Wokeism - A Friend or a Foe to the Left? (OP-ED)

Introduction

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Have you ever been accused of being “problematic” or “politically incorrect”? Does a slogan like “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you” trigger you? The internet has  become a platform where every action is labelled, and every word dissected. Social justice is at the heart of this scrutiny, with wokeism serving as its most prominent expression. 

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The term was originally coined in African American communities to stay vigilant against systemic racism.  Over time, wokeism gained mainstream attention after appearing as a wider call for social justice in movements like the Women’s March (Romano, 2020).  By 2017, "woke" entered the Oxford English Dictionary,  now meaning “being ‘aware’ or ‘well-informed’ in a political or cultural sense” (Steinmetz, 2017). However, as wokeism grew in prominence, conservatives reappropriated it to discredit the Left,  framing it as radical and disconnected from reality.

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The 2024 American Elections demonstrated this dynamic, with Trump using the term as a tool to ridicule the Kamala Harris’ campaign (Dowd, 2024). Welcome to the 21st-century culture war, where meaningful dialogue is often drowned out by ideological battles. Consequently, this shift underscores a larger paradox:  How did a term once uniting resistance against systemic inequality become a divisive tool fracturing the Left? This phenomenon is now spreading globally, with Europe being the next target (Brenton, 2023). Wokeism itself is not inherently flawed; it is our perception of it that creates division. 

 

A Tale of Two Critics - From Appropriation to Denaturalization

 

“Being woke” has spread beyond its original intent of addressing systemic racism to encompass broader awareness of gender and LGBTQ+ rights (Romano, 2020). In doing so, it has lost the sharp, provocative power it once held within Black discourse. Consequently, conservatives have seized on the dilution of "woke" by reducing it to mere performative gestures (Fanjul et al., 2024). 

 Consider diversity in shows like Bridgerton, where the Queen in Regency-era England is Black. Is this a sincere statement of inclusivity, or merely a superficial attempt to signal support (Rose, 2023)? Such  examples often paint workeism as out-of-touch with reality. Moreover, critics argue that wokeism stifles free speech, portraying it as authoritarian  through terms like "cancel culture" and "social justice warrior". These narratives reduce wokeism to internet discourse detached from the average person’s concerns (Fanjul et al., 2024). 

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This  shift has tangible consequences. For example, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis caricatures LGBTQ+ inclusivity as “woke indoctrination” to justify his “Stop WOKE” Act which restricts discussions on race, gender, and sex in schools (Allen, 2024). Ironically, a term born from resistance to racism has been weaponized against its original values. It has become a polarizing “skunk term” –  a term used in such toxic ways that they “stink” too much to be used (Ng, 2021). 

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Even within the Left, wokeism is divisive. Critics argue that it alienates supporters by neglecting broader material concerns (Fanjul et al., 2024). Partisans struggling with stagnant wages fail to identify with symbolic gestures focused on minority rights.. Internal conflicts, such as debates over trans rights and the regulation of sex work, further deepen these divides. Media outlets exacerbate this polarization, by distilling wokeism to a sensationalized and hysterical caricature. Similarly, social media echo chambers reduce nuanced issues to hashtags and memes (Crowley, 2023). This reframing undermines wokeism as a legitimate political movement, portraying it instead as disconnected internet policing that fails to address structural issues.

 

The Global Battle Against Wokeism 

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Wokeism extends beyond the online realm, deeply embedded in the broader discourse of identity politics.  While addressing group-specific injustices is important, critics argue that this approach risks fragmenting democratic societies (Mounck, 2023). Labeling issues as “woke” creates ideological battlegrounds, as seen in the 2024 U.S. elections (Fanjul et al., 2024).

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 Before Trump weaponised the term, 40% of Americans already viewed “woke” as an insult (Ipsos, 2023). When Kamala Harris evoked transgender rights, many traditional Democratic voters were unsettled.  Trump exploited this with slogans like “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.” (Goldmacher et al., 2024). The narrative Trump crafted seemed almost unbelievable: how could a candidate accused of rape suddenly present himself as a defender of women's rights? Yet, this anti-woke storyline resonated with 53% of white women who voted for him (Jacques, 2024).  Surprisingly, his anti-woke narrative resonated not just with white voters but also with Black and Latino communities. They were disillusioned by the Democrats’ perceived elitism and focus on minority issues at the expense of economic struggles (Goldmacher et al., 2024). 

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 In Europe, wokeism’s arrival has sparked cultural debates. Critics argue that American-style identity politics is at odds with European political traditions. The importation of concepts of race, gender, and intersectionality, contradicts the Old Continent’s values of universalism, secularism, and equality (Caulcutt, 2024). Thus, populist leaders use wokeism as a scapegoat for broader social anxieties about economic inequality, demographic changes, and cultural shifts. It is easier to blame an abstract concept that can be reshaped rather than to confront the deeper, structural issues (Brenton, 2023). Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, for instance, frames immigration as a part of a Western woke agenda to erode the ethnic homogeneity of nation-states, discarding other underlying challenges of global migration (Remix News & Views, 2024).  Across the U.S. and Europe, far-right parties exploit current crises to further polarize society for their benefit (Brenton, 2023).

