Member-only story
CONSERVATIVE POLITICS
‘Woke’ Not So Negative to Most
MAGA overuse may not be sound strategy
What if a political movement launched a disinformation campaign that didn’t gain traction beyond its core base? That’s possible as Republican presidential hopefuls, lawmakers and activists label everything they don’t like as “woke.”
But a new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds a majority of Americans are inclined to see the word as positive.
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.
Just 39 percent of those surveyed say the word reflects what has become the MAGA definition of being “overly politically correct and police others’ words.” That, however, is the view of 56 percent of Republicans surveyed. Independents, by 51 percent to 45 percent, instead say “woke” means being aware of social injustice, not being overly politically correct.
Even a lawyer representing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — the king of anti-woke denunciation — told a judge that it meant “the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them.”
