Woke is typically defined as an awareness of social-justice and racial-justice issues. But that deliberately hides the most important part. Here’s a more realistic definition.
Definition of woke: having certain far-left views regarding social- and racial-justice and believing that any who disagree are under the thought control of the oppressive capitalist system.
The idea that all of us who don’t believe the woke ideology are subject to capitalist mind control (“asleep”) is central. A popular analogy among the woke comes from the cult film, The Matrix (1999). Neo, the lead character, becomes a revolutionary when he chooses the Red Pill and is freed from the enslaving control of the computer-generated dream world and escapes into the real world. In this way he becomes woke, although the film does not use that term.
What are Woke Views Social Justice?
Four main ideological views underpin most woke behavior. These are:
- Social construction. All ideas and knowledge are “socially constructed,” by the oppressive capitalist system, especially ideas about race and gender.
- Thought control. It is the job of woke revolutionaries to suppress these ideas and replace them with woke ideas.
- Power hierarchy. The system has created a hierarchy of power and oppression with white, straight men at the top and black, non-binary women at the bottom.
- Victimhood culture. The woke must invert the power hierarchy, placing those who have been most victimized at the top.
Social construction. You will find the woke claiming all sorts of ideas are “socially constructed.” Although everyone agrees that social pressure has a huge influence on the views of individuals, the woke take this to mean that all your ideas come from the capitalist system — unless you’re woke. Read more.
Thought control. So belief #1 leads naturally to #2, the idea that the woke (who have awoken from capitalist mind control) must suppress everyone else’s ideas (which are just capitalist brainwashing) and replace them with true woke ideas.
Power hierarchy. There is some truth to this hierarchy. But the woke mistake is to think in stereotypes. They see all Blacks as oppressed by all Whites, and all gays as oppressed by all straights, etc. That’s stereotyping with prejudice. Read more.
Victimhood culture. Inverting the power hierarchy means the least powerful identity is given the most prestige and respect in woke culture. In practice, whoever can claim to be the most victimized earns the greatest status. Read more.
Woke Strategies
When applied by the woke, their ideological beliefs result in a few characteristic strategies:
- Punishing (canceling) those who commit “microaggressions”
-
This is woke cancel culture.
- Read about Micro-Aggressions
-
- Demanding identity-based preferential treatment
- Verbal and policy attacks on the police
Ripped Apart
