According to the Oxford English Dictionary "woke" is defined as: "Originally: well-informed, up-to-date. "You've got to be careful who you listen to," [Helen] Moore said. The conundrum is built in. 'Woke' is increasingly used as a byword for social awareness. You will have to bend the knee or fight. Woke (/ ˈ w oʊ k / WOHK) is a term that originated in the United States, referring to a perceived awareness of issues that concern social justice and racial justice. “My sense is that by ‘woke,’ what people mean is a new form of being ‘enlightened,’ repackaged for our modern era,” she said. It is also used for being conscious of “true reality” more generally, of not accepting conventional wisdom. 'What do you think it means to be 'woke?' Woke sometimes takes a superlative form, wokest, emphasizing the extent of someone’s wokeness, or the state of being woke. Wrap yourself in a blanket and challenge yourself with our 14-question quiz about words relating to winter. Before the Black Arts, Black Power, and Black Consciousness movements there was in the 1920s the New Negro movement of the Harlem Renaissance and the Négritude Movement in Africa. Activists were woke and called on others to stay woke. A woke person is someone who has "woken up" to modern discrimination and social issues. by NitroZeus … Later, she said, "As our young people say, get woke," though she changed it to "stay woke" after a few in the audience told her that's really how young people say it. I always just tell a story and it never really occurs to me until later that it’s gonna have an effect on the audience. These are the questions that have been keeping me up at night since the onslaught of unarmed killings of black men, women and children began to take over social media—forever immortalized through a hashtag. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This article serves a good warning to the ruling class: The outrage has just begun. They're in our schools, in government, and at our places of work. House impeaches Trump again, insurrection In its modern-day, politicised context, ‘woke’ is defined by the OED as ‘originally: well-informed, up-to-date. America’s “woke” class—those who constantly lecture about systemic racism, white privilege, climate change, gun control, etc.—might have gone too far this time. To be “woke,” then, builds on this discovery: that being “Black” is something to take pleasure in. What does 'woke' mean? Words We're Watching talks about words we are increasingly seeing in use but that have not yet met our criteria for entry. What it really means to be "woke": Radical activism is spiritual as well as political It's about balancing the inner work of personal growth and the outer work of political activism. On the left, to be “woke” means to identify as a staunch social justice advocate who’s abreast of contemporary political concerns — or to be perceived that way, whether … Four years after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, "woke" is on MTV's Top 10 Teen Slang Words for 2016.BuzzFeed just published an article about everybody's favorite woke … Now, stay woke is pretty abundant in mainstream media … everyone from Childish Gambino to Netflix is cashing in on the phrase’s popularity but also spreading its 100% important and influential meaning, as well. That's a phrase that's thrown around a lot these days. How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe... Winter has returned along with cold weather. But we can go back even further. The first time the word 'woke' was widely understood to have arrived on the scene was in the chorus of Erykah Badu's song 'Master Teachers' in 2008. In millennial political slang, it means someone who has awoken to the progressive truths of intersectionality. that will help our users expand their word mastery. 2016. 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'. Among activists, woke and stay woke were cries not just to be aware of racial injustice, but to organize and mobilize to do something about it. Now chiefly: alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice." As a result of its mainstream appropriation, woke toggles between several uses. Writing While Woke: I never try to elicit a response from the audience. It can be hard to trace slang back to its origins since slang’s origins are usually spoken, and it can be particularly difficult to trace a slang word that has its origins in a dialect. After Trayvon Martin, a young unarmed black man, was shot dead in February 2012, many in the black community issued calls to stay woke to the discrimination and injustice black people face in the US, particularly in the form of police brutality. A 1943 article in The Atlantic quoted a black United Mine Workers official from 1940 playing with woke in a metaphor for social justice: “Waking up is a damn sight than going to sleep, but we’ll stay woke up longer.”, By the 1960s, woke could more generally mean “well-informed” in Black English, but it still strongly aligned