Being anti "woke" means being anti awareness/knowledge/understanding. We have theism to thank for that being acceptable to so many. No amount of kindly, well-meaning, or charitable theists will ever make up for that damage.

@heydon It’s anti-Enlightenment and that means they want to stay in the dark. It’s bizarre to me that people are against learning and introspection.

@yatil @heydon

Don't you think it's a definitional issue? “Woke” means different things to different people.

Many of us were pro awareness, knowledge, understanding, Enlightenment, learning and introspection before 2008 — and still are today. It's unfair to presume so much malice or ignorance of so many people just because we oppose a specific, very politicised label.

@tripu @yatil Sounds like you're anti-political engagement, which amounts to the same thing as being anti-woke

@heydon @yatil

Not at all. I appreciate politics and I have opinions. I am not “woke” because I don't agree with many ideas or actions that are associated with that label (and those to me determine the actual meaning of the word). All the nice things you mentioned (knowledge, learning, etc) are orthogonal to the #woke / anti-woke axis.

@tripu @yatil The unsavory ideas and actions associated with the label are associated to it falsely BY THE FAR RIGHT. You've simply fallen for their propaganda.

@heydon @yatil

I'm sceptical, because I've read and heard from #woke people _themselves_, and still I found myself disagreeing strongly with their interpretation of things and their proposed policies.

But OK, I'm open to what you say.

What is “woke” to you, then? The definition has to be specific and actionable — ie, not a synonym for abstract ideas such as “nice”, “fair” or “reasonable”, because the vast majority of humans agree with all that already.

@tripu @yatil I refer you back to my original toot.And no, a colloquial term for a mindset doesn't have to be "actionable" that doesn't even make sense.

@heydon

Your original toot says that being anti woke is “being anti awareness/knowledge/understanding”. So I interpret that being woke to you means “being in favour of awareness/knowledge/understanding”. I don't know a single person who is against those abstract ideas. Almost everyone would be woke, even if they reject the label (like me).

Congratulations, you have a useless word.

That's why I suggested “specific and actionable”.

/cc @yatil