Blog

January 24, 2025

By Herb Booker hbooker2.com

The term “woke” originated from African American Communities in the 1940’s. The term was originally meant to warn African Americans to stay awake, stay aware and stay conscious of social and political injustices as it relates to race and inequality.

According to dictionary.com and merriam-webster.com, one definition of “woke” is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is having or marked by active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights. Unfortunately, the far right has a different take on the definition of “woke”.

The word “woke” has effectively been hijacked by the far right in recent years to indicate a negative connotation politically and socially as it relates to Blacks, Hispanics, LGBTQ+, AAPI and people of other cultures and creeds. Oftentimes, “woke” is used to negatively imply that Blacks in particular are aligned with communist and socialist ideology. That assertion is stereotypical and incorrect.

Let me be clear, and to be fair, I don’t consider all Republicans to be members of the far right or even magas. Essentially, the far right and magas are interchangeable in my book. For the purposes of this piece, I will only refer to the far right.

Who I really miss are traditional Republicans, whose numbers have dwindled. Even though we may have disagreed politically, they had the same devotion to democracy as most Democrats. Hopefully, there is some semblance of an adherence to the constitution and democracy in the current Republican congress. This country needs two political parties that are devoted to democratic principles if democracy is to survive.

When “woke” is mentioned by the far right, it encompasses all of the aforementioned minority groups, but the headliner and the originator group, the group that gets the most focus and emphasis is the Black culture. If you close your eyes and someone says the word “woke”, who do you see?

Since Blacks are the primary emphasis for “woke”, let’s see how historical Black phrases would sound if we substituted Black for the word “woke”. How about “Woke Don’t Crack”, or “Once You Go Woke, You Never Go Back”. How about “The Woker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice”. “Woke History Month”, that would be an interesting one, and of course, “The Woke Miss USA Pageant”.

In all seriousness, when you hear a member of the far right, particularly someone that is in a prominent position or a position of power use the word “woke” over and over again, you can consider it as a dagger every time it is used. That person does not have your best interest at heart if you are a minority. In that instance, when you hear the word “woke”, you have the right to roll your eyes. I know I do.

“Woke” is essentially an entry level racial slur. It is not a racial slur in the classic sense, but it is a word that can be used over and over again with some of the same effects of a full-blown racial slur without the repercussions. It is practically a dream come true for someone on the far right that is not a proponent of a multi-cultural society.

Fortunately the use of the word “woke” is waning, but unfortunately, DEI has stepped into the void with a vengeance. Next week, we will do a deep dive into the anti-DEI movement.

Just a little bit about me, I worked in the high-tech industry for 22 years and the car rental industry for 12 years. Additionally, I am a Navy veteran and politically, I am a moderate that leans left and a registered Democrat. Next week, ‘The DEI DILEMMA”. You’re welcome to leave a comment at the bottom of this page, or at hbooker2@yahoo.com.