Your response to the view that we are almost all woke

We knew it would be an emotive subject, but the response has been fantastic, and we are so grateful to everyone who has sent in comments through email and on social media.

Not everyone agrees with each other or with the content of the article, but that’s the whole point of healthy debate. National and international issues are just as relevant in our idyllic corner of the world as anywhere else, and it has been incredibly refreshing to hear your Westcountry take on the ‘woke’ debate.

Please read the original article here and a sample of comments are detailed below.

Please leave any further comments on our social media pages or you can email them to me on tim.herbert@newsquest.co.uk

A selection of your responses

“Wokeism is a lot like feminism. Using terminology from the past when it had actual roots in reality, in a world full of imagined wrong doings.”

“Most people support most of the things that "wokes" do, the issue is they don't always support everything and would like to keep the liberty to do so, and they're not falling for the constant activism and "virtue signalling" everywhere, finding it very annoying instead.”

“It's stories like this that continue the division. It's just your perception of reality.”

“Woke has become a target in the tabloid press. They use it as a way for attacking more 'progressive' ideas and promoting more reactionary ones. The tabloid press, apart from the Mirror, is very Conservative. They can't use the line 'vote for us, you'll be better off’ very convincingly, so they follow the American example of fighting a culture war.”

“I still do not know what woke is and I know many people who don't as well.”

“Because there is a huge difference between being considerate of others and being a stuck up ass and ram your opinion down other’s throats.”

“Woke is just used as finger pointing by the emotionally immature with limited vocabulary. It's used by people who don't have views but are just neurotics who decide that they dislike others, so use this term thinking they are clever, except it's something they have picked up from others thinking they belong when they never have.

“The drips and thickos at school who never grew up or really belonged. That leads on to generational shift. Some people are born old and don't like change, are like that when younger and won't change. A lot of older people welcome change and are open minded and that's a more welcome way to fight the existential self-awareness of aging and mortality. Not welcoming stagnation and burning what is going to be left behind. So short change there.

“As for quoting Boris Johnson and the other usual subjects, put the right amount of coins in the right slot and he/they will be eager to please. In Johnson's case if caught in between holidays.”

“It all went wrong when people started to force people to agree with whoever it is that decides what everybody is supposed to do and say, with the risk of losing careers if they don't do so.”

“Is that an official percentage or one of those made up Facebook percentages.”

“Correction, 99% of you are asleep. We call you sheeple. Wake up.”

“Woke is better than being ignorant. I’ll stay woke, thanks.”

“This is just going to provoke loads of tired old bigots into coming up with some nonsense to justify their racism and misogyny.”

“Truth is we are all ‘woke’, we just make a decision about who is important to us, and who isn’t.”

“If nothing else this post will provide all of us with a list of people we are better off avoiding.”

“I agree it was definitely George Floyd’s death that woke up a lot of people up. It definitely woke me up and changed how I perceive and view a different minority coming into the store I work at. The sad reality is that social media proves time after time in the comments there is still racism, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny etc. It’s even in the comments here. There’s a lot of us out there who are in different minorities and communities that just want to exist and live without having to read some form of hate every day.”

“Very simple answer to the question. It has become so divisive as it is now a term to describe the socialist ideology infecting the fabric of our society.”

“It's interesting how the enlightened ones like name calling those that may disagree with their way of thinking.”

“I think the problem with the "woke" brigade is that they literally spend their lives looking for something to be outraged over. No one likes racial or social injustice, but the term "woke" has gone beyond its original meaning.”