wokeness

Etymology

From woke + -ness.

noun

  1. (US, slang, politics) The quality or state of being woke (aware of social justice issues).
    Faux wokeness is the act of identifying yourself as an ally to people of color, but supporting color-blind, savior, or colonialistic approaches to activism. Faux wokeness ignores the intersectional, systemic, and institutional functions of racism. 2018, Laura A. Roy, Teaching While White: Addressing the Intersections of Race and Immigration in the Classroom, Rowman & Littlefield, page 150
    Justice Clarence Thomas served up a twofer last week: a Supreme Court decision, in Terry v. U.S., that’s noteworthy for its judicial restraint as well as for pushing back at another false racial narrative that has gained popularity in this Age of Wokeness. June 22 2021, Jason L. Riley, “Clarence Thomas vs. the Fictional Progressive Narrative”, in The Wall Street Journal
    What links these developments is a loose constellation of ideas that is changing the way that mostly white, educated, left-leaning Americans view the world. This credo still lacks a definitive name: it is variously known as left-liberal identity politics, social-justice activism or, simply, wokeness.] [2021-09-04, “How did American “wokeness” jump from elite schools to everyday life?”, in The Economist, →ISSN
  2. (slang, politics) The quality or state of being woke (holding left-wing views or attitudes).
  3. (slang, derogatory, politics) The quality or state of holding left-wing views or attitudes, in a way that is deemed overzealous, performative, or insincere.

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