TMC
02-09-2024, 02:06 AM
https://whatculture.com/trekculture/10-times-star-trek-was-woke?rf=homepage
Star Trek was never WOKE in the past! Give me ONE example! OK, another ONE! OK, another...
BY SEAN FERRICK
FEBRUARY 5TH, 2024
What does it mean to go 'Woke'? How does Star Trek, a show from the 1960s, fall under that particular term if it is something that's only become widespread in recent years? On this topic, let's begin with the Merriam-Webster definition. To be Woke is to be:
aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)
The term 'Woke' traces its roots back to African American Vernacular English, and more specifically from figures like Marcus Garvey, the musician Lead Belly, and the 1962 Op-Ed 'If You're Woke, You Dig It' by William Melvin Kelley. Early modern examples began to appear in the public consciousness in 2008, with Erykah Badu's song Master Teacher. It gained widespread reach around 2014, when it became linked with the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
The word has since been adopted, and coopted, to become a short-hand, dismissive descriptor for those who are more left-leaning. It is used as a catch-all term, with shows, individuals, and entire movements being described as 'Woke' - in an attempt to delegitimize them.
There is a long, sad history of culture theft, particularly from African American communities. While this article uses the word as a deliberate tool to highlight Star Trek's racial and social awareness through the years, TrekCulture is committed to amplifying the origins, and correct meaning of, Woke.
Star Trek was never WOKE in the past! Give me ONE example! OK, another ONE! OK, another...
BY SEAN FERRICK
FEBRUARY 5TH, 2024
What does it mean to go 'Woke'? How does Star Trek, a show from the 1960s, fall under that particular term if it is something that's only become widespread in recent years? On this topic, let's begin with the Merriam-Webster definition. To be Woke is to be:
aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)
The term 'Woke' traces its roots back to African American Vernacular English, and more specifically from figures like Marcus Garvey, the musician Lead Belly, and the 1962 Op-Ed 'If You're Woke, You Dig It' by William Melvin Kelley. Early modern examples began to appear in the public consciousness in 2008, with Erykah Badu's song Master Teacher. It gained widespread reach around 2014, when it became linked with the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
The word has since been adopted, and coopted, to become a short-hand, dismissive descriptor for those who are more left-leaning. It is used as a catch-all term, with shows, individuals, and entire movements being described as 'Woke' - in an attempt to delegitimize them.
There is a long, sad history of culture theft, particularly from African American communities. While this article uses the word as a deliberate tool to highlight Star Trek's racial and social awareness through the years, TrekCulture is committed to amplifying the origins, and correct meaning of, Woke.