#the distrust of the government and the feeling like we're being pitted against each other for the benefit of a minority is all on point

[princealigorna]

Since so many on the Right are having such a hard time defining it (because they know their interpretation of the word is ultimately too broad and open to have any real meaning at all), here is what we on the Left mean when we say "woke".

"Woke" or "wokeness" isn't a noun at all. It's a verb. It means to "awaken", or to become aware of, the injustices around you to the extent that you are now prepared to fight against them. There's a reason it's mostly high schoolers and college kids that are "woke". It has nothing to do with indoctrination and everything to do with being at that precious age when you start having enough freedom to explore the world around you and realize that, while we have many more freedoms and opportunities than many other places in the world, some things are still fucked up. We still don't always live up to our ideals and obligations. In a country that claims to be about freedom and equality and social mobility, there's still systems in place that make those things harder for certain people to achieve than others. And you start feeling cheated and pissed off about it. It's that feeling of being cheated and pissed off that's "woke".

There is no such thing as "wokeism". It's not a philosophy. It's a certain mindset that (usually younger people) achieve when they start to experience the real world for the first time with clear eyes.