How would you define 'woke'? Maybe to be conscious, aware and educated? Or, as some claim, perhaps to be excessive and oversensitive? According to Dana Perino, it's not necessarily of the above.
Hear the Fox News presenter's thoughts on the term below:
The term 'woke' is very much one that's come about amid increased discussions of societal issues online, in classrooms and in politics, and I think most people would agree that to be woke is a good thing. After all, you don't want to be sleeping through some of life's biggest issues.
Having had a quick look at a few dictionary definitions, it seems most people agree the term refers to being aware and attentive of social problems, societal facts and systemic injustices.
However, Perino argued that attempting to offer up a definition of the term could spark conflict, saying: "Democrats want to get you in an argument where you're having to define wokeism as if the Webster's Dictionary is defining it. And that's not what it is."
The host likened the definition of 'woke' to 'the supreme court definition of pornography', in that 'you know it when you see it'.
With that in mind, she went on to claim that being woke 'could be a feeling, could be a sense'.
I'm not entirely sure how you 'sense' your awareness of societal issues to other people, but there we are.
Perino's discussion about the term came after conservative author Bethany Mandel struggled to define the word 'woke' despite having just written a new book about it.
When asked to define the term in an interview, Mandel responded: "So, woke is, sort of the idea, erm... I... this is going to be one of those moments that goes viral."
The author went on to say the term was 'very hard to define', before finally expressing belief that 'it is sort of the understanding that we need to totally reimagine and redo society in order to create hierarchies of oppression'.
"It's hard to define in a 15 second soundbite," she added.
Mandel wasn't wrong in the assumption that the clip would go viral, and viewers only got more invested after Perino shared her thoughts on the matter.
In response to the Fox News host's comments, one person joked: "Is wokeism in the room with them right now."
Another mocked Perino's definition, writing: "It’s a feeling. It’s a sense. It’s a whisper on the wind. It’s the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. It’s a vapor - you inhale woke and exhale the promise of a better yesterday. It’s an ache in your bones. A twitch in your eye. Its the foam in the mouth of a rabid raccoon."
Needless to say, I don't think Perino quite nailed the definition.
Emily Brown
