woke

Originally intended to mean "alert to civil rights issues" or "takes an enlightened approach to civil rights", its meaning has changed. It is now associated with adopting an obsessive, blinkered or deliberately obtuse approach to certain civil rights, particularly in relation to equality. It refers to an approach which is overall and on balance harmful to society, ignores context and counterpoints, and is ignorant of the wider ramifications of the position taken. Under the pretense of being politically correct, the "woke" person is, ironically, asleep, in that they are ignorant of or unconcerned by the harms caused by their actions. Such harms may include: • damage to freedom of expression and freedom of association • the diminution of comedy, and artistic license in music and film, to the point that it becomes dull • stifling of conversation • fear of expressing an alternative opinion or calling out that which is evidently nonsense • feelings of being browbeaten, helpless and living in a dystopian society • diversion of societal focus away from more pressing issues affecting society • the breakdown of language and societal structures • discrimination and prejudice against others with particular characteristics - typically those who, in a particular location or organisation, are in a majority - under the guise of improving equality and acting on behalf of the minority. The "woke" person may be acting in their own self-interests to achieve their own ends.