Some H. G. Wells? The sleeper awakes maybe…

How about Bach, Wachet Auf?

but when I read it, it sounded like a brilliant world to live in.

Orgy Porgy?

I thought it meant being aware of how society is still repressing women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ etc.  Despite white men supposing otherwise.

Was this continued discrimination a secret? Someone has to be at the top of the pile and if you are already there it is easier to kick down the pretenders.

Why are people coming up with all sorts of strange explanations when there’s a perfectly good definition of the term on Wikipedia?

Because the usage has moved on from that original definition.

Unless you think alt-right nutters and flat earthers are referring to Black Lives Matter when the say they are “woke”

I thought ‘woke’ was not being able to watch and enjoy Friends or the Simpsons anymore, because we’ve all realised all the jokes are sexist and/or racist.

The world isn’t fair, but worse than that, you can’t change it, accept you fate and make the best of it.

we’ve all realised all the jokes are sexist and/or racist.

Actually I find that offensive.

“Racist” is a loaded term. “Race” is a social construct and the term “racist” implies that subjugation on other ethnic differences is acceptable.

“Sexist” is worse because it implies cis-gender and ignores the broader gender spectrum.

Also, everyone loves a good joke about tits.

Should it not be the awake? You’ve been woken and now you’re awakened? On those grounds alone you can count me out. I bet they use more than one question mark too, the bastards.

yup that’s it, what are you gonna do about it?
After you’re aware that capitalism is a construct, nations are imagined and
religion is a fairy tale.. what are you gonna with that information? start
a revolution? haha. What if the redistribution of wealth, the levelling out
of all the resources means that you and your family have to live in a
smaller house without a garden with 1.1 Fiesta and a 14″ tele? Nahhh we’re
not down with that, no way. So you do nothing,  Whereas in the past people
weren’t woke and couldn’t do anything about it but these days you are aware
of the true situation and not prepared to do anything about it because it
doesn’t affect you.

What’s the alternative then?

Anyone hoping that the general population will “come to their senses” about the construct of state/global capitalism by reading Swift or Huxley are going to be massively disappointed.

What’s the alternative then?

Gosh,TJ is so young in that photo.

Whereas in the past people
weren’t woke and couldn’t do anything about it but these days you are aware
of the true situation and not prepared to do anything about it because it
doesn’t affect you.

You honestly think this is the first generation to be aware of social injustice, economic disparity or the problems with capitalism?

As @hols2 points out, this is not the case.

I don’t understand 🧐

Is the problem that capitalism is a construct, in which case so is socialism, communism and all other forms of government – would those who are awake then advocate that we go back to say, prehistoric ways of organising ourselves, where it just becomes survival of the fittest?

Or is it that the construct needs to change in order to reduce inequalities globally – which to my mind should be more about access to clean water, education, healthcare and good governance etc rather than cars and tellys.  Plenty of people in London would be very happy with a small house without a garden but can’t afford the several hundred thousand needed to buy one!

I thought it meant being aware of how society is still repressing women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ etc. Despite white men supposing otherwise.

Was this continued discrimination a secret? Someone has to be at the top of the pile and if you are already there it is easier to kick down the pretenders.[/quote]

It seems to have been more of a secret to the privileged, who don’t experience the negative impacts, such as white, middle aged, middle class mountain bikers (I’m including myself in this category).

To take an example that might resonate more on here than wondering about the disproportionate numbers of black people who are shot by police or sent to prison in the US, we recently had a thread on here about under-representation of women and ethnic minorities in mountain biking – there were those suggesting that there isn’t a problem because no one is actively preventing people with brown skin and / or vaginas from accessing the trails. A more “woke” stance might recognise, for example, differentials in prizes for women in races, lack of being treated seriously in bike shops (again, for women), sexist advertising from the bike industry, sexist editorial from cycling media etc. as a factor in deterring participation.

The same “woke” logic suggests that, for example, the relative likelihoods of a rich white guy who went to Eton and a poor black lad raised in a shithole council estate in massive poverty (and being stopped-and-searched by the police every time he walks down the street), becoming either a cabinet minister, or another prison statistic might not just be down to the Etonian “working harder”

EDIT: Nested quote thing not worked, hopefully you get the gist….

You honestly think this is the first generation to be aware of social injustice, economic disparity or the problems with capitalism?

As @hols2 points out, this is not the case.

I think there is a slight difference, in the acknowledgement of privilege and its unavoidable impacts on the priviliged.

