Woke – is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English and means “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination”. However, players of the right wing have now adopted the word to express opposition to forms of egalitarianism. The word is used by them as an insult.
Where did the Word Come From?
Many articles address the origins of the word ‘woke’. Originally used in the context of awareness of the social and political issues affecting African Americans.
‘Woke’ was coined as a phrase, a word or warning, 85 years ago by the great bluesman Huddie’ Lead Belly’ Ledbetter. Lead Belly sang of what he knew: poverty, violence and prison. You may have yet to hear of his blues music, but you may know the children’s song ‘Skip to My Lou’.
It was Lead Belly’s song ‘Scottsboro Boys’ where he used the word ‘woke’ in an afterword on the recording. This song tells the story of nine black teenagers sentenced to death in 1931 after being wrongly accused of raping two white women, even though one recounted the accusation. International protests secured a stay of execution and parole, although it took forty-five years for the boys to be pardoned (only two men were still alive). Posthumous Pardons were granted in 2013, 92 years after a posse of white men arrested those nine boys.
“I advise everybody, when you go down there (meaning Scottsboro), keep woke, keep your eyes open” — Huddie’ Lead Belly’ Ledbetter.
How was the Word Used?
Linguist and Lexicographer Tony Thorne said that African Americans used the term in the 1940s to “mean becoming woken up or sensitised to issues of justice”. An article in 1962 published by The New York Times and written by William Melvin Kelley featured in a glossary of African-American slang. It read, “If You’re Woke, You Dig It”.
So, I am using broad terms here, but in my opinion, if you are African American, the word ‘woke’ has been part of your vocabulary. BLM (Black Lives Matter) popularised the phrase here in the UK after 2010. In 2014, the world watched on TV a series of protests and riots in Ferguson, Missouri, over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson. There would be many such protests, such as over the killing of George Flloyd and Trayvon Martin by police.
Protests spilt into other countries, such as the UK. In the Isle of Wight (where we lived), hundreds of students protested in Newport Park, showing the term ‘Woke’ used on placards. This was just cultural appropriation, and I am sure none of the UK teenage protestors had the faintest clue of what the term meant. The Oxford English Dictionary included the word in 2017.
Are We Woke?
If you are aware and care about social inequality and racism, then you have probably always been ‘woke’. You are decent and do not need a word to describe your beliefs. There are people who embrace the word and let others know that fact. I would call these people ‘virtue signallers’.
Virtue Signalling
Virtue signalling has been around forever. Before the internet and social media, white Westerners would wear badges and t-shirts to express their support for a cause. They also may have dressed differently from the mainstream. Considering it briefly, we have all signalled, but maybe not intentionally. Consider how many people wear a poppy. And if the poppy design did not change, would people re-use the poppy they paid for the previous year?
Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin (the guy whose picture is on the $100 bill for kite flying) had 13 virtues. He would work on one virtue a week. This list included: Silence, Order, Resolution, Temperance, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquillity, Chastity and Humility. Apart from showering regularly, I am no Ben Franklin. Mr Franklin worked on his list for ten years and wrote regularly. I am trying desperately to make the point that if Benny had not written about his self-betterment (not sure that is a word, and neither is my spell-checker, but running with it), he would be a good person. Because the moment he put quill to parchment is the moment he virtue signalled to the world.
Loud and Proud
But let me get back to more modern examples of virtue signalling. Please do not get angry at me; I am not saying everybody does it. Narcissists signal when they openly support something and try and convince others. They display their ‘feathers’ to be recognised and admired by their peers or a specific group. I have met these people; maybe you have; you will undoubtedly have seen them on Facebook or Twitter. CND, Greenpeace, Save the Whale, LGB causes, and now that includes a ‘T’ and a ‘Q’, with a splash of ‘I, P, 2, S, A’ oh and another ‘Q’ (but that is a rant for another day). And the ‘feathers’ of the past were t-shirts and badges. However, if you are a virtue signaler, you can reach many more people on social media than by displaying a badge.
The people who show off how they contribute to society, how they have a low carbon footprint or walk in front of traffic to make a protest get on my tits. If you have seen some of my Facebook and Twitter posts, you will see that many people have that effect on me. Also, you may have noticed some of your social media connections that went from posting cat pics to celebrities taking a knee in their support for Black Lives Matter (BLM), or they voiced their outrage at the news of the death by police in the USA. But how come they hadn’t posted about these issues previously on social media? And why have they never posted about racism in the UK? Did these particular instances of racism in a foreign land wake them up?
The Great Awakening
So, many people outwardly represent themselves as Woke to appear to be better people, which is disingenuous. While writing this, Ben Franklin popped into my head. I thought, “Am I representing my ‘wokeness’ by writing this post?”. I don’t think so. I know I am not a great person; I have my views. I care about social inequality, and I hate racists and animal abusers. However, I do not care if a man wears a frock, but I think giving money to India when they spend money on space exploration is bollocks. Do I protest on social media? Yes, more than I should!. Do I call people out? Yes. But I do not send my Facebook friends links to Scientology or conspiracy websites. Here is a conversation I had recently:
Friend: “But you are woke because you posted on Facebook that you don’t mind trannies”.
Me: “No, I didn’t, you fat puff”.
Friend: “Last week, your Facebook pic was about priests and trannies”.
Me: “No, it was about people protesting against a ‘woke’ school allowing a transvestite to read a story to kids. And my post asked why they were more vocal about this than 3,500 paedophile priests defrocked by the Catholic Church in the past ten years”.
Friend: “Yeah, whatever”.
I am still working on the post; please check back soon.
A company stating it will change an issue in its terms of service following a public controversy because they want to improve its public image.