US' 'woke culture' exposes deep societal divisions, intensifying debates on identity politics and social justice
Editor's Note:
"I lost my son, essentially," American tech mogul Elon Musk said in an interview on July 22. He said in the interview that he was "tricked" into agreeing to trans-related medical treatment. The changes in his son led Musk to despise the "woke culture." Many right-wing individuals and Republicans in America share Musk's views on the so-called "woke culture," but for many left-wing individuals and Democrats, "woke culture" is seen as a progressive ideology. "Woke culture" has evolved into a cultural conflict surrounding identity politics in America, and this ideology has also spread to Europe, stirring up the political and social landscape.
Obscure definitions
In recent years, Musk has been heavily critical of "woke culture," describing it as a threat to modern civilization and even stating that his previous acquisition of Twitter, now X, was to combat it. However, when asked to define what "woke culture" is, this tech giant's description was not accurate.
At a conservative breakfast meeting in Iowa on June 1, 2023, former US president Donald Trump stated, "I don't like the term 'woke' because I hear, 'Woke, woke, woke.' It's just a term they use, half the people can't even define it, they don't know what it is."
The Australian news website The Conversation commented that Trump's words "inadvertently highlighted the confounding and contradictory nature of American politics today."
"The term 'woke' can be either an insult or a marker of pride - it can shift depending on the context," said the article.
According to the Spanish newspaper El País, the term "woke" has been used for years to "describe those who are sensitive and involved in the struggle against social injustice, especially in US politics, but also in the politics of other countries following suit perhaps to a lesser degree."
"Woke was a label proudly worn by activists in pursuit of social and climate justice: From Black Lives Matter (BLM) to the #MeToo movement, and the fight against global warming. Woke seemed to advocate a new era of equality and justice," read the article.
It's been reported that many media and political figures have claimed that the "woke culture" is only about justice and decency. It showed that the country acknowledged the cruelty of its past and recognized that its past still shapes this country's present.
However, according to ABC News, "woke" is used as a derogatory term by some Republicans to refer to identity-based social justice issues pushed by some Democrats and progressives.
USA Today quoted a Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spokesperson who called "woke" a slang term for "progressive activism" and a "general belief in systemic injustices in the country."
Manhattan Institute scholar Zach Goldberg believes that "woke" signifies more than just "left-wing radicalism" and essentially involves believing that differences in outcomes between groups - whether based on race, "genders," or sexes - are largely a product of oppressive societal forces and structures, read the USA Today article.
In fact, the term "woke" was originally created by progressive African Americans and was used in the early to mid-20th century in the racial justice movement. According to the website of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, stay woke "became a watchword in parts of the black community for those who were self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm and striving for something better."
The Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, an American popular record company, includes the protest song "Scottsboro Boys" sung by Lead Belly in the 1930s, in which the term "stay woke" is often considered to be the earliest source of the word. The "Scottsboro Boys" refers to nine black teenagers who were falsely accused, in 1931, of raping two white women in Alabama, and later eight of them were hastily sentenced to death. The case is one of the most famous civil rights cases in American history. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term "woke" became more widely used in 2014 as part of the BLM.
"The term 'woke' has become so divisive that it is harming support for the issue it is meant to be highlighting," according to Al Jazeera. "The broad use of the term has caused it to become heavily weaponized by both the left and the right, turning what was once a welcoming creed into a toxic and divisive word, particularly in Western countries including the US, Canada, the UK, and other European nations," it said.
A New York University student told the Global Times that today's "woke culture" has gone too far, with "woke" individuals always tending to label those who disagree with them as "conservatives" or "Trump supporters," and sometimes things that were acceptable to say the year before suddenly become "offensive" at the present time. Jason, an engineer living in New Jersey, believes that the so-called "woke culture" is a pseudo-concept created by American interest groups to incite division among the public in order to ensure their continued control over American society.
