Glad to see you putting quotation marks around “woke” and not endorsing its use, as it’s a highly rhetorical, perjorative term, and I’ve been troubled to see you using it in previous columns as though its meaning is uncontested. As a proud old lefty myself, I bridle at the term’s use by the further Right to dismiss so many much-needed programs and efforts to ensure a fairer society and harness the talents of marginalised groups for the good of industry and government.
Hi Kai. I get your caution about “woke”. I would note though that ‘woke’ isn’t just a right-wing cudgel—at least, not originally. It started off as a self-description, and even now, while it’s often used critically, it broadly refers to a set of ideas and priorities that are distinct and recognizable. That’s why even those who dislike the term still find it useful shorthand. See: https://mountaintui.substack.com/p/i-am-woke
But yes, it can be used as a club.
I think the real frustration, for many, isn’t with efforts to create a fairer society but with how some of those efforts have played out in practice.
There’s a big difference between, say, ensuring everyone has a fair shot and imposing ideological conformity. If “woke” has become contested, it’s because while the term can encompasses well-intentioned aims, it also now has an association with overreach that turns people off.
Hi, John - fair enough. But I've never heard a left-wing person use "woke", and it's being used a lot by conservative people at present, to castigate almost every form of progressive thinking. For example, a group of local rural women my wife attends here in Australia were expressing indigation about a "woke" new display at the National War Museum. It was a display about Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. Myself, I'm proud to live in a country that can admit, examine and punish its war criminals.
"Woke" has gone from a message of empowerment, to a catch-all slur including the C-word (not "c*nt"), N-word, K-word, F-word (not "f*ck"), T-word, and anything else considered "degenerate".
Glad to see that you still get excited by people using the "woke" word. It is still relevant, and applies to lots of people, like all those Democrats that were so certain that Kamala would win the election. It implies a certain level of gullibility, depicted by all those rainbow folks who insist that men can become women, and deserve to compete in womens sports. So I think the woke word is as perennial as politics, and will be with us for some time to come. Jacinda Ardren is a permanent reminder of the folly of woke thinking, and creating the need to cancel people who disagree with you.
Thanks for demonstrating the mindset that uses "woke" to attempt to dismiss progressive thinking - also how people who use the term rely on one aspect of Left thinking (support for people who need to change their gender identity) to try to discredit all other aspects of Left thinking. I don't think we on the Left were certain Harris would win; myself, I thought it somewhat more likely Trump would, although some major polls were indicating it would be close. But clearly the Left needs to rethink how it engages its traditional voter base. I think Trump's chaos and destruction of US administration and services may help by demonstrating that Right populists dont' offer aren't a solution to a country's problem. Brazil has already learnt that lesson.
I get the impression that Hipkins has figured out that talking about prosperity and security for working people will help resolve the image problem that Labour created for itself.
Glad to see you putting quotation marks around “woke” and not endorsing its use, as it’s a highly rhetorical, perjorative term, and I’ve been troubled to see you using it in previous columns as though its meaning is uncontested. As a proud old lefty myself, I bridle at the term’s use by the further Right to dismiss so many much-needed programs and efforts to ensure a fairer society and harness the talents of marginalised groups for the good of industry and government.
Hi Kai. I get your caution about “woke”. I would note though that ‘woke’ isn’t just a right-wing cudgel—at least, not originally. It started off as a self-description, and even now, while it’s often used critically, it broadly refers to a set of ideas and priorities that are distinct and recognizable. That’s why even those who dislike the term still find it useful shorthand. See: https://mountaintui.substack.com/p/i-am-woke
But yes, it can be used as a club.
I think the real frustration, for many, isn’t with efforts to create a fairer society but with how some of those efforts have played out in practice.
There’s a big difference between, say, ensuring everyone has a fair shot and imposing ideological conformity. If “woke” has become contested, it’s because while the term can encompasses well-intentioned aims, it also now has an association with overreach that turns people off.
Hi, John - fair enough. But I've never heard a left-wing person use "woke", and it's being used a lot by conservative people at present, to castigate almost every form of progressive thinking. For example, a group of local rural women my wife attends here in Australia were expressing indigation about a "woke" new display at the National War Museum. It was a display about Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. Myself, I'm proud to live in a country that can admit, examine and punish its war criminals.
"Woke" has gone from a message of empowerment, to a catch-all slur including the C-word (not "c*nt"), N-word, K-word, F-word (not "f*ck"), T-word, and anything else considered "degenerate".
What would be the equal & opposite response?
A recent article of mine is called “I am woke”.
Glad to see that you still get excited by people using the "woke" word. It is still relevant, and applies to lots of people, like all those Democrats that were so certain that Kamala would win the election. It implies a certain level of gullibility, depicted by all those rainbow folks who insist that men can become women, and deserve to compete in womens sports. So I think the woke word is as perennial as politics, and will be with us for some time to come. Jacinda Ardren is a permanent reminder of the folly of woke thinking, and creating the need to cancel people who disagree with you.
Thanks for demonstrating the mindset that uses "woke" to attempt to dismiss progressive thinking - also how people who use the term rely on one aspect of Left thinking (support for people who need to change their gender identity) to try to discredit all other aspects of Left thinking. I don't think we on the Left were certain Harris would win; myself, I thought it somewhat more likely Trump would, although some major polls were indicating it would be close. But clearly the Left needs to rethink how it engages its traditional voter base. I think Trump's chaos and destruction of US administration and services may help by demonstrating that Right populists dont' offer aren't a solution to a country's problem. Brazil has already learnt that lesson.
Really well written article - thanks for sharing!
I do wish people would stop referring to Labour as a party of tax. The current government is anti-tax BUT only for the rich and especially landlords!
The whole point of a tax system review to to get these rich & landlords to pay their fair share of tax just like everyone else!
Every dollar I receive as a senior is taxed so why should the rich & landlords get away without doing the same?
I get the impression that Hipkins has figured out that talking about prosperity and security for working people will help resolve the image problem that Labour created for itself.
Getting some of these people together for a possible NZ chapter of Patriotic Millionaires would be a good start.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/group-of-rich-new-zealanders-want-to-pay-more-tax/TGEQJBXMOVDKNDJHGQDNFHHF7I/
Landlords are taxed on profit. Expenses are deducted from income, resulting in profit, which is taxed. What’s the problem?
Ironically, many of those who labelled Ardern "tyrannical" would welcome an actual authoritarian strongman like Putin with open arms.