Author Solomon Stevens provides a meaningful opinion on “woke” and why it is used and why it is sloppy.
Woke?
Published by Adam Green
A 24 year Navy vet, cancer survivor, father, grandfather, assistant caregiver for my live-in mother-in-law. Enjoys golf, football (real and fantasy), being the best grandfather I can, supporting the endeavors of my children (both involved in the education of our younger generations) and tormenting my wife of 34 years. Also prefer bourbon over scotch, but will drink both, just not at the same time. Discovering craft beers and trying trying hard to get to a consistent golf swing. View all posts by Adam Green
Published
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
If you have nothing to offer, words that convey nothing come in handy.
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The writer says, “Our country could benefit from a genuine argument about cultural issues.”
I agree, but I can’t help pointing out that the writer himself isn’t engaged in a genuine argument about anything. For example, he claims to know what the word woke means, but he obviously hasn’t studied it at all.
This is obvious because the writer doesn’t even consult a dictionary, and — tellingly — doesn’t consult the most important dictionary in the world, the Oxford English Dictionary.
The OED added woke to its exhaustive catalog of words last year. It provides both a formal definition of the term and the history of it, beginning with the first known usage. Time wrote about the addition:
https://time.com/4830959/oxford-english-dictionary-woke/
As a matter of scholarship, “woke” is both a well-defined concept and a social reality.
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So, the definition that you accept of “woke” from the respected Oxford English Dictionary is . . .
“woke, adjective: Originally: well-informed, up-to-date. Now chiefly: alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice; frequently in stay woke.”
Now I understand. You MAGA people hate anything “woke” because being alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice” is a baaaad thing in MAGA world. It follows from your hatred of “woke” that for you it is better to be indifferent to – or in favor of – racial or social discrimination and injustice.
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RE: “You MAGA people hate anything ‘woke’ because being alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice.”
I can’t speak for “MAGA people” because they appear to exist only in your prejudicial imagination.
I object to the bias, bigotry and rhetorical propaganda of the source article for the post. As stated, the writer didn’t do the basic work needed to deserve to be taken seriously.
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…” the writer didn’t do the basic work needed to deserve to be taken seriously.”
You are entitled to your opinion. I am also entitled to hold the opinion that you are very disturbed by what was said because it cuts too close to home for you.
There is NO bias, bigotry or propaganda in the source article. He is much more scholarly than you give him credit for. His final line is quite accurate. – IMO
“We can take a step toward improving our political life by using language more precisely and meaningfully.”
I’ll take the author’s opinion over one who doesn’t recognize his own MAGA tendencies. Your lack of self awareness is damning.
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I can’t speak for “MAGA people”
Yet you do so all the time. I have never seen you disagree with any Trumpist idea or politician. Not once. No matter how absurd the bullshit, you are down with it.
And, MAGA people do exist. They are not imaginary. They vote in the millions. Duh!
Your critique of this opinion piece is somewhat underwhelming.
It amounts to – Bwah, why is he saying mean things about me.
If that is no fair, tell us where the piece is factually wrong about the use of the word “woke.”
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Anyone who doesn’t agree with your far left wing ideology is apparently “Trumpist” or “MAGA” which is a very loose definition recently perpetrated by a left wing delusional, nasty, narcissistic fool.
Woke is the cancel culture movement, the CRT fools who attempt to use history to twist into modern day oppressed and oppressors, the mentally ill who fantasize abt being the opposite sex and their abettors playing their silly games, the criminals who violently challenge the police and wonder why they got shot, the easily offended who daily try to find something to be offended by and more all easily wrapped up into three words, pathetic liberal democrat.
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“Anyone who doesn’t agree with your far left wing ideology is apparently “Trumpist” or “MAGA” which is a very loose definition”…
You do realize that WOKE falls into a similar category. Anything YOU disagree with is considered WOKE, yet your attempted definition was based on your own biases.
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There’s a pattern going back about 100 years, where socialist activists use euphemisms for themselves. Progressive, liberal, modern, politically correct, leftist, etc. As a practical matter, communists don’t call themselves communists. The word woke was handy so they started using that. The article was semantic squirming so you don’t have to call yourself what you are.
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