50 People Share Their ‘Woke’ Opinions They Fear Others Won’t Agree With

The phrase “woke” or “stay woke” appeared around the 1940s, when it was first used by African Americans as an expression meaning to become woken up or sensitized to injustice, says linguist and lexicographer Tony Thorne.

Initially, it was a term, primarily used in Black communities, that later began to appear in songs and movements like Black Lives Matter. It was only in 2017 that the Oxford Dictionary added the word ‘woke’ to its database and defined it as “being ‘aware’ or ‘well-informed’ in a political or cultural sense.”

Over time, the word evolved to encompass and signal progressiveness. However, people who think of themselves as woke have abandoned this term because individuals with opposing views started using it to insult others with more liberal and social justice-focused views.

“When the word “woke” was being used by woke people, it wasn’t a word they obsessed about, so perhaps it is inconvenient but they wouldn’t mind much about having to abandon it,” Thorne said.

Throne believes that we do need a word that progressives can use without it becoming an insult. And it has to be more scientific or academic. That said, any new word that appears to replace ‘woke’ will likely be appropriated by those with opposing ideologies, says Thorne.

"I do fear that the same process of terms appearing and then being hijacked and weaponised might be likely to happen again.”

This just comes to show that even though we have the freedom of speech to express our opinions however we want, those who do are still suffering consequences, no matter how trivial or significant.

However, this shouldn’t stop us from voicing our views on social justice, as it’s the only thing that can push progressiveness forward. So if you feel like your opinion matters and it has to be heard, feel free to do so, whether online or in real life. Just please be sure to do it with your own safety in mind.