Ben Shapiro having no problem saying "whore", a word used derogatory towards women, but censoring "pussy" says so much about him.

this reminds me of conservatives saying everything is communism and when you ask them what communism is, they're like "when you are all the same and everyone is poor and you die"

It's funny how elon musk says 'woke' is silencing humour, the same guy who'll ban anyone who doesn't like him on his little blue birdy playground. I've never seen someone try and fail so hard to be relevant; it's almost sad.

For them “wokeness” is just basic respect for LGBT people, POC and other minorities 💀. They should just say what they mean

“Equality seems like oppression when you’ve only known privilege” can’t remember where I’ve heard this but pretty much sums up this far right reactionary shitstorm. If only the same effort taken to understand the mental state and actions of a social group lossing their place of privilege was put into also understanding why the status quo is unsustainable

As someone who was raised by an angry white man, this conversation of how these ideals have been formed and why they actually stand by their poor ideas is so necessary to understand how they communicate. The deeper level is the economic need and a false target that the media has told them.

yt people discovered "woke" and now it's the most annoying word on the planet.

A movie or show has a women, gay, or black character: Conservatives: “ITS A WOKE MOVIE”

Every time "woke" is mentioned I am reminded that the right commentary channels were comparing Birds Of Prey with Sonic and I just- 💀

My "favourite" usage of the word WOKE by the ult-right is an article in a small alt-right geek culture news website titled (i shit you not) "Pokémon Company Embraces Wokeism, Announces Multi-Million Dollar Campaign To Support “Social Equity” (Talking about how the Pokémon company got WoKE by planning on donating 25 mill usd for children and social equity causes)

Cant beleive my existence is considered woke by the right! Wow!

What's more funny and depressing is that in a lawsuit, Ron describes "woke" as "the belief that there are systemic injustices in America that need to be addressed", which is relevant because "woke" came into popularity due to the black community. Of course, in actuality, woke to them just means poc, queer people, too many women, and anything else they don't like.

i think my current fav “woke moment” is people throwing a fit about the ‘all female” m&m package. like ya’ll are reaching too deep trying to find a problem with that

I miss the days when "woke" had its original meaning before the chuds appropriated it. It was a compliment back then.

Bro Im so glad your addressing this, I was so confused as of why ppl were tryna turn woke into a bad thing.

“Florida is where woke goes to die” I almost spit out my kratom 😂

I ended up pulling someone out of this mindset with a simple thought experiment. I had them imagine their perfect utopia. Then I asked them how that system would maintain itself especially when all the groups they dump their anger onto are all gone. "When all those people you hate are completely out of the picture and the system is still broken, who will you have left to blame?"

I'M BEING SILENCED!!! -on the news

My mom is sinking deeper and deeper into the far right and while I'm trying to challenge the bullshit she's absorbing on a daily basis, it's breaking my heart. Thank you so much for this video Shanspeare

I'm absolutely LIVING for Shaniya 's look and the energy it brings

A lot of African Americans (and I say this since woke is from AAVE) stopped saying woke when white people and non black poc started misappropriating it. I haven't said it in ages because it tastes wrong now.

To those in power, equality feels like discrimination

Owned, powned, and destroyed being repeated really adds flavor and impact to this video.

I'll keep using the word woke in its original form before it was stolen by the far right

This video is really informative. I'm not American but the word "woke" is also being used out of context in other countries.

this hurts to watch like how are most peoples minds literally just a bowl of rotted fruit

I think you laid out this discussion so well. I grew up in a pretty conservative/religious & white culture, and you could see this fear everywhere. All of these people who were struggling to pay bills, or didn't have the power they thought they deserved. It's just a reaction to your worldview being flipped and not learning how to come to terms with it. It's very sad that so many people have channeled that fear into horrific hatred towards minorities, instead of the governments and corporations at fault.

My favorite part about woke is how none of these people can explain to me what they mean. Hilarious shit.

very interesting topic, love how most problems in the U.S. can be traced back to the wealth gap the longer you look at it. Almost like people get desperate when they can't afford to live

As a white person I honestly don't know how many of my terms that I use on a daily basis come from AAVE and how many of them I realistically use incorrectly in sorts. I also wonder the same for other non-black people on TikTok that use this language and don't even realize the history of it. On the process of woke, I've noticed it most with media were things such as The Ring of Power and She-Hulk have been attacked for "being woke" and not really for any real criticism.

Woke is conservative's new slur for whatever they hate.

i live in florida and we have (or rather had since apparently it’s illegal) an AP african american history course. it was really good, a breath of fresh air like finally as a black woman in america i could learn abt my history in depth. last friday they took that away from us, my teacher broke the new to us through tears. thanks ron.

