EPISODE‌ ‌60 Wokeness, Cancel Culture and the Ethics of Public Discourse

“The key trait of the era we’re in is the immediate collapse of whatever the subject is into a conversation about semantics and linguistics.”— Aja RomanoBeing woke. Cancel culture. Politically correct. These have become very loaded and often antagonistic terms, and not just online. Different groups interpret and use these terms to mean different things. Wokeness especially has become polarized — some wield it as an insult and others wear it as a badge of pride.George Orwell has written about the way that language can be politicized, exploited, and corrupted. Looking back on the relatively short history of these terms can teach us a lot about the way that meanings can shift to serve different ends.This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world. Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks to Aja Romano, culture writer for Vox.com, about the thin line between free speech and incitement to harm, the way that conversations are inevitably derailed, and how words seem to suddenly emerge in the societal lexicon… and then mutate in unexpected ways.“We have an extremely bifurcated society and a very deeply polarized understanding of what it means to be American and what it means to protect one another.”— Aja RomanoThis‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• The history of the term “woke,” how it was originally used, and the way that the term has spread and developed different meanings
• How language may be politicized — and how cause and effect can sometimes become muddled
• How social media culture plays into the way that terms are received and reinterpreted

‌Highlights:‌ ‌00:51 Intro02:16 Aja Romano & the history of woke04:48 Politics and the English Language06:02 The corruption of woke09:17 Weaponization of words12:12 Social media culture & free speech16:15 Derailment & appropriation22:06 Know the history22:48 Free speech & comedy27:07 How we argue in the modern era32:40 ConclusionLinks:‌ ‌Politics and the English Language by George Orwellhttps://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-languageTo get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit‌ ‌our ‌website: https://livingjewishly.orgVisit our learning community: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.comFollow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzwor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.Shalom!