If the word truly stood only for inclusion and care, there wouldn’t be a debate. But “woke” has been weaponized precisely when dissent is rebranded as harm, when disagreement with activist orthodoxy is labeled hate, and when entire conversations are shut down with accusations rather than dialogue. Ask J.K. Rowling, who was vilified not for cruelty, but for stating her long-held feminist views. Ask countless professors, artists, and authors who have been de-platformed, not for inciting violence, but for holding views that challenged prevailing narratives. That’s not empathy, it’s enforcement. You may not wield it that way, but many do. And discernment means acknowledging that impact, even if the intent was pure.
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