THE WOKE IN THE SCHOOLS EVERYONE WATCH OUT- the woke is in your house, it’s in your school, your cereal and it’s even inside your mom 😦

It's so coconuts that we live in a society with opposing political groups, like I just want peace kindness, learning and love wake up when I want to with no alarm and be cute and all and slay the runway in the school hall

when people complain about "woke" this and "woke" that, I hear "go back to sleep"

Trying to watch that Fox news montage almost broke me.

I study misinformation and extremism and: 1. Props to you for this piece it is indeed a rough beat to cover 2. If you study libsoftiktok it’s really clear how the conservative version of “woke” is against any group that doesn’t fit their standards of what socially acceptable. If you look at the comments on drag queen performances they share (don’t recommend) a lot of folks body shame the crowd for being “fat”, like being fat is like some signifier of moral failure. Or on videos of trans people they mock them for being “ugly.” As a white women myself, I think a lot of libsoftiktok arguments besides straight up bigotry, is her trying to gain power by crushing anyone who she can deem as underneath her. It’s servicing the patriarchy’s idea of a “pure white women” by attacking anything that deviates from it and hoping her service to this norm will give her the power she craves. Anyway, libsoftiktok and her ilk remind me of middle school bullies who use their bigotry and quest for power and wrap it in a cloak of “protecting morals” so they can keep kicking others to make themselves feel big. It’s deeply harmful and also, deeply pathetic.

Tbh the only people I hear using the term ‘woke’ nowadays are right wingers, not progressives even though the term started there. Honestly using woke is kind of a dog whistle.

i applaud you for this cause i literally was twitching looking at those fox news clips idk how you did it. this is AMAZING I LOVE THE SET UP SO MUCH.

I'll never forget the day my father said to me: "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're woke", like it was a bad thing and I should be offended somehow

I clicked this fast! As much as I despise using this word but I _hate_ how our (Black English) language has been hijacked and diluted 😭

the clip of elon musk im SCREAMING

It’s a dog whistle. Ask them what they mean by woke and watch them stutter.

This seriously reminds me of the fact that George Washington himself warned us about starting political parties and how it will literally split the Union apart. He really predicted the future like a Simpsons episode.

I remember like 5 years ago, woke was the good thing to try and be, said even by pastors, teachers, and kids. It meant you woke up and saw the struggles that others face, like racism, classism, mental heath challenges, disability, as well as not being swayed by peer pressure or Kardashians and such. It was a way to signify that you cared about social issues and wanted to help people, while speaking out against the pressures of propaganda and media. It's wild how it's changed so much and sort of become inverted. That awareness of reality aspect has been totally removed. Although in a way, it just seems more like a term for anti manifest destiny in a way. The last few minutes really tie into the idea that a higher power gave certain groups access to America and certain rights with that, when that's not the case. It's still the idea of being some entitlement, at the cost of others who are also here and deserve rights. As I've been learning more about my Western European and Canadian heritage, as well as watching sci-fi shows that deal with difficult topics, it's all coming together as the same idea just rebranded with social media.

THANK YOU. I’ve thought about this sometimes since I’m surrounded by a lot of conservatives who speak against the liberal mob. I’m so glad I get to see a vid on this. If anyone has more recs they would be greatly appreciated.

I remember when woke meant something else. Now anything that falls outside of the conservative world view is viewed as woke, even basic human rights. It upsets me that we aren’t able to have these difficult conversations and make systematic changes. The word has literally been hijacked.

WOWOWOW I know this must have been very intense and upsetting to put together, and I’m sure you have so much more to say!!! I’ll be sharing this. Great work Shan!💙💙💙

someone on twitter said conservatives use the word woke like it's a slur and....yeah anyway, another absolutely enlightening video!! top tier work, as always

Wait this costume is right up there with Freud 😭😭😭

13:14 the amount of air that blew loudly out my nose at this transition was excellent 🤣

Again, a brilliant and timely topic. Can't wait to watch this one!!!

thank you for this! i don’t usually get into this side of politics anymore because anything i would say would be ignored or criticized because im a black teen girl in america 💀👩🏾‍🦯 but thank you for bringing light to this situation esp in this day and age of the internet and specifically twitter. they have run down the word woke to the point that it doesn’t even mean what it originally was anymore lmao

yes!!! the part about “expected entitlement” reflects how “karens” came to be, too. this video summed up a lot of the things i’ve observed and struggled to vocalize. you said it best!

I would be very interested in Shanspeare collection of wigs

SHANNNNNN I’m only 0:55 in and I am HOWLING.