Thinking of myself, I try and be righteous and “right-on” – I’ll avoid and challenge racism, sexism, homophobia etc where I see it (e.g. wading in on the periodic “bash the gypsies” threads on here.) And there have always been people doing that. What I think is new is more active acknowledgement that, as an affluent, white, male, I can rail against injustice all I like, but I’m still personally benefiting from it. This includes having a voice – it’s a nice luxury for me to be able to pontificate about racism. Part of that is that I’ve got the capacity because I’m not worrying about where my kids’ next meal is coming from, whether I’ll get pulled over by the police just for driving down the street, whether I’ll get verbally or physically abused in the street because of the colour of my skin or who I love etc. I can argue the toss with a bunch of other white middle class types and go home to my safe surburban life, in a relatively rich country, made rich to a significant extent through the oppression of people in less fortunate parts of the world.

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>Because the usage has moved on from that original definition.</span>

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>Unless you think alt-right nutters and flat earthers are referring to Black Lives Matter when the say they are “woke”</span>

From Wikipedia:

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>”</span>By the mid 2010s, woke had been adopted as a more generic slang term and has been the subject of memes and ironic usage.[10] For example, MTV News identified it as a key teen slang word for 2016.[16] This has raised concerns that the word has been culturally appropriated”
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It seems like everyone is ignoring kcr for whatever reason to have a different conversation. Like how issues of minorities are ignored until they are subsumed and appropriated to no longer centre them.

This guy is Woke AF.

Good luck to anyone who wants to be like that, but I’m out!

Anthony Bourdain had  “I am certain of nothing” tattood n ancient Greek on his arm.

Most people who describe themselves as “woke” are the last people you would associate with that quotte.

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>”f I am fool, it is, at least, a doubting one; and I envy no one the certainty of his self-approved wisdom.’ -Byron</span>

I knew all this at 10yrs old. No one had to wake me. Just pay attention FFS!

And I don’t mean to the media.

* 1979

I’ve de-woked.

Will learning to manual properly woke me up again?

Is the problem that capitalism is a construct, in which case so is socialism, communism and all other forms of government – would those who are awake then advocate that we go back to say, prehistoric ways of organising ourselves, where it just becomes survival of the fittest?

Well I’ll just use my own definition … but

My common sense definition (applied only to myself) is not necessarily to then advocate doing anything to change.

As someone said earlier … it’s realising life isn’t fair… but perhaps it’s more about realising how to make it better.

However does that mean for yourself, your family, country or humanity?  (or for some animals)…

Perhaps the biggest reason for the conspiracy theory type is those who realising life is loaded, not fair etc. then realise they can’t change this for humanity (or their country) without “awakening” a whole mass of people…

whereas … the other option is perhaps more selfish to not try and change the world but just minimise the effects on you or your family?

“Will learning to manual properly woke me up again?”

You’ll be stoked not woked if you can manual, a better option I reckon 🙂

Well I’ll just use my own definition…

edit

It cannot be a coincidence that i actually saw the word ‘woke’ used in editorial for the first time today, not ten minutes after I saw this thread. It must be a conspiracy.

The article was using the term ‘woke left’ as the opposite of the ‘alt right’. It was a good article actually, that higlighted the vile trend for everything and everyone to be categorised, judged and stigmatised by their association with in-groups and out-groups. It is a theory I remember proposing to a friend a few years ago – that there is no such thing as ‘eqiuality’ in society, there are only ever interest groups whose ideas and issues will either be in declination or scendency at any one time.

Edit.

Not going through all that again.  Seems we’re back to all the extra definition text when you try and copy and paste.

Pffft.

Well I’ll just use my own definition…

Well it’s as good as any other….

I can argue the toss with a bunch of other white middle class types and go home to my safe surburban life, in a relatively rich country, made rich to a significant extent through the oppression of people in less fortunate parts of the world.

Right until the term cultural misappropriation comes up….

Which is where things get pointless…

On the whole there are all sorts of injustices going on but the main reason they continue is down to divide and conquer.  Frankly I don’t care what term is used… so long as it’s inclusive.

I’m with the definition kcr quoted.

I am now woke as **** after falling asleep on the sofa and then being dive bombed by Funk Jr. I don’t think there’s anyone alive as woke as me right now.

Well it’s as good as any other….

There has been a lot of journalism referring to “woke” over the past year or so, and I had to look up the meaning, because it was new to me. Every time I’ve seen the term, it has been used to mean awareness of social and racial justice issues (or it has been used ironically by people poking fun at opinions on racial and social issues which they disagree with) so the Wikipedia definition seems to be quite correct.

Ask the awakened.

Well it’s as good as any other…

Right until the term cultural misappropriation comes up…

Which is where things get pointless…

Orgy Porgy?

Argy bargy?

‘Privilege’ is another word that I’ve seen being used more recently in new contexts, such as having ‘thin privilege’ on public transport (because all the seats are made for people who have a waist size that is average or less). Being aware of social issues includes being aware of these kinds of things that you might not experience as a lean, buff physically perfect MTB rider (speaking personally of course 🙄), whether or not you agree with the trending terminology.

Cycnism   is key (sic)

Cynicism is ugly, scepticism is where it’s at.