What is woke/wokeness

What is woke?

It is the tendency to moralize, to be indignant, to feel better but not to confront the other person with arguments.

Linzgaurider – Twitter 18.01.2022

Wokeness stands for a low-threshold sense of injustice and discrimination. For a long time, the church claimed to be a force for order, creating harmony between people by using the 10 Commandments and the teachings of the Bible as guidelines for justice and morality.

In the modern era, the church was largely pushed back in the Western world and lost influence. There, social movements arose to guarantee new systems of order for the harmonious and respectful coexistence of people. Adherents who feel they belong to Wokeness take up protective functions (e.g., language police) to establish or maintain coexistence in respect and equality.

Woke as a word of the youth

As soon as a term gains popularity, everyone with a basic education feels forced to use it.

All of a sudden, every story is a „story,“ and everyone talks about being „woke.“ But neither phrase originates in adolescent slang; rather, it comes from the left-wing educated bourgeoisie. People who utilize them consider themselves to be part of an especially sophisticated social scene.
He or she aligns their actions and attitudes with a particular morality.

The connections between Americans‘ „wokeness“ and „political correctness,“ as well as the concept of „cancel culture,“ are intriguing. All three represent internalized moral attitudes that sought to serve a higher purpose. However, in practice, a certain clientele frequently raises the moral index finger excessively and wields it with the force of a verbal or actionist Stone Age club.

Wokeness: Definition and Relevance

The term „wokeness“ refers to heightened sensitivity, awareness, or alertness to racist remarks or acts, attempts at sex discrimination, or social inequality. „He woke up“ can be translated as „she woke up“ or „they woke up.“ Thus, „wake up“ means „be alert.“ At the same time, wokeness can have militant overtones or stem from a narrow-minded attitude. That is where the danger lies.

More broadly defined, „wokeness“ is defined as an observing and perceiving alertness and vigilance directed at global events. Thus, awareness is an inner state of being attentive and alert to all injustices and defamation. The watchful and vigilant eye is focused primarily on anti-Semitism, sexism, racism, and violence against women and children. However, it also targets social grievances such as factory farming and environmental destruction.

An attitude of wokeness, however, does not suffice in vigilance alone. Woke representatives also act energetically to remedy and eliminate such conditions.

What risks do such terms entail?

Those who are „woke“ in their own opinion raise their voices wherever something seems to be wrong. This attitude is the counterpart to the collective looking away as soon as something worthy of criticism happens. However, wokeness can also become an exaggerated attitude that gets hung up on everyone and everything. In this respect, „wokeness“ seems to be just as difficult a concept in terms of aspiration and implementation as „political correctness“. The question is where the boundaries are set and where „wokeness“ or „political correctness“ become a problem themselves through a rigid understanding.

According to one Internet article, „wokeness“ or „woke culture“ is related to „cancel culture.“ This refers to the public condemnation of alleged wrongdoing by public figures such as politicians or celebrities. The ostracism of public figures or companies can sometimes be so severe that those affected are unable to practice their profession. They are bombarded with hateful comments on social media. Well-known individuals and businesses must accept reputational losses. Their concerns are no longer taken seriously. People no longer purchase products from disreputable manufacturers.

Critics point out that the „cancel culture“ is an offshoot of „political correctness.“ This term refers to a moral stance of correctness that is held in high regard, particularly in the United States. Being completely politically correct is an unattainable goal. This concept assumes a tentative avoidance of using terms that are discriminatory, racist, anti-Semitic, offensive, or derogatory to individuals or populations.

Above all, „political correctness“ is a well-intended concept. It represents a social claim that establishes correctness as a universally valid standard. In theory, nothing is wrong with this. The only question is where public censorship ends and the high good of free expression begins. If, as a result of such attitudes, people begin to change any brand name that is suddenly perceived as „offensive“ simply because someone dislikes it, the absurd line may have been crossed. Exaggerated interpretations of terms like „wokeness,“ „cancel culture,“ and „political correctness“ can result in a culture that is fundamentally intolerant and narrow-minded.

How wokeness can become a problem

The elimination of racist, offensive or discriminatory brand names is a good thing, but it doesn’t change the fact that these terms and what they stand for continue to haunt the minds of some people. Anyone who wants to insult a person of color continues to call him „negro“ or „nigger.“ But anyone who asks for Negro kisses or Moor heads in the store usually does not associate them with racial slurs and disparagement. He is simply thoughtless.

It’s definitely appropriate to critically question terms that originate from colonialism, ethnocentrism, or anti-Semitism. It’s even appropriate to exchange them if necessary. The question is only when or why this occurred. If one suddenly has to prove to all consumers that they’re „woke,“ politically correct, and adhere to the „cancel culture,“ it’s the wrong motive.

But if even the rebuilt Berlin „Humboldt Forum“ can’t shake off the ‚wokeness trap,‘ as the newspaper ‚Welt Online‘ headlined an article on March 25, 2021, then Holland is in trouble. Wokeness becomes a problem. Terms like ‚Africa‘ or ‚Negrita‘ are now eliminated from well-known products. They are being replaced by terms that are not considered offensive these days. The question arises: why don’t we also eliminate such terms from the world atlas, from street names, book titles and family names?! Or more simply: How far is wokeness allowed to go?

Between do-gooders and radical woke-culture activists

There is validity to the idea of woke culture – we should work to become more aware and watchful of language and terminology. However, implementing this completely may be met with criticism due to the „do-gooder“ label.

Attempting to live up to ideals like being ‚woke‘ is bound to fail. Even though they may seem important, there are natural limits to being woke. For example, the ironic question about deleting disreputable country and place names from world atlas suggests as much. In any case, the facts speak for themselves.

