It seems that some Democratic lawmakers are constantly fretting over being called “woke.” But should they?
First off, I don’t even know what “woke” precisely means anymore other than “stuff MAGA doesn’t like.”
However, initiatives aimed at providing opportunities to the marginalized are a good starting point for their definition, and they are generous ones to boot.
Really, most “anti-woke,” Trump-led rhetoric is just a gauzy cover for his racism.
Can we agree on this?
If so, let’s move on.
“Woke” originally referred to recognizing certain inequities in American society, politics, business, etc.
However, Trump has since co-opted “woke” into an insult and talking point, making it the perfect term for encapsulating all grievances against those who don’t meet his stiff, white standards for what should be “his” America, not “our” America.
Say what you will about the rebranding of “woke” by Trump, you must acknowledge he is good at taking a descriptor intended to work against his and MAGA’s racism and reappropriating it as an insult that performs incredibly well in their favor.
What makes “woke” effective is that the user can sling it quickly (single-syllable insults are good that way) and bitingly against anything they don’t like.
When Trump says something or someone is “woke,” his followers are triggered by its mere mention to dislike whatever he’s describing.
It might be his best rebranding trick since he convinced voters he was a “genius” businessman by declaring bankruptcy several times.
Yet, some of MAGA’s most faithful mouthpieces and followers can’t aptly describe “woke” when asked.
But that’s precisely why the “woke” insult works so well.
“Woke” isn’t a word to be defined; it is a threat to our well-being that should be feared, hated, and fought against.
In this sense, Vivek Ramaswamy’s effort to define “woke” weakens its potency, which is probably why we haven’t seen much of him since Trump took office, and he has no real role in his administration.
Plus, there’s the whole he’s a brown Indian guy, so really, he serves no purpose at this point.
So with “woke” as perhaps the most effective insult Trump has ever concocted, many Democratic lawmakers are pouring over every syllable uttered and idea promoted to avoid sounding “woke” or promoting a “woke” agenda.
This is a mistake, and won’t work no matter how hard they try.
Instead, they should ignore the insult as best they can while addressing the most urgent needs of their constituents, which, let’s face it, are more likely economically related amid Trump’s crippling tariffs than gender and equality issues.