13:38 this! Also, in ancient Rome, there was a two party system too, divided into Optimates ("the better") and Populares ("the supporters of the people") and throughout most of ancient Rome, Optimates have always tried to keep the status quo, or as they called it, the mos maiorum (the traditions of the old); everytime conservatives today talk about abolishing welfare and all these activities to help people in need, it reminds me of how the Optimates were always opposed to agricultural reforms offered by the tribunes of the plebs (for example, search the Gracchi brothers) that would have given free land to farm on (to add, this land was the land accumulated by rich families over generations, that would have been then given back to the state to give to any free man, and many were clients of these richer families, so they wouldn't have worked for them anymore), cheaper food etc, and would refuse to give more rights to the new classes that came to be part of Rome. Two thousand years later and across continents, nothing changed

I’m Jewish and have never felt “white” even though, yes, most of my heritage is genetically from east Europe. I live in a weird balance of being able to hide my differences but never wanting to (although always being unsure of the hatred held by those around me). Not many commentators make a separation between Jewish people and white people (despite Jews coming from all over the globe) and I appreciate you doing so. Lack of understanding leads to antisemitism and we all know the antisemetic voice has only been getting louder these days.

Your work remains undefeated 🎉

The costumes, the sets, the little news banners, the production value, Shaniya your videos are so amazing

Keep making videos please you’re so based and the antithesis to todays stupidity❤

This is why I savored Desantis's lawyers being forced to define "woke" in court.

Woke has turned into the new Critical Race Theory where they overuse the word and have no idea wtf it means lol. I asked this dude in my town once to explain CRT to me because he kept going on and on about how his 3rd grader was learning it and the only thing he said was “well I don’t really know but I know it’s bad and it’s teaching my 3rd grader to hate herself for being white!!!” Like dude, your 3rd grader is not learning CRT. Your teenager isn’t either, for that matter. The way these words are coopted and given a vague definition is on purpose though.

I don't care how often I hear Ben Shapeepo read WAP lyrics, it will always be hilarious

let’s get into IT ✨

While your topics are always intense, they actually give me hope from the usual grief I feel about politics. You always explain where the roots of the issue are, and therefore, explain how people can unlearn it. Seeing how malleable worldviews are by upbringing and understanding the culture these views come from, makes it so much easier to dissect and makes it seem like solving these issues is a reachable goal. Thank you for what you do

The format of the video is absolutely brilliant

How come Ben Shapiro feels okay with using the A-word but uncomfortable using the P-word

Thank you for that.. I thought I was the only one who is not happy about how such a hopeful and life affirming word as 'woke', has been twisted the way it has.

love the tucker carlson cosplay

this video made me listen to elon musk speaking for the first time in my life. How could you.

The editing for this video made my fucking day 😂😂😂

The first time I heard the word woke was in 2015 I was at a party and just happened to be telling some friends about the Tuskegee experiments off a book I had recently read and one of them said wow I didn't realize you were so woke and I was like what. The second time was in 2021 and someone online had described the new Dragonlance novel as "woke" because one of the main characters of the fantasy dragon book was a young black woman and I was like what. Suffice it to say it's 2023 and I'm still not sure what the word is SUPPOSED to mean

shanspeare out with another great video. tbh my fav video essayist on youtube

After Ben read WAP, I got an ad for RainX wiper blades. I really thought it was part of the video until it kept going lol. That was the best targeted advertising.

fuckin finally. the co-opting of "woke" was my biggest pet peeve of 2022. LOL srsly, i need them to get a new word, move onto their next buzzword.

We have been learning about emotions lately and we feel like emotional education might honestly be one of the best ways to help people leave conservative ideologies, if you look at it the behavior of common conservatives is really by and large the result of a series of reactions to misunderstood and mishandled emotions

This legit just became my favorite video Essay EVER!!

The quotations section was magnifique *chef's kiss*

Another banger of a video!! This is so put together and well explained thank you for making your stuff out there it’s so informative and emotionally intelligent

I noticed while using twitter that language is a great way to isolate people. If you explain terms incorrectly to someone, they won't be able to understand most activists' arguments. So it will be impossible to explain anything to them just like you can't explain what integrals are to a firstgrader.

People's determination to live in an intolerant and unjust society is mind-boggling. Equality and mutual respect not being a human's goal seems criminal to me.

Damn, this is slow clap grade material. I want this multipart video to end with everyone standing up and clapping because you deserve it. Can't wait for part 2!

The word “woke” is so general it’s crazy. They don’t even explain themselves and why they have these ideas, just expect everyone to get it and accept it without thinking any deeper.

Thank you! I arrived to a similar conclusion after having to argue about wokeism with some family members during the holidays (🙄🙄). They are scared. I am surrounded by university professors and, here in Canada (but i'm pretty sure it's in American academia as a whole), the discourse around the n-word, cancel culture and measures to ensure equity (though they definitely are debatable when the institution itself has created them) has gotten draining. I believe that those men are simply having an emotional reaction to their "loss of power", and that reaction is made worse by the fact they are meant to uphold rational thinking in their role as professors (and in general, white men). It's impossible to discuss with them, because they are discussing with eachother to confort themselves. Of course they don't wