To me......being called 'woke' is a compliment

Brownie groups

I hate the way the word 'woke' has become some sort of sneering insult, usually by people who have absolutely no idea of the true meaning. So, on that basis, I am proud to be 'woke'. If I get under the skin of people like Sarah Vine then I am getting it right.

As a diversion; I was a Brownie, a fairy. I distinctly remember dancing around a large wooden toadstool as part of my induction, and singing the song I'm a fairy, bold and gay, doing good deeds every day

Cripes. That should ruffle a few non wokeys on here.

Galaxy

But again not in education for example where those from Asian backgrounds outperform white working class pupils by miles. This isnt denying white privilege it's just saying discrimination tends to be complex, and in the identity politics hierarchy discrimination by class isnt really considered.

People from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds also have Asian backgrounds. I assume you mean Chinese or Indian. Asia is a big continent.

It seems to me that “woke” and “political correctness” are generally weaponised terms used by the political right, to attack those who are on the political left. In which case I don’t mind being referred to as “woke”.

Doing the wokey-cokey! 🍄

But maddyone you're assuming that people with non-white skin are all the same. Rishi Sunak's experience of growing up is totally different from somebody with a an Afro-Caribbean background in (for example) London.

For that matter, Kemi Badenoch's experience is very different. She comes from a well-educated middle class family in Nigeria, but spent many years of her childhood in the US, where her mother lectured at Harvard and her late father worked for the WHO. Her mother flew to London to give birth to Kemi, who has automatic British citizenship. She has absolutely no right to speak on behalf of people affected by the Windrush scandal - just because she has black skin doesn't mean that she's had the same experiences.

Farzanah

It seems to me that “woke” and “political correctness” are generally weaponised terms used by the political right, to attack those who are on the political left. In which case I don’t mind being referred to as “woke”.

The latest term is "new elite".

It’s not used here. I think many would have heard of it through tv etc but that is about it. Just another four letter word.

When I wrote that I knew someone would pick on the words rather than try to address the complex issues with regard to education. It was quicker than I expected.
So is representation meaningless then growstuff, it has to be the right kind of person with black skin?

maddyone

I don’t want to be called woke. I don’t want to be called not woke. I know language changes and develops all the time, but I dislike the way this word has developed to either insult people, either for being too woke, or not enough woke. It would be nice if we could all be nice to one another and leave the virtue signalling and the shaming of other people out of it.
Live your life, be nice to other people, contribute to charity of you can afford to, be polite, support the underdog when you can, and don’t worry about it all. There are plenty of other words to describe kindness, understanding and compassion.

👏👏👏

The voice of common sense!

I don’t want to be called woke. I don’t want to be called not woke.
Me neither. There are plenty of other words to describe kindness, understanding and compassion I agree, and woke is rather a daft word as it has become misinterpreted in different ways.

I'm sure many of you have seen this but I had to post it here
www.facebook.com/thejohncleese/videos/woke-support-group-tracey-ullman/184984414253922/

I should say that I am completely against any form of discrimination as most people are but it did make me laugh. Maybe it shouldn't?

Quote : "The phrase “woke” and to “stay woke” is not new — it began appearing in the 1940s and was first used by African Americans to “literally mean becoming woken up or sensitised to issues of justice”, says linguist and lexicographer Tony Thorne."
Apparently the word didn't become truly politicised until the birth of the "Black Lives Matter" movement in the U.S.A. As the B.L.M. movement then took root in the U.K., the word then started to be used here in a positive context, referring to being politically, socially and culturally aware. Sadly the word was quickly weaponised by those on the far right, and used with a negative connotation to characterise so-called "loony left" behaviour. Frankly, the word has now become so toxic, that even those who perhaps previously used it positively have been forced to revert to more specific descriptions, such as empathy, tolerance, social justice et al. I wouldn't use the word myself these days, as I'm afraid that its original meaning has been irrevocably corrupted to the point where it has become totally ambiguous, and hence it is practically useless as a descriptive word. On that basis, I couldn't possibly take it as a compliment if it was applied to me. It's actually meaningless now. Other examples? Snowflake? Politically correct?

Callistemon21

maddyone

I don’t want to be called woke. I don’t want to be called not woke. I know language changes and develops all the time, but I dislike the way this word has developed to either insult people, either for being too woke, or not enough woke. It would be nice if we could all be nice to one another and leave the virtue signalling and the shaming of other people out of it.
Live your life, be nice to other people, contribute to charity of you can afford to, be polite, support the underdog when you can, and don’t worry about it all. There are plenty of other words to describe kindness, understanding and compassion.

👏👏👏

The voice of common sense!

I don’t want to be called woke. I don’t want to be called not woke.
Me neither. There are plenty of other words to describe kindness, understanding and compassion I agree, and woke is rather a daft word as it has become misinterpreted in different ways.

It’s now become a verbal tool for the bullies.

I agree, wokeness is a good thing. Particularly if you're advocating for something that doesn't benefit you or your particular circle. It shows social conscience.

What I don't like, is the wholescale adaptation of whatever psychological theories are trendy. Because they're transatory.

Narcissism
Toxic
Gaslighting

I know these are real things. But not to the degree which they're currently being applied to people and situations. Everyone thinks they're a psychologist now, based on reading a quick paragraph off the internet.

I know what you mean, GagaJo and those terms are often misused. But if you have been on the receiving end of a narcissist’s behaviour (and it does follow a pattern) it is unreasonable not to be allowed to describe it as such.

Galaxy

When I wrote that I knew someone would pick on the words rather than try to address the complex issues with regard to education. It was quicker than I expected.
So is representation meaningless then growstuff, it has to be the right kind of person with black skin?

What are you on about?

I never even claimed anything about the "right kind of person with black skin".

The vast majority of people in the world have darker skin than northern Europeans. Claiming they're all represented because a few people with darker skin are in parliament doesn't work.

Thanks for the Brownie groups Fanny. Now I understand why I’ve always been self conscious and worried about impact!! I was an elf ‘think of others not ourselves’ 🥴

biglouis

To me "wokery" has become intertwined with lots of rubbish about pulling down statues and people of my generation being made to feel they should apologize for what their grandparents did in the empire, as well as white privilage. My parents did not feel very privilaged in their tiny two up two down with no bathroom and Ive done more than my share for society so I have no patience with all this trendy garbage.

Easy for you to dismiss because as white people, we walk around, mostly unharassed on the street/in the shop/in public because of our white skin.

I see the other side too as a white person, because my family are of colour. I literally fear for my brown-skinned grandson growing up because I know what he's got coming. And he's an amazing kid.

So if people are 'woke' it means they can see him not just his colour. And he deserves to be seen and appreciated.

Doodledog

I know what you mean, GagaJo and those terms are often misused. But if you have been on the receiving end of a narcissist’s behaviour (and it does follow a pattern) it is unreasonable not to be allowed to describe it as such.

Oh yes, I know they're real. But the way things are at the moment, the current focus, would have us believe every asshole is narcissistic. When they're not. A lot of them are common or garden assholes.

'Here we come the sprightly sprites, brave and helpful like the knights'. Interpret that as you wish. Hope there's some wokery in there.

Yes, as I say, I know what you mean. Every bare faced lie is not gaslighting, but but is often described as such, too.

There will be a new set of fashionable terms along soon. We’ve had obsession, having a complex and OCD that I can remember- and there were plenty more before that.

nanna8

It’s not used here. I think many would have heard of it through tv etc but that is about it. Just another four letter word.

It seems everybody thinks their particular country is immune to such silliness...

www.skynews.com.au/opinion/peta-credlin/australian-public-are-fed-up-with-govt-pushing-woke-rubbish/video/dc68d05c4b60385ee504ca64cefe5060

I do like the term common or garden asshole gagajo
We hear a lot that it's important that women and those from ethnic minorities are represented at the highest levels of our government, and I agree it is, but then when it happens it's often discounted because of their wealth or their politics. I find that interesting.