According to USA Today, Democrats seem to view this term as a badge of honor, while Republicans see it as something that must be stopped. The struggle over "woke culture" in the US has spread to various fields.
US right-wing vs 'woke capitalism'
Due to resistance from conservatives against "woke culture," the US has witnessed the emergence of an "anti-woke culture" movement, with Governor DeSantis as one of its leaders.
According to ABC, DeSantis enacted the "Parental Rights in Education" bill and the "Stop WOKE Act" in Florida, implementing policies that limit classroom discussions on race, oppression, gender, and sexual orientation. The state government also banned funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs on public university campuses and rejected the introduction of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course in state high schools.
Notably, the battle over "woke culture" in education is not confined to Florida. In 2023, more than 20 states across the US considered or approved new laws targeting DEI programs.
The term "woke capitalism" was coined by conservative columnist Ross Douthat in a 2018 New York Times article, defining it as corporations supporting progressive causes to maintain their societal influence. Some view the practice of casting black actors in traditionally white roles in films as an example of "woke capitalism."
LGBTQ+ rights have also become another "battleground" in US bipartisan conflicts. According to PBS in March 2023, since beginning his campaign, Trump has targeted LGBTQ+ communities, stating that if elected, he would sign executive orders to cut federal funding to schools promoting Critical Race Theory, transgender mental disorders, and other "inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content" to American teenagers.
In contrast, President Biden and Democrats, as reported by AFP, have signed multiple executive orders supporting LGBTQ+ rights. On June 15, 2022, Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic leaders, met with LGBTQ+ representatives at the White House to show solidarity.
Wang Yufan, a scholar at the Department of American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that the popularity of "woke culture" and identity politics in the US is related to its economic inequality.
She explained that growing income inequality, with wealth concentrated among a few rich individuals, has increased economic pressure on the middle and low-income classes, who are more likely to support "woke culture" emphasizing fairness and justice. Identity politics has also become a crucial means for them to express themselves and strive for economic equality.
The Guardian noted that in the US, various groups, including whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians, men and women, all feel attacked, bullied, persecuted, and discriminated against. Coupled with record inequality levels, identity politics is evident on both ends of the US political spectrum.
Wang believes that on one hand, "woke culture" and identity politics have raised public awareness of issues such as racial and gender discrimination, promoting social discussion and resolution, and playing a positive role in advancing social equality and inclusion.
On the other hand, "woke culture" has become a form of political correctness, being oversimplified and symbolized, leading to overcorrections. Additionally, the left's "woke culture" has faced backlash from right-wing conservatives, leading to more severe social divisions. The cultural wars between the two parties over "woke" and "anti-woke" have intensified political polarization, creating a vicious cycle.
Spreading across ocean
The concept and actions of "woke culture" born in the US have crossed the Atlantic, sparking an "anti-woke culture" movement in Europe.
According to an Independent report in December 2021, six months prior, most French people would have mistaken the term "woke" for the "wok" used in cooking, but by the end of 2021, the concept of "woke" had taken France by storm.
The French media reported that this term, originating from the American black rights movement, had not entered the French public's consciousness until 2021, when it appeared multiple times in political debates. For example, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo publicly stated that she would not base her campaign on "woke culture."
Many Western media outlets and politicians are highly wary of "woke culture." For instance, a 2021 article by Euronews argued that the ideology behind "woke culture" and "cancel culture" endangers European democracy. Al Jazeera also warned that "woke culture" can sometimes stifle meaningful causes. Additionally, many people have been "canceled" simply for expressing views differing from "woke culture."
Wang noted that similar to the US, the impact of "woke culture" in Europe is complex and diverse. On one hand, it has increased attention to racial equality and social justice in European countries.
On the other hand, it has also caused social divisions. "Woke culture" has led European societies to reckon with colonial histories and overemphasize identity, exacerbating group conflicts and social estrangement, causing a backlash from far-right forces, and promoting the rise of far-right parties in Europe.