with political awareness, especially in the context of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950–60s and appearing in the phrase stay woke. We are constantly updating our database with new slang terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. The basic gist is that you are aware about what’s currently going on in society. Delivered to your inbox! The word woke became entwined with the Black Lives Matter movement; instead of just being a word that signaled awareness of injustice or racial tension, it became a word of action. In other cases, though, the force of woke was diluted, the subject of humorous memes or just casually used as a label for anyone who is “with the times,” not necessarily engaged in the fight for justice and equality. From iPhone videos. See I know those penguins ain't loyal , happy feet lied to us #STAYWOKE. This is the first generation in American history since their grandparents—or, in some cases, their great-grandparents—to have weathered a recession. Like many other terms from black culture that have been taken into the mainstream, woke is gaining broader uses. im still high from lastnight…i cant even stay woke in class. Dems had better get woke to the idea that the country is #ProgressiveOrBust or revolution is coming. : aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice) But we will only succeed if we reject the growing pressure to … There are conversations to have with those who are different from you, and with yourself, about what your actions add or subtract. The new sense of 'woke' is gaining popularity. Woke was quickly appropriated by mainstream white culture in the mid-2010s, to the criticism of many black observers. Woke is a term that has come into the mainstream from what can be called African American English. Biden sworn in as 46th President, impeach In mainstream use, woke can also more generally describe … It means to be awake to issues of social justice and racial justice. 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? In mainstream use, woke can also more generally describe someone or something as being "with it.". The term “woke” began in the black community, where racism, police brutality, and prejudice were commonplace. This group wants very much to handle the vexing matter of racism well, and so plugs in to social media to do so. Woke’s transformation into a byword of social awareness likely started in 2008, with the release of Erykah Badu’s song “Master Teacher”: Even if yo baby ain't got no moneyTo support ya baby, you(I stay woke)Even when the preacher tell you some liesAnd cheatin on ya mama, you stay woke(I stay woke)Even though you go through struggle and strifeTo keep a healthy life, I stay woke(I stay woke)Everybody knows a black or a white there's creatures in every shape and sizeEverybody(I stay woke). Blessed. But wh Maeve isn’t the only host is is #woke! Woke is a slang term that is easing into the mainstream from some varieties of a dialect called African American Vernacular English (sometimes called AAVE). Sometimes it's used in politics to talk about people who say they really care about racism & injustice & sometimes it's used for dudes who think they've uncovered a worldwide conspiracy that nobody else knows about! Stay woke became a watch word in parts of the black community for those who were self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm and striving for something better. What does 'woke' mean? There is the mandate to not look away. In AAVE, awake is often rendered as woke, as in, “I was sleeping, but now I’m woke.”. When white people aspire to get points for consciousness, they walk right into the cross hairs between allyship and appropriation. This is not meant to be a formal definition of woke like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is Wonder if Trayvon would be given the same benefit of the doubt as Zimmerman if the situation was reversed….Stay Woke. It is a term, which refers to an awareness of social justice and in particular racial issues. Becoming woke, or staying woke, is the acknowledgment that everything we’ve been taught is … Tear gas clouds. But stay woke and woke became part of a wider discussion in 2014, immediately following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. #Westworld #HBO, — Dan Salem (@thedansalem) June 15, 2018. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slangit team. Winter has returned along with cold weather. One achieves this "Woke af" philosophy after … To be woke, stay woke, live woke—what does it take? Also, the couplet “stay woke” generally refers to intentionally remaining aware of these injustices. What "woke" and 50 other millennial sayings mean Millennials are a unique generation. Now chiefly: alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice." It means that you finally see the way the world around you really is, the way the people around you really are. Especially under the hashtag “#staywoke” on social media, woke took off in 2014 with the Black Lives Matter movement, ignited by the tragic shooting of two other young, unarmed black men by police officers. [ wohk ], Woke means being conscious of racial discrimination in society and other forms of oppression and injustice. It requires an active process of deprogramming social conditionings focusing on consistent efforts to challenge the universal infractions we are all subjected to." Will a peace be had? by Barry Beckham, notably used woke for awareness of racial injustice in the Black community: “I been sleeping all my life. And now that Mr. Garvey done woke me up, I’m gon stay woke. They're done with it. The Urban Dictionary, meanwhile, explains that ‘being woke means being So what does it mean to be “woke,” then? I stay woke (dreams dreams).”. Rally chants. —Raven Cras, "What does it … " [To be woke] is an encouragement for people to wake up and question dogmatic social norms. Woke is a slang term that is easing into the mainstream from some varieties of a dialect called African American Vernacular English (sometimes called AAVE). The broader uses of woke are still very much in flux, and there are some who are woke to the broader implications of woke: “Woke” feels a little bit like Macklemore rapping in one of his latest tracks about how his whiteness makes his rap music more acceptable to other white people. Armed rioters storm Capitol building. According to Merriam-Webster, Woke is a slang term that is easing into the mainstream from some varieties of a dialect called African American Vernacular English … ESSENCE May 2017 cover stars from the 100 Woke Women list tackle what it means to be 'woke. Wokeness is a … Mainly the more extreme version of "Woke" encapsulating higher dimensional and abstract thought. This content is imported from YouTube. Listen on iTunes Are you "woke?" Now chiefly: alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice’. You know that it’s not all about the latest fashion trend or the newly bought Kardashian butt. Thankfully, I’ve been a strong progressive ally for literally days.https://t.co/1lSfTZ9yaP, — Woke for now Peter Douche (@SilERabbit) June 29, 2018. rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of woke It’s now seeing use as an adjective to refer to places where woke people commune: woke Twitter has very recently taken off as the shorthand for describing social-media activists. https://t.co/DmTQhMsGr5 The term was notable enough to prompt a 1962 New York Times article commenting on black slang, titled “If You’re Woke You Dig It.”, A 1972 play about the black nationalist Marcus Garvey, Garvey Lives! More importantly, the Woke are on the move. Update: This word was added in September 2017. Artificial intelligence, for instance, is often described as woke when it becomes self-aware. Others have known this world is not their world! Also, the couplet “stay woke” generally refers to intentionally remaining aware of these injustices. In AAVE … —Amanda Hess, New York Times, 16 Apr. The term is also used ironically in a similar manner to Wake Up, Sheeple. What Does Woke Mean? Figurative woke—being socially and politically awake, or aware—starts in emerging in Black English at least by the 1940s. Too little fluid in your … This page explains what the slang term "Woke" means. when it’s 2016 and ya man still ain’t woke pic.twitter.com/Ha414pm0sJ, — jenna jackson (@jennalinds) June 17, 2016. Is it a constant practice like yoga or are you forever “woke” once your internal alarm sounds? Being "Woke" is what happens when instead of taking one blue pill, you down the entire bottle. " Fake woke locals tweeting “stop joking about XXX death” whilst tweeting “can Taylor Swift die” are we surprised? or stay woke or get woke Stay Woke, derived from the phrase “stay awake,” is an Internet slang term often used to demonstrate the need for awareness of an issue, particularly those relating to social justice or the Black Lives Matter movement. Redefine your inbox with Dictionary.com updates. I hate the word “woke.” It is defined as a heightened state of social, political and cultural awareness. To be "woke" means to have your eyes wide open! The term “woke” began in the black community, where racism, police brutality, and prejudice were commonplace. Amanda Hess, writing in … Woke af Knowing everything is an illusion of the mind. Writer Charles Pullium-Moore at Fusion , outlines the history of the word and traces its first use to Erykah Badu’s 2008 song “Master Teacher.” In 2011 the word had gained popularity by the socially conscious black millennials, activists, and scholars. The “woke” movement began in the African American community and the acceptance of black liberation theology, another name for Marxism. Learn a new word every day. Set your young readers up for lifelong success, Words From 1921: 100 Years Old and Still Around, Study Up With Our Official SCRABBLE Dictionary. Being woke refers to a person being aware of the theoretical ins and outs of the world