programs
- Representative James Comer said “they were one the most woke banks”.
The truth is that the bank’s demise had nothing to do with wokeness. Its failure was caused mainly by mismanagement, rising interest rates and a loss of $1.8 billion from its sale of bonds. Also SVB’s policies on diversity and its social and environmental investments were consistent with other banks’ initiatives.
Yes, words do matter today. It seems that woke is still an elusive concept which has become another divisive political tool that is always changing, depending on who you ask.
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