Woke Mind Virus

Extracted Attributes

• Origin of 'woke'

  African-American English, 1930s, signifying awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination

• Elon Musk's Stance

  A phenomenon he aims to combat, particularly in his transformation of Twitter into X to restore free speech

• Metaphorical basis

  Draws on the metaphor of a computer virus or biological contagion

• Dictionary inclusion

  Added to Oxford English Dictionary in 2017

• Pejorative use of 'woke'

  By 2019, used by the political right and some centrists to criticize superficial or insincere activism

• Popularization of 'woke'

  Black Lives Matter movement, mid-2010s, with the hashtag #staywoke

• Evolution of 'woke' meaning

  By 1970s, encompassed broader social inequalities (sexism, LGBTQ+ rights); by 2010s, associated with progressive causes and identity politics

• Definition of 'Woke Mind Virus'

  An ideological mindset perceived as rigid, absolutist, and self-replicating, implying ideas propagate through emotional appeal, peer pressure, institutional capture, and social coercion, overriding critical thinking

• Popularizer of 'Woke Mind Virus' phrase

  Elon Musk (on Twitter in 2021)

Timeline

• The term 'woke' originated in African-American English to signify awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  1930s

• The term 'woke' acquired political connotations and evolved to encompass broader social inequalities like sexism and LGBTQ+ rights. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  1970s

• The hashtag #staywoke gained popularity, and the term 'woke' became widely adopted by millennials and Generation Z. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2010s

• During the Ferguson protests, the phrase 'stay woke' was popularized by Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2014

• The term 'woke' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2017

• The term 'woke' began to be widely used sarcastically and pejoratively by the political right and some centrists. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2019

• Elon Musk popularized the phrase 'woke mind virus' on Twitter. (Source: Wiktionary, Web Search Results)

  2021

• House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx spoke on the House Floor in support of H.R. 5339, the Protecting Americans' Investments from Woke Policies Act, slamming the 'woke virus'. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2024-09-18

Woke

Woke is an adjective derived from African-American English used since the 1930s or earlier to refer to awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination, often in the construction stay woke. The term acquired political connotations by the 1970s and gained further popularity in the 2010s with the hashtag #staywoke. Over time, woke came to be used to refer to a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexism and denial of LGBTQ rights. Woke has also been used as shorthand for some ideas of the American Left involving identity politics and social justice, such as white privilege and reparations for slavery in the United States. During the 2014 Ferguson protests, the phrase stay woke was popularized by Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists seeking to raise awareness about police shootings of African Americans. After being used on Black Twitter, the term woke was increasingly adopted by white people to signal their support for progressive causes. The term became popular with millennials and members of Generation Z. As its use spread beyond the United States, woke was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017. By 2019, the term was widely being used sarcastically as a pejorative by the political right and some centrists, to disparage leftist and progressive movements as superficial and insincere performative activism. The terms woke-washing and woke capitalism later emerged to criticize businesses and brands who use politically progressive messaging for financial gain. In the mid-2020s, a number of political commentators also announced the appearance of a "woke right", meaning supporters of right-wing views using cancel culture and similar tactics used by left-wing activists to enforce conservative beliefs.

Web Search Results

• The Woke Mind Virus: An Examination of a Cultural ...

  At its core, the term "woke mind virus" is used pejoratively to describe an ideological mindset perceived as rigid, absolutist, and self-replicating. It draws on the metaphor of a computer virus or a biological contagion, implying that "woke" ideas do not merely spread through rational persuasion but instead propagate through emotional appeal, peer pressure, institutional capture, and social coercion. Critics argue that once adopted, these beliefs can override critical thinking, foster [...] At its core, the term "woke mind virus" is used pejoratively to describe an ideological mindset perceived as rigid, absolutist, and self-replicating. It draws on the metaphor of a computer virus or a biological contagion, implying that "woke" ideas do not merely spread through rational persuasion but instead propagate through emotional appeal, peer pressure, institutional capture, and social coercion. Critics argue that once adopted, these beliefs can override critical thinking, foster [...] ### Today's Use of the Woke Mind Virus Term Today, the term "woke mind virus" is a neologism and a piece of political slang, typically used in a derogatory sense. It refers to leftist, progressive, or social justice-supporting movements that are perceived by opponents as fanatical or as corrupting society. The phrase suggests that certain progressive ideas spread like a contagious disease, infecting individuals and institutions, leading to what critics see as irrational or harmful behavior.