 

Staying Woke… To What?

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Wokeism defines the 21st-century culture war: the Right and the Left are armed for societal debates that have become battles, rather than dialogues. Once a call for social justice, "woke" has now become a weapon to polarize debates. Right-wing media and populist leaders mock it as trivial internet trends, while the Left weakens its position by prioritising minority rights over broader economic concerns. As Slavoj Žižek points out, a vocal radical online minority has come to represent the entire party, often prioritizing shame over argument (Ricciardelli, 2022). This delegitimizes wokeism’s values, framing it as moral authoritarianism. 

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Poststructuralist thinkers might argue that conservatives have co-opted woke to disrupt meaningful conversations about systemic issues they prefer to ignore. However, it is crucial to remember the core principle of wokeism: awareness of systemic injustices is commendable. The perverse perception of it only weakens the movement’s appeal to a wider audience and fuels internal divisions within the Left. Issues like climate change should not be labelled as a “woke” concern when its mitigation benefits everyone. It only hinders effective collective action. One must therefore separate the prescribed framing of woke from its actual intent. 

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Despite being weaponized by the Right, the debate on radical identity politics has raised valid points that must be addressed. Focusing on marginalized rights is crucial, but it must not eclipse broader material concerns, as the online woke minority fails to connect with everyday people focused on their struggles. The Left risks alienating its core voters if it prioritizes this agenda as its political foundation. 

Across the political spectrum, wokeism has experienced a semantic drift turning it into a platform for scapegoating or criticism. Whether or not you agree with woke ideology is your choice, but do not be swayed by critics or self-proclaimed spokespeople trying to paint a certain picture of it. Stay woke, not only to injustices but also to how they are framed.

 

 

References

Allen, G. (2024, March 15). Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war on “woke” appears to be losing steam in Florida. Jefferson Public Radio. https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/2024-03-15/gov-ron-desantis-war-on-woke-appears-to-be-losing-steam-in-florida 

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Brenton, H. (2023, August 22). The war against ‘woke capitalism’ is coming to the EU. POLITICO. https://www.politico.eu/article/nigel-farage-bank-coutts-woke-capitalism-right-left-wing-european-union/

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Caulcutt, C. (2024, April 2). France’s war on woke, from the salons to the cinemas. POLITICO. https://www.politico.eu/article/france-war-on-woke-laboratoire-de-la-republique/

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Crowley, M. (2023, March 7). What does it mean to be ‘woke’? @Politifact. https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/mar/07/what-does-it-mean-to-be-woke/

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Dowd, M. (2024a, November 9). Democrats and the case of mistaken identity politics. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/opinion/democrats-identity-politics.html 

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Fanjul, S. C., Fanjul, S. C., & Fanjul, S. C. (2024, March 11). Why wokeness has pitched the left into crisis. EL PAÍS English. https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-11/why-wokeness-has-pitched-the-left-into-crisis.html

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Goldmacher, S., Haberman, M., & Swan, J. (2024, November 7). How trump won, and how Harris lost. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-win-election-harris.html 

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Jacques, I. (2024, November 7). Opinion: Harris lost because she was a bad candidate. Don’t blame white women for that. USA TODAY. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/11/07/harris-trump-white-women-voter-demographics-2024/76089457007/ 

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Ipsos. (2023, March 8). Americans divided on whether “woke” is a compliment or… https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/americans-divided-whether-woke-compliment-or-insult 

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Mounk, Y. (2023, October 20). The true origins of Woke. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/09/woke-ideology-history-origins-flaws/675454/ 

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Ng, K. (2021, January 22). What is the history of the word ‘woke’ and its modern uses? The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woke-meaning-word-history-b1790787.html

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Remix News & Views. (2024, July 29). Orbán: The West sees immigration as a ‘way of getting rid of the ethnic homogeneity that is the basis of the nation state’ Remix News. https://rmx.news/article/orban-the-west-sees-immigration-as-a-way-of-getting-rid-of-the-ethnic-homogeneity-that-is-the-basis-of-the-nation-state/

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Ricciardelli, M. (2022, November 8). Slavoj Žižek’s return to Seton Hall, Video - Seton Hall University. https://www.shu.edu/arts-sciences/news/slavoj-zizek-returns-to-seton-hall-video.html

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Romano, A. (2020, October 9). A history of “wokeness.” Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/21437879/stay-woke-wokeness-history-origin-evolution-controversy

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Rose, S. (2023, June 12). ‘Why is Bridgerton’s race twisting acceptable?’ The real problem with the show’s Black fantasy. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jun/12/bridgerton-queen-charlotte-race-black-fantasies-king-george 

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Steinmetz, K. (2017, June 25). The Oxford English Dictionary just added ‘Woke.’ It’s older than you might think. TIME. https://time.com/4830959/oxford-english-dictionary-woke/