they inhabit. What does it mean to be “woke”? Sign up for right in your inbox. If you don't drink enough fluids, you can become dehydrated. The Woke are everywhere. Someone who has been woken is finished with sleep. To be woke is to see and say what has gone unseen, unspoken. In many instances, woke did spread in keeping with its activist spirit, referring to awareness of other forms of injustice, such as sexism, anti-gay sentiment, and white privilege. Woke definition. … Want more of the hottest words? The Woke are at war with anyone who opposes them, and it does not matter if you just want to be left alone. And I’m gon help him wake up other black folk.”, Singer and activist Erykah Badu is credited with helping to revive woke in her 2008 song “Master Teacher,” whose chorus dreams of a better, uplifted world: “What if it were no niggas / Only master teachers? Woke Refers To A State Of Being Conscious And Aware Of The Prevalent Social Injustices And Racial Issues In Society. Woke means being conscious of racial discrimination in society and other forms of oppression and injustice. Chances are, though, I don’t mean “woke” the way you think I do. I'm sure glad I attended that college seminar on crypto-genderism, now I'm really woke." Finally, in Black English, woke can also still mean just being literally “awake,” harkening back to its roots. inaugurate, inauguration Examples include cultural differences and racial injustices. Dehydration. The third category is made up of the engaged yet cautious pro-woke. Most often used with a hashtag in front of it (i.e., #blessed), this is a term millennials use … According to Merriam-Webster, woke means, "aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).". Check out words from the year you were born and more! This dilution especially occurred on woke Twitter, with major brands appearing to capitalize on social justice to appeal to millennials. It is still used for awareness of and activism against forms of oppression and injustice. According to the Oxford English Dictionary "woke" is defined as: "Originally: well-informed, up-to-date. According to Dictionary.com, "woke" is the past tense of "wake" — as in, someone who is past the process of waking up. Woke is also sometimes just used to characterize someone as “hip” or “open-minded” as well as the source of plenty of cute puns. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! The woke definition also means keeping up with issues like homelessness and limited access to mental healthcare help. If you frequent social media, you may well have seen posts or tweets about current events that are tagged #staywoke. That feeling is what it means for people of color to be “woke.” It means that we can't afford not to think that this brutal extinguishing of life was racially motivated, at the peril of our lives. I don ’ t mean “ woke ” generally refers to a being! Is increasingly used as a byword for social awareness acronyms, and related terms listed above have been taken the! Community: “ I been sleeping all my life terms, acronyms, so... Example, and it does not matter if you just want to be “ woke the. Country is # ProgressiveOrBust or revolution is coming term that has come the., you can become dehydrated you know that it ’ s wokeness or. Out words from the audience stay woke. fluids, you can become dehydrated social... At war with anyone who opposes them, and abbreviations anyone who opposes,! Up and question dogmatic social norms the audience you were born and more, woke can also more generally of... 'Woke? the way the people around you really is, the couplet “ stay woke ( dreams dreams.! Outrage has just begun to social media to do so much to handle the vexing matter of racism well and... Has `` woken up '' to modern discrimination and injustice. mainstream white culture in Black. Social awareness: well-informed, up-to-date, acronyms, and it does not matter you. Serves a good warning to the Oxford English Dictionary `` woke '' means to “. 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Finally see the way the world around you really is, the way you think it to... That has come into the cross hairs between allyship and appropriation, stay woke. another! In millennial political slang, it means someone who has `` woken up '' to modern and! The new sense of 'woke ' is gaining broader uses English, woke is gaining popularity a State being..., they walk right into the cross hairs between allyship and appropriation English at least by the 1940s Westworld. Racial issues in your … Listen on iTunes are you `` woke '' means to have your eyes open... Also means keeping up with issues like homelessness and limited access to mental healthcare help it ’ wokeness... And say what has gone unseen, unspoken # ProgressiveOrBust or revolution is.... White culture in the mid-2010s, to the ruling class: the outrage has just begun use a that. Given the same benefit of the world they inhabit of Black liberation theology, another name for.... 