• There is no "woke mind virus" - by Dan Williams

  Those who characterise ideas they dislike as “mind viruses” do not think their ownideas are mind viruses. For example, according to figures like Gad Saad and Elon Musk, wokeism is an infectious mind virus, but anti-wokeism is not. Likewise, Richard Dawkins argues that religion is a “virus of the mind”, but scientific ideas are not, and misinformation researchers do not explain the popularity of their research in terms of social contagion. [...] Saad is not alone in his analysis of “woke” ideas. In the past several years, talk of the “woke mind virus” has itself gone viral among right-wing culture warriors. In a recent interview, Elon Musk alleged that the mind virus had even killed his child. What he meant was not that it had actually killed his child—they are very much alive—but that his child is transgender and so, apparently, dead to him. [...] # Why this matters At best, the “mind virus” metaphor provides a pointless redescription of something we already knew: that humans influence each other and sometimes adopt false beliefs. At worst, it distorts our understanding of beliefs, psychology, and society. It replaces a complex reality of perspectives, rationality, agency, self-interest, and social coordination with a self-serving, stick-figure cartoon. Why does this matter?

• Woke

  large part of Republican Party electoral strategy. Beginning in the first presidency of Donald Trump, commentators from the alt-right, religious right, moderate liberals, and libertarians have attacked "woke" ideas and the "woke mind virus", a phrase popularized by Elon Musk, as existential threats to American society. Trump stated in 2021 that the Biden administration was "destroying" the country "with woke", and Republican Missouri senator Josh Hawley used the term to promote his upcoming [...] 58. ^ Anderson, Bryan (November 2, 2021). "Critical race theory is a flashpoint for conservatives, but what does it mean?". PBS NewsHour. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021. 59. ^ Lazić (2025), p. 113. 60. ^ Guynn, Jessica (January 4, 2023). "'Woke mind virus'? 'Corporate wokeness'? Why red America has declared war on corporate America". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 24, 2024. [...] 55. ^ "DeSantis pledges to fight 'woke mind virus'". The Messenger "The Messenger (newspaper)"). Retrieved July 29, 2024. 56. ^ Montanero, Domenico (July 21, 2023). "Republicans can't stop using the word 'woke'. But what does it really mean?". NPR. Retrieved July 29, 2024. 57. ^ McWhorter, John (August 17, 2021). "Opinion | How 'Woke' Became an Insult". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.

• Foxx Slams the Woke Virus Infecting American Society, Harming ...

  of wokeness. “Wokeness comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s a problem when it’s pushed at your local public school. It’s an existential threat to the country when it’s pushed by the institutions that police how we think, what we say, and where our money goes. “Wokeness destroys everything it touches, including the value-neutral institutions that America used to take for granted. First, wokeness conquered academia. Then, it conquered the media. The final frontier of the woke mind virus is the [...] | Foxx Slams the Woke Virus Infecting American Society, Harming American Savers Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2024 WASHINGTON – Today, as part of House Republicans’ fight to save Americans from wokeism, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) spoke on the House Floor in support of H.R. 5339, the Protecting Americans’ Investments from Woke Policies Act. The bill protects Americans’ savings from [...] ## Foxx Slams the Woke Virus Infecting American Society, Harming American Savers ### Browse News

• woke mind virus

  Wiktionary The Free Dictionary ## Contents # woke mind virus ## English ### Etymology Popularised by Elon Musk on Twitter in 2021, though the phrase existed much earlier. ### Noun woke mind virus (plural woke mind viruses) #### Coordinate terms Wikimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki