Overview of It's Been a Minute — "Woke is BACK! ...really?"
This episode of NPR’s It's Been a Minute (host Brittany Luce) looks at whether "woke" is dead, alive, or transformed — tracing the term's origins, the rise and perceived fall of "Woke 1.0," and the emergence of newer iterations (including "dark woke"). Guests Constance Grady (Vox) and Tyler Harper (The Atlantic) unpack cultural shifts since 2014, the pandemic-era backlash, corporate signaling, online culture, and what's missing on the left going forward.
Key topics discussed
- The historical meaning of "woke" and how it entered mainstream U.S. discourse
- The timeline and characteristics of "Woke 1.0" (approx. 2014 → 2020)
- Pandemic-era reaction and the right‑wing backlash
- How consumer habits and corporate gestures interact with political signaling (Target, Starbucks, American Eagle example)
- The concept of "dark woke" and its role in current Democratic politics
- Whether a "Woke 2.0" exists and what a successor cultural rubric might look like
Definitions & short history
- Woke (origins): Rooted in Black culture as political awareness; sometimes used tongue-in-cheek.
- Woke 1.0: Became mainstream around 2014 (Ferguson, Black Lives Matter) and surged during 2020–21; associated with digital activism, corporate token gestures, and changes in everyday language/etiquette about race and identity.
Why Woke 1.0 faded (arguments from the episode)
- Pandemic and reactionary turn: Lockdowns and the sense of censoriousness were conflated and provoked a cultural pushback.
- Backlash fatigue: Constant public call-outs and intense scrutiny ("hermeneutics of suspicion") led to weariness and a perceived overuse of accusations.
- Political exploitation: Right-wing media and politicians weaponized the term to discredit the underlying issues rather than solve them.
- Corporate performativity: Companies adopted token "woke" gestures without systemic change, fueling cynicism.
- Rising visible far-right extremism: Openly racist, antisemitic, and transphobic rhetoric reduced the need for coded messaging and changed the political landscape.
Corporate/consumer dynamics highlighted
- Brand perceptions affected by DEI rollbacks and political stances (examples discussed include Target and Starbucks).
- Media moments (e.g., a controversial ad with Sidney Sweeney) can be reframed as cultural wins for conservatives—even when the original intent may have been tone‑deaf rather than malicious.
- Much of contemporary political expression is carried out in the language of consumption (boycotts, "vote with your dollar"), which narrows civic conversation to market behavior.
"Dark Woke" and partisan strategy
- Dark Woke: Described as a rougher, less polished, more combative left-of-center posture that retains pro‑immigration and equality commitments but focuses on fighting back and winning online attention.
- Political examples: Figures who troll or adopt bolder rhetorical styles to mobilize audiences; seen as a tactical shift rather than a conceptual successor.
What's next — main takeaways
- The problems that "woke" aimed to name (systemic racism, inequality) still exist; the rhetoric was attacked but not the underlying issues.
- The left currently lacks a unifying cultural rubric comparable to what "wokeness" provided at its peak — a shared etiquette and language for how to live and talk in a multicultural society.
- Until a clear successor or renewed cultural vision emerges on the left, cultural space may remain contested and politically incoherent.
- Revival of "woke" sentiment (or "woke 2.0") may depend more on political shifts (e.g., collapse of MAGA) than on an internally generated new vision.
Notable insights / paraphrased quotes
- Woke's appeal: it "gave us a cultural rubric for how to live" — a set of norms, language, and etiquette in a diverse, secular society.
- Fatigue with call‑outs: People are tired of intense close‑reading of every cultural moment and may mistrust accusations that seem to call everything racist.
- Political clarity matters: "One thing you can say for conservatives and for MAGA, it is very clear" — by contrast, the left needs a comparably clear vision.
Actionable recommendations (for listeners interested in civic impact)
- Don't reduce political identity to consumption alone — consider organizing or policy-focused actions beyond boycotts.
- Be wary of performative corporate gestures; look for substantive commitments and structural changes.
- For progressives: prioritize developing a clear, relatable cultural message/vision that explains what a good life looks like and how policy and community support it.
- For consumers/readers: evaluate controversies with nuance — separate tone-deaf mistakes from genuinely dangerous rhetoric.
Final note
The episode's consensus: "wokeness" as a term has been weaponized and contested, but the social problems it named remain. The larger battle now is over what cultural vocabulary and vision will replace or succeed that era — and whether the left can create a clear, compelling alternative.