What Is Woke Culture, and What Does It Mean if Someone Is Woke? A Millennial Field GuideWhat does it mean to be "woke," and why are Millennials—especially Millennials—so drawn to (or repelled by) this peculiar concept?
"Woke." Just hearing the word probably sends half the room into a frenzy while the other half rolls their eyes and mumbles something about social justice. But let's not jump the gun. What is woke culture? What does it mean to be "woke," and why are Millennials—especially Millennials—so drawn to (or repelled by) this peculiar concept? Here's the comprehensive guide you didn't ask for but definitely need, sprinkled with a healthy dose of satire, sarcasm, and irony. Buckle up! What Is Woke Culture, Really?In the simplest terms, “woke culture” is what you get when the social conscience of the 21st century decides to flex its muscles, puts on its most vibrant, socially aware attire, and yells from the rooftops, “We see the injustices! We won’t stand for it!” (While also Instagramming it for the right blend of moral and aesthetic appeal, of course.) Initially, to be "woke" was to be aware—particularly aware of social issues, systemic injustices, and inequalities. The term began as a rallying cry for civil rights, a call for people to “wake up” to the realities of oppression and discrimination, which were often brushed aside or ignored. That was woke in its purest form: a noble concept grounded in empathy, awareness, and a call for change. But fast forward to today, and, oh boy, does "woke" have a whole new wardrobe, new friends, and quite the internet following. Somewhere along the way, "woke" went mainstream, got its own TikTok account, started selling merch, and started throwing around words like “cancelled” and “problematic” with an unsettling enthusiasm. Woke culture has become something bigger—more like a turbo-charged megaphone shouting the progressive values of the moment, often from the comfort of one’s smartphone. What Does It Mean If Someone Is Woke?Imagine, if you will, a person who's just a little too excited to call out the issues of the world from their cosy, gentrified coffee shop while sipping on a fair-trade, oat-milk latte. This is the quintessential “woke” individual—someone whose awareness has reached critical mass, spilling over into a state where every conversation, every movie, every joke is a microaggression, a societal failure, or an outright catastrophe. Being “woke” often means having a certain moral superiority complex. In practical terms, a woke person is hyper-alert to issues like sexism, racism, LGBTQIA+ rights, environmental degradation, and basically anything that sounds unfair on paper or in reality. They’re the ones taking notes at the family dinner table, ready to go off about why Uncle Bob’s off-color jokes are not just outdated but a direct manifestation of systemic oppression. Now, that’s not to say that being woke is all bad. Many people who identify as woke genuinely want a more just, inclusive world. And they’re the ones out there marching, petitioning, and campaigning to make it happen. But let's face it: for every genuine woke warrior, there’s another who just likes to collect grievances like baseball cards. These people see the world as an ongoing game of “Spot the Injustice!” where points are scored for each moment of outrage successfully performed on social media. Woke can be a very practical and important social stance, but let’s be real—there’s a fine line between standing up for what's right and standing up just to see how much attention you can get while doing it. The Millennial Take on Woke Culture: A Love-Hate RelationshipAh, Millennials—the generation that loves social justice but also invented the concept of “I’m so over this.” For Millennials, being woke is both a lifestyle choice and a minefield. They grew up in a world where activism moved online, and suddenly, everyone had to care about everything, or they were part of the problem. Millennials are often credited (or blamed, depending on who you ask) for kicking off this whole “woke” phenomenon, especially on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. But here's the kicker: Millennials are also exhausted by the very movement they helped start. Imagine being told you need to change the world and have a full-time job, pay off student loans, save the planet, buy organic, understand your privilege, and oh, don’t forget to hydrate. Millennials are often caught in a paradox, caring about social issues deeply but also feeling this creeping, ironic cynicism about the whole thing. To Millennials, being woke can sometimes feel like another job title they didn’t ask for. You’ve got your “Work Self,” your “Weekend Self,” and then somewhere in there, your “Social Justice Self” who is required to keep up with all the right hashtags, donate to at least three causes a month, and make sure you’re not accidentally consuming anything that could be construed as “problematic.” In this way, woke culture can feel less like a genuine moral compass and more like a digital guillotine ready to drop if someone, somewhere, finds you insufficiently conscious of the latest trending cause. It’s as if Millennials are stuck in an endless episode of Black Mirror, where every opinion, purchase, or social media post has a potential trigger warning attached. The Ironies and Realities of Being WokeOne of the biggest ironies of woke culture is that it often demands a level of ideological purity that’s nearly impossible to sustain. Imagine this: you’ve been a fierce advocate for social justice, fighting the good fight, using all the right pronouns, and boycotting fast fashion, only to have someone dredge up a 2011 tweet where you didn’t use the right language when referring to a specific group. Oops! Welcome to the frontlines of "cancel culture." For many Millennials, being woke is as much about not being cancelled as it is about making a difference. It’s like walking a moral tightrope, always being one bad tweet, one insensitive joke, or one misinformed comment away from public shaming. And this pressure to be ideally “woke” 24/7 can be downright paralysing. And let’s talk about “performative wokeness” because it’s all the rage. This is where someone might publicly signal their moral alignment without actually doing much of anything to change the issues. Think celebrity social media posts about inequality from their yacht or brands that make rainbow-coloured products for Pride Month and then forget LGBTQIA+ issues exist the rest of the year. Performative wokeness is the art of looking like you care without actually putting in the work—kind of like bringing a casserole to a protest and calling it a day. So, Is Woke Culture Here to Stay?Woke culture, with all its contradictions and performative tendencies, isn’t likely going anywhere. It's woven into the fabric of modern Millennial identity—some part advocacy, some part coping mechanism. Despite the cynicism, many Millennials still believe in the core idea: that awareness and action can lead to a better, fairer world. If there's one takeaway from this mess, it’s that maybe we should all dial down the outrage just a notch. Maybe we don’t need to cancel everyone who slips up. Perhaps, dare we say it, there’s room for everyone to be a little “woke” without being a walking moral panic. So, there you have it: woke culture, Millennials, and the delightful irony of it all. Whether it’s a beacon of social progress or a headache in progressive packaging depends on who you ask. But one thing’s certain—woke is here, it’s loud, and it’s scrolling through your feed right now, ready to inform, entertain, and outrage you in equal measure. You're currently a free subscriber to The INFORMER. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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What Is Woke Culture, and What Does It Mean if Someone Is Woke? A Millennial Field Guide
Sunday, 3 November 2024
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