Thursday, March 9, 2023

Poll: "Woke" Not Working As A Grievance Buzzword

 



Oops.  The main Republican culture war attack line seems to be, like their cult leader and his vertically challenged rival, a loser.  Sad!  From a new USA Today/ Ipsos poll:

Republican presidential hopefuls are vowing to wage a war on "woke," but a new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds a majority of Americans are inclined to see the word as a positive attribute, not a negative one.

Fifty-six percent of those surveyed say the term means "to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices." That includes not only three-fourths of Democrats but also more than a third of Republicans.

Overall, 39% say instead that the word reflects what has become the GOP political definition, "to be overly politically correct and police others' words." That's the view of 56% of Republicans.

The findings raise questions about whether Republican campaign promises to ban policies at schools and workplaces they denounce as "woke" could boost a contender in the party's primaries but put them at odds with broader public opinion in the general election.

Independents, by 51%-45%, say "woke" means being aware of social injustice, not being overly politically correct.

“Most Americans understand that to be woke is to be tuned in to injustices around us,” said Cliff Young of Ipsos. "But for a key segment of Republicans who make up the Trump-DeSantis base, 'woke' is a clear trigger for the worst of the politically correct, emerging multicultural majority."

For a more comprehensive explanation of how "woke" evolved from how it was initially employed to a being a duplicitous, racist, right- wing buzzword, see this.

(Photo:  keep plunking your magic conjuring word, Tiny D/ Daniel A. Varela, Miami Herald)