Can anyone explain “woke” to me

I came on to this thread looking for enlightenment too Flossieturner. Let's hope someone knows....

It’s a byword for social awareness Flossieturner

I think it means being awakened, mentally and emotionally, to certain societal issues that may you have been aware of but not have necessarily understood or appreciated in its entirety.

oops may you you may

It’s one of those words that has recently shifted in meaning - originally it meant what Cal said but in the context of social, particularly racial, injustice. Now it’s often used negatively to apply to people voicing very ‘right on’ opinions on a whole range of social issues often imo talking through their hats. I often use it disparagingly to describe the pro- trans views of many celebrities and leading politicians.

It describes sanctimonious hypocritical people who think they are better than the rest of us as only they are concerned about the planet.

They often fly around the world preaching their message about the horrors of, well, any form of motorised transport.

gmarie yes that’s a good explanation in its pure meaning

and its their

Sheesh, I'm tired! After 3 a.m. here in CA. Off to bed...

I wouldn’t use the word ‘woke’ about climate change activists - I think its more touchy feely than that.

I searched and found this:
metro.co.uk/2018/06/27/wait-woke-mean-7665438/
Probably easier to read an article than to try and explain it! I'm not sure any of us can really. I think the problem is that some people are becoming too socially aware!

Agree, suziewoozie . Here in the US, racial injustice and sexual harassment are the two issues currently associated with the term most frequently.

So have I got this right. It started as referring to issues that were currently in the public conscience but now and insult for being too aware of them. Any one know how it originated?
People being woken up to these things perhaps?

I don’t actually like it as a word to use - even though I sometimes use it in exasperation but always I’ve realised in relation to trans issues. I think it’s when the feely bit of an issue somehow trumps the bigger picture and there’s little evidence of logical thought. Two recent examples - Always were being woke when they decided to take the female symbol of their sanitary packaging and second, Mand S announcing that men could use women’s changing rooms if that made them feel more comfortable. Neither of those examples are hypocritical, they are just damn stupid and defy rational thought.

African-American origin I believe and racial injustice to start with ( and sexual harassment latterly).

And Meghan writing those daft messages on bananas last year for sex workers. ‘You’re special’ etc. Jeez.

How strange that that was the first example you came up with Urm

I think it's considered sick to use words like woke - it slaps and lets people know how aware you are of social issues.

I don’t think people describe themselves as being woke- more other people describe what they’ve said.

President Obama said (in so many words..) that if all you're doing is casting stones, then you're not woke, and what you're doing couldn't be considered activism but judgement-

So woke would mean offering both solution and insight-

I was about to suggest you ask Meghan Markle and she'll write the answer on a banana but Urmstongran beat me to it.

It's the only example I can think of.

Really merlot?

Yep! Round here it means you're not asleep.

This is interesting
theconversation.com/where-woke-came-from-and-why-marketers-should-think-twice-before-jumping-on-the-social-activism-bandwagon-122713

Why ‘strange’ suziewoozie??