Some awakened contemporaries see awakening as a means that gives them the right to publicly denounce anything they don’t like. An interesting question is therefore: who does wakefulness serve and what can it best do? Can a moralizing attitude also be reversed and lead to excesses that ultimately harm the cause?

When it comes to ethics, the woke movement is often examined for questions such as the proportionality of means used, as well as the consequences of such an attitude. Critical thinkers also point out that wrongly conceived wokeess could create a paradox: if someone forcefully rejects someone else’s discriminatory attitude, they may thereby become the discriminator themselves.

The topic of media and information ethics is the impact of attitudes like mindfulness, political correctness, and cancel culture in social media. The topic of political and business ethics is the implications that can arise from this in the areas of politics or business.

In an article, the „Neue Zürcher Zeitung“ (NZZ) says that being woke is a „heightened form of political correctness.“ As a woker contemporary, one should be vigilant, judge others, and feel good about it. Already in this sentence, there is a lot of arrogance and moralism, which makes it hard to understand how woke attitudes are widespread, especially among young people.

A critical look at woke attitudes

There are many things on Earth that deserve criticism, but it’s a good question why they’re only noticed when people see themselves as „woke“ and make a public fuss. But if someone profits from conditions that deserve criticism, it becomes difficult to hold them accountable.

There are two ways to behave in the world: one way is to try to make the world a better place, and the other way is to be judgemental and intolerant. The latter is not always fair or sensible, because it can lead to people getting hurt. Buddhism teaches that the motivation behind someone’s actions is important, not just the consequences. So even if someone unintentionally harms other people, they may still be punished depending on their karma.

Political correctness, or the „cancel culture,“ is a way of thinking that values fairness and equality. But if someone is woken up and they take pleasure in making other people feel uncomfortable, then they are hypocritical.

Wokeness is when people are aware of the bad conditions on earth. Being wokeness is in, which means that everyone can judge others, exempt themselves, and give more help to those who they think deserve it more than others.

People who like Greta Thunberg or Greenpeace are called „woke.“ People like Amazon, Peter Handke, Harvey Weinstein, or Prince Andrew are not. However, there is no agreed-upon definition of „wokeness“ or any limits to its reach. What all woke contemporaries seem to agree on is that they find many things unacceptable. For example, in the world of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media users, a „woke“ class is emerging that comments on daily events with moral hair-splitting and nitpicking.

What woken attitudes do in public life

The trend towards wokeness now leads privileged people to apologize for their privilege. They occasionally feel compelled to point out that they weren’t always privileged. Until now, it was inconceivable that people would want to purge famous works of world literature of content that was supposedly racist, anti-Semitic, or discrediting to a certain social class. But it is actually happening. A misunderstood wokeess already ensured that Mark Twain’s book „Tom Sawyer“ or Margaret Mitchell’s epic „Gone with the Wind“ were adapted linguistically to woke attitudes.

The over-interpretation of wokeness is reminiscent of the McCarthy era in the USA, which took place between 1947 and 1956. At that time, people were angry at real or perceived communists and their supporters, and anyone who was suspected of communist attitudes or of being a fellow traveler was denounced. He was scrutinized for his convictions and, if necessary, socially ostracized. In the extreme, even an exaggerated attitude of wokeness could lead to agitation, intolerance, and defamation.

The American journalist Matthew Yglesias coined the term „The Great Awokening.“ This term is a satirical nod to the term „The Great Awakening“ for the Christian revival movements that the United States experienced in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the time, these movements actually led to political change. For example, they helped ensure the abolition of slavery. They enforced women’s suffrage on a broad basis or were directed against alcoholism in public. However, what the zealots of that time otherwise achieved is quite similar to today’s „shitstorms“ on Facebook.

Conclusion

The form of moral fervor is changing, but the need for people to get excited and to judge others is still present. Wokeness originally referred to an increased social conscience that wanted to improve tendencies, attitudes and conditions on earth. However, when wokeness is taken to an extreme through overzealousness and narrow-mindedness, it becomes authoritarian. Thus, wokeness leads itself into absurdity.

Kevin Hart wasn’t the only person to have their career hit a rough patch in 2018. In fact, Hart was originally supposed to host the Oscars that year. However, his woke contemporaries were quick to find any old tweets that discredited Hart, and as a result, the „Oscar“ ceremony was hosted by someone else. These days, anything innocuous sounding is taken as evidence of implicit bias, even in the United States.

Since Americans have already been burdened with the dark side of „political correctness,“ they are now confronting their racist, anti-Semitic or discriminatory attitudes under a new flag. This makes perfect sense. Only the form in which the confrontation is enforced in public leaves something to be desired. The moral index finger has meanwhile become a kind of verbal Stone Age club. The Internet and social media amplify and alienate such trendy terms and their content.

Questioning this terminology is sensible and necessary. The interesting question is who prefers to wield the moral high ground – and who it serves in the end. Already, some companies or institutions are making use of „wokeness“ for profit or marketing purposes. For example, they verbally advertise their commitment to „wokeness“ values, but don’t actually follow these values. Similarly, many institutions and companies make use of „green-washing.“ They portray themselves as champions of sustainability, but don’t actually do anything about it.

An ostensibly progressive attitude that promotes sustainability, social engagement, diversity, and the environment is now referred to as woke capitalism. This term is replacing „predatory capitalism“ or „turbo-capitalism.“ Ultimately, all variants of capitalism serve their own interests as socially accepted and zeitgeist-oriented. In the end, the new attitude also serves the basic capitalist idea: to make as much money as possible.