Conservative Author Totally Freezes Up When Pressed to Define 'Woke'

[tenderfoot]

Link to tweet

Despite her new book being all about how the “woke” left is destroying and indoctrinating America’s youth, Mandel choked when she was asked what that word actually means.

Gray, a left-leaning commentator and former Bernie Sanders adviser, argued that there is indeed a recent movement which posits there’s a “cultural cache that’s emerged of hierarchies of oppression” within the education system. At the same time, Gray said she’s seen “frustration” with that language across the political spectrum, and wondered how Mandel sees this solely as “a war” being waged by the left on conservatives.

“Because framing it that way when I think this is a broad concern that a lot of folks have a problem does also recreate this kind of victim paradigm, where you have people saying we're being under attack by the left instead of kind of coming together and trying to resolve what I think is a broadly understood phenomenon.” the Rising host added.

While saying she hoped that “parents of all political stripes” would pick up her book, Mandel claimed that “this is sort of a woke reimagining that is very, very, far-left.” Additionally, she asserted that “only seven percent of Americans consider themselves very liberal, and probably fewer of them consider themselves woke.” Gray, however, wasn’t going to just leave it there.

“What does that mean to you? Would you mind defining woke?” Gray pressed. “It’s come up a couple of times. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

Mandel, unfortunately, was unable to get on that same page.

“So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that, um,” the conservative writer stammered before presciently adding: “This is going to be one of those moments that goes viral.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/conservative-author-bethany-mandel-freezes-up-when-pressed-to-define-woke

full interview:

More from Ms. Mandel:

Link to tweet

[Journeyman]

1. "Well, take your time . . ."

These people are beyond pathetic.

"We spent an entire chapter defining it" but I can't for the life of me remember what any of that chapter was about, even though it's central to the entire book, indeed central to most of the conservative ethos of the day.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

5. lol

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. Ms. Mandel want adults in society to be unwoke and uses children to make her point.

I would say it's the Right that are creating the child hysteria to make "other" evil. Fuck her. And she can't even define a simple term as woke. Because I didn't raise my kids to be unwoke....or Republican zombies

[global1]

3. When I Google The Definition Of Woke I Interpret It As Being Very Positive With Respect To....

Dems.

When I hear Repugs, Fox News & DeSantis using the term woke - they are actually using it because they are 'anti-woke' and using it to slam Dems for being woke.

For Repugs it is just a made up word that is thrown out there as a negative. Dems have 'empathy and compassion for the poor; for women's rights; LGBTQ; all minorities - which the Repugs define those characteristics as negative. Repugs don't exhibit empathy and compassion for no one - only the rich.

The use of the term by Repugs just confuses the issue and I don't even think many Repugs understand the term themselves and are confused.

I think we should come up with a term that Dems can use to slam Repugs and their lack of empathy and compassion. We should call them 'Cech' (pronounced keck). I made that word up by combining 'criminal and yech'. Yech is distasteful.

So from now on I'm going to be calling DeSantis; Fox News talking heads; Repug's in Congress (House and Senate); Conservative talk show hosts; and all their followers (like MAGA's; etc = Cech.

Again - I made the word up to counteract their 'anti-woke' use of the term woke - and I will use it as a negative word to describe them and their attitudes.

I hope you DU'ers join me in calling them 'Cech' - when they throw the negative connotation of the word 'woke' at us.

[3Hotdogs]

4. That is one of the funniest things on D.U., all week.

It certainly did become "one of those moments....."

[RestoreAmerica2020]

6. This.. U.S.Rep. Barbara Lee' s words used in Merriam-Webster to explain woke

Merriam-Webster dictionary is using Rep. Barbara Lee's words to explain what 'woke' means
September 14, 2017 Tron Nick; brownwatch.squarespace.com

woke
1 of 2
adjective
ˈwōk
woker; wokest
Synonyms of woke
chiefly US slang
1
: aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)
But we will only succeed if we reject the growing pressure to retreat into cynicism and hopelessness. … We have a moral obligation to "stay woke," take a stand and be active; challenging injustices and racism in our communities and fighting hatred and discrimination wherever it rises.
—Barbara Lee

[Dirty Socialist]

7. Con author in a coma

I think it’s serious

[hatrack]

11. Do you really think she'll pull through?

[Dirty Socialist]

18. Lol

[panader0]

8. Woke is when trans M and M's take CRT classes after their abortions.

Or something....

[Emile]

9. If kneeling is now a sign of disrespect, woke means uhh . . .

[Oneironaut]

10. By her logic, why doesn't she want to befriend "woke" people as well?

Instead, it’s the same old, “We must destroy them! Blah blah blah.”

Kind of sus.

[murielm99]

12. If anyone asks me, I say it is empathy.

[vanlassie]

19. BOOM.

It all come down to empathy. Can you look at the world through another person’s perspective? The lack of which is decided very early in a human’s life and can’t be changed.

[Johnny2X2X]

13. Woke is flopping for Republicans

It started as a very narrow definition of Political Correctness. And now they want to expand it to anything and everything, basically defining woke as an showing of kindness, being considerate, caring about others, caring about the planet, the great good, or any social issue.

They define any ounce of common decency as woke now, and they've lost their edge using that word because of it.

[dchill]

14. Paid-up member of Authors Without Words. AWW.

[LeftinOH]

15. Simply put, "woke" is [insert thing you don't like here].

[The Magistrate]

16. I Would Consider It a Fair Rule Of Thumb, Ma'am

That if you have written an entire chapter of a book devoted to some phenomenon, and then cannot produce off the top of your head a three sentence description and definition of same, that your opinion on this subject, or on most any matter besides what you want delivered for lunch, can and safely ought to be dispensed with....

[skypilot]

17. Idiot

It's hard to define yet she somehow allegedly "spent an entire chapter defining it". Must have been a really short chapter.

[NullTuples]

20. She knows her book is BS and that it's important a Black woman was asking the question

Republicans appropriated - stole & redefined - woke for their own use because it was dangerous to their goals. It's an American Black term that serves as a warning:

"Just because you think you have it good right now and you've gained some privilege, don't go through your life asleep. You are not actually safe from oppression."

[Marcuse]

21. Word ju-jitsu like "fake news" and "Democrat" as an adjective. Childish, but effective.

as a jingle.

[Johonny]

22. When an AI chatbot "wrote" your book

and suddenly the whole world realizes it . . .

[ecstatic]

23. The right can't define it out loud because when they say it,

they mean black. Although lately I think they're adding gay and trans to their unspoken definition.

[Maraya1969]

24. Did she just say that adults are assigning sexuality to a child?

The vast majority of babies are assigned to sex based on their genitals at birth. Does that bother her?

[Hassler]

25. She might even get her picture in the dictionary like Homer J. Simpson