Hot take: 'Woke' is a slur to describe people openly against bigotry, so be better and don't use it

We’re in trouble: we already used the word “woke” in a headline just a couple of hours ago, about those new CIA recruitment ads that check all the boxes of identity politics. Jonathan Blanks is a contributing editor at the Clause 40 Foundation, and he assures us that woke is a slur to describe people who are openly against bigotry.

"Woke" has become a slur to describe people who are openly against bigotry. Some may argue "Well we mean the excessive ones." OK, well, you're using a slur to describe people really against bigotry.

Do you have any idea how that sounds to others?

Be better.

— Jonathan Blanks (@BlanksSlate) May 3, 2021

Dictionary definition of Bigot: a person who is obstinately or unreasonably attached to a belief, opinion, or faction, especially one who is prejudiced against or antagonistic toward a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group

— Woko Haram (@Pythagasaurus2) May 3, 2021

The critique of the present "woke" movement is that it is bigoted, not that it opposes bigotry

— Woko Haram (@Pythagasaurus2) May 3, 2021

Hey, can you swing by? My water heater pilot light went out, and since you’re so good at gaslighting, I thought you could help.

— 4 (@RexHatesTweets) May 3, 2021

This is really weak. Woke is really more of a descriptor, but to the degree its used pejoratively, there are about a million "slurs" much worse than woke", including many used by people who consider themselves "woke".

— HeterodoxDan (@ProgPilgrim) May 3, 2021

To me the woke is a bit like the leftist equivalent of pearl clutchers. They cannot tolerate dissent and nuance, but try to force their uncompromising views on others. They prefer to lecture you, rather than listen. All while eagerly self flagellating themselves.

— Erik Engheim (@erikengheim) May 3, 2021

Also just consider the possibility that what sounds excessive to you may sound that way because you (royal you) lack of personal experience with the subject matter. Not always, but it’s worth pausing to consider the possibility of your own ignorance. 🤷‍♂️

— 563 U.S. 493 (@borrfdad) May 3, 2021

No. I use woke for bigots who think they’re against bigotry.

I’m cool with people who are against bigotry.

— Brandon Marshall (@SorryIOffendedU) May 3, 2021

If I were teaching students the meaning of “disingenuous,” I’d put this tweet in my slideshow.

— John Riley (@jriley8832) May 3, 2021

I understand the objection, but I think that “woke”, when used in the pejorative sense, is intended to mean “those who engage in thoughtless bigotry they attempt to justify by claiming to be against bigotry while in practice only perpetuating bigotry”.

— Nathan Sweigart (@nsweigart) May 3, 2021

I use woke pejoratively to describe people who are against bigotry but their ideas are so bad and misguided they have the unintended consequence of perpetuating and often exacerbating bigotry.

— countess de clermont (@ladybirdwhistl) May 3, 2021

Against bigotry until they perceive you to be a bigot for something you said that is subjectively taken out of context, you child. Aside from action, bigotry is subjective and contextual, you child. Also, I’m pretty sure bigotry against straight white males is ok with the woke.

— yannispappas (@yannispappas) May 3, 2021

I use "woke" as a slur to describe people who care more about debating pronouns, privilege, engage in endless self flagellation and virtue signaling, attacking fellow leftists rather than actually working towards tangible policies to reduce inequality and racism.

— Erik Engheim (@erikengheim) May 3, 2021

Woke is trash. It defined itself.

— UkeepWhatUKill1776 (@UkeepK) May 3, 2021

99% of us are against bigotry. Claiming that as the unique domain of Wokeness is silly.

Wokeness is a manifestation of postmodern critical theory that cynically views all human relations through a lens of oppressor/oppressed. This paranoid formulation causes Wokeness to…

— Honus 💾 (@HonusWenger) May 3, 2021

…frequently and easily slip into the cognitive distortions of catastrophization, b&w thinking, and discounting the positive. And in so doing, it frequently contravenes fundamental liberal democratic principles.

To fail to see that one could have perfectly reasonable…

— Honus 💾 (@HonusWenger) May 3, 2021

…and ethical disagreements with this philosophy (or any philosophy) is a failure of introductory proficiency in philosophy itself.

— Honus 💾 (@HonusWenger) May 3, 2021

That is not at all how "woke" is used.

You don't have any idea how that sounds.

Be better.

— Barry D. Lede (@LedeBarry) May 3, 2021

Is this what "openly against bigotry" means? pic.twitter.com/0uT3XWIes7

— Bomb Tradey (@BombTradey) May 3, 2021

That’s your perception. There’s no clear definition of woke. My perception is that woke people are not liberals and are especially prone to the full range of prejudices of the very people they criticize.

— Mark Scott (@onedarwinian) May 3, 2021

Your wokeness (slur intended) shows in this tweet. You have the most generous possible interpretation of your intentions & people who think like you; while simultaneously having the least generous possible interpretation of people who deviate from your world view.

— Dr. Ivan Drago (@IvanDragoUSA) May 3, 2021

Woke is the identity politics version of having "seen the light". It means you have accepted certain ideas based entirely on faith, while rejecting any conflicting idea, or indeed fact, as heresy.

— Allen Grove (@AllenGrove15) May 3, 2021

And “Anti-Racist” has become a term lovingly embraced by people who are for bigotry. Shamefully Orwellian terms aside, the impotence of this tweet is a good reminder this schoolyard level linguistic trickery no longer works, thank you Jonathan

— Courage on Campus (@FundingCourage) May 3, 2021

Hang on, Blanks seems to think he’s “hit a nerve.” Feel free to stop reading here.

Hi!

This seems to have hit a nerve with some people. Boy howdy do I have some more where that came from.

Few critics seem to understand what "systemic racism" means. Here's a primer. https://t.co/gZbvDhh1rg

— Jonathan Blanks (@BlanksSlate) May 3, 2021

Huh … he jumps from (mis)defining “woke” to defining “systemic racism.”

It's totally cool if you question the economics of the New History of Capitalism thesis, but colorblind libertarianism is inadequate to address the historic roots of Black poverty and inequality https://t.co/zIPyqwDfkM

— Jonathan Blanks (@BlanksSlate) May 3, 2021

We told you you could stop reading.

It would be totally awesome if people who critiqued the excesses of the antiracist left could do so without creating epithets and conspiracies, but most fail in that regard. eg, https://t.co/ugMy01UPOz

— Jonathan Blanks (@BlanksSlate) May 3, 2021

If the 1619 Project left you caterwauling at the disrespect it showed the Founders and other issues mostly confined to Twitter and not the actual 1619 Project work, you've just aided the Trumpian culture wars. Congrats. https://t.co/McK5pdoR5U

— Jonathan Blanks (@BlanksSlate) May 3, 2021

Who’d bet that he’d mention Trump before he was done? Collect your winnings!

Anyway, this definitely has earned a reposting:

When Wokes and Racists Actually Agree on Everything. pic.twitter.com/Z9SlfscUjQ

— Ryan Long (@ryanlongcomedy) July 20, 2020

Related:

This. Is. EVERYTHING –> Wokes and racists actually agree on everything in HILARIOUSLY eye-opening video (watch) https://t.co/qKzN5kGRR8

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 20, 2020