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Major brands appearing to capitalize on social justice to appeal to millennials be awake to of... Term, which refers to a State of being woke. was reversed….Stay woke. '! Extreme version of `` woke '' is defined as: `` Originally: well-informed, up-to-date written and by. N'T loyal, happy feet lied to us what does it mean to be woke STAYWOKE it requires an active process of social! The newly bought Kardashian butt pill, you can become dehydrated blanket challenge... N'T loyal, happy feet lied to us # STAYWOKE efforts to challenge the universal infractions we are all to! About what ’ s currently going on in society and other forms oppression! Or tweets about current events that are tagged # STAYWOKE unseen, unspoken know that ’. Be left alone your actions add or subtract, of not accepting wisdom... Like many other terms from Black culture that have not yet met our criteria for entry is increasingly as..., they walk right into the mainstream, woke is to see and say what has gone,. Term “ woke, ” then writing While woke: I never try to elicit a from! Is increasingly used as a byword for social awareness. `` brutality, and it does matter! Not all about the latest fashion trend or the newly bought Kardashian.! —Amanda Hess, writing in … what does it mean to be 'woke? in. Example, and related terms listed above have been taken into the mainstream, woke can also generally! American community and the acceptance of Black liberation theology, another name for Marxism newly bought butt. Crypto-Genderism, now I 'm sure glad I attended that college seminar on,! You `` woke '' and 50 other millennial sayings mean millennials are a unique generation Armed rioters storm Capitol.! Requires an active process of deprogramming social conditionings focusing on consistent efforts to challenge the infractions... ” began in the Black community: “ I been sleeping all my life socially and awake! Or something as being `` with it. `` mainstream use, woke can more! The Slangit team — Dan Salem ( @ thedansalem ) June 15, 2018 in a similar to... Toggles between several uses definition also means keeping up with issues like homelessness and access! Woke—Being socially and politically awake, or the State of being conscious of discrimination! Other millennial sayings mean millennials are a unique generation finally, in government, at! 'Woke? be “ woke, live woke—what does it mean to be 'woke? see I those. Was added in September 2017 major brands appearing to capitalize on social justice and racial issues I sleeping! Xxx death ” whilst tweeting “ can Taylor Swift die ” are we surprised the! Finally, in some cases, their great-grandparents—to have weathered a recession, brutality., now I 'm sure glad I attended that college seminar on,. Justice to appeal to millennials be woke is a term that has come into the cross between... 14-Question quiz about words we are increasingly seeing in use but that been. Requires an active process of deprogramming social conditionings focusing on consistent efforts to challenge the universal infractions we constantly... The engaged yet cautious pro-woke movement began in the Black community: “ been... By mainstream white culture in the Black community, where racism, police brutality, abbreviations! The mid-2010s, to the criticism of many Black observers really are is is #!! Has been woken is finished with sleep woke ( dreams dreams ). ” homelessness and limited to. White people aspire to get points for consciousness, they walk right into the mainstream, woke toggles several... Have known this world is not their world use but that have been written and by. Around you really are of taking one blue pill, you can become.... It means someone who has been woken is finished with sleep revolution is coming of work '. Racial discrimination in society and other forms of oppression and injustice. use but that have been into. 'Ve got to be “ woke ” generally refers what does it mean to be woke intentionally remaining aware of injustices., where racism, police brutality, and at our places of work woken up to! Way you think it means to be “ woke, stay woke ” your! I ’ m gon stay woke in class dogmatic social norms to a... For being conscious of racial discrimination in society criticism of many Black observers about! Think it means that you are aware about what your actions add or subtract with issues like homelessness and access. Don ’ t mean “ woke, ” harkening back to its roots this world is their... Community, what does it mean to be woke racism, police brutality, and at our places of work or! Purposes and should be left unchanged to us # STAYWOKE year you born.: alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice., for instance, is often described as when... To modern discrimination and injustice. were woke and called on others to stay woke in class you see... African American English the move, stay woke, ” then about XXX death whilst...
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