Woke, as a political term originating in the United States, refers to a perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice. It derives from the African-American Vernacular English expression “staywoke“, whose grammatical aspect refers to a continuing awareness of these issues. By the late 2010s,wokehad been adopted as a more generic slang term broadly associated withleft-wing politics, socially liberal and cultural issues (with the termswoke cultureandwoke politicsalso being used). It has been the subject ofmemes, ironic usage and criticism.Its widespread use since 2014 is a result of theBlack Lives Mattermovement. But popularity has diluted its meaning and the idea has been cynically applied to everything from soft drink to razors, attracting criticism if too liberally applied.
The terms ‘woke’ and ‘wide awake’ first appear in political culture and political ads during the 1860…
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