{"id":143814,"date":"2022-09-14T15:09:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T09:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regenesys.net\/reginsights\/?p=143814"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:22:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:22:02","slug":"a-short-introduction-to-woke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regenesys.net\/reginsights\/a-short-introduction-to-woke","title":{"rendered":"A Short Introduction to \u2018Woke\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
What is \u2018woke\u2019?<\/span><\/p>\n
Woke is a term used to describe awareness of the injustices in society. Woke people stand up against these injustices, and work to make changes. It\u2019s a term many people use as an alternative to \u201csocial justice warrior\u201d or \u201cpolitical activist.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
The use of the term began in the United States, but it is now used and abused right around the world. It has come to have a substantive meaning all of its own, even if some people take issue with its grammatical irritation.<\/span><\/p>\n
Many minorities or marginalised people do not have access to the resources, life opportunities and experiences that are available to privileged people in mainstream society. They do not have access to and the use of educational and political resources.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Access to political resources means better opportunities and more chances to gain an advantage for the group to which you belong. Examples such as a home put up for sale by a black family commanding a lower offer price than the same house put up by what appears to be a white family.<\/span><\/p>\n
Woke implies an awareness of social injustice. A woke person is someone who has a strong sense of self-awareness and supports action to deal with social issues like racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, ableism, classism and other forms of oppression affecting marginalised groups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Woke was popularised by the Black Lives Matter events in the United States. Woke has become a short-hand word for leftist political ideology, with a focus on social justice politics and critical race theory. The term \u201cwoke\u201d has its roots in US Black culture but has since been removed from this origin and been co-opted as a symbol by those who push back against social justice progress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Critical race theory is an approach to understanding race and racism. Critical race theorists argue that race is not biological, but rather socially constructed. This means that white people do not have certain privileges because they are white; instead, white people benefit from long-established systems of oppression built into institutions such as education, law enforcement and media. <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n