Does ‘Woke’ Mean Saying — or Not Saying — Certain Words?

In any case, careful speech—including refraining from speaking — can build trust

Bears by Steve from Pixabay

When the right wing refers to “woke,” sometimes they want to prevent people from saying certain words. This year, at the University of Central Florida, for example, professors have removed certain words that the government tells them are too “woke.” Human rights, social justice, dictatorship — the far-right governor won’t allow it. No talk of racial identity or LGBTQ identities. If it sounds like liberalism, conservatives say “no.” The Florida governor’s ideology is that racism is “merely the product of prejudice,” and he strives to forbid teachers from using the same word “racism” to imply that unequal treatment is “embedded in American society and its legal systems” — which he, a white man, does not believe — “in order to uphold the supremacy of white persons.” But if certain meanings of a word are legally impermissible, the practical result is that the word itself becomes impermissible. If the governor comes after you, he won’t give you an opportunity to explain the nuance of whether you meant Meaning 1, Meaning 2, or Meaning 1.5, and why you believe what you believe.

At the same time, the right wing sometimes says that taking offense at certain words is itself “woke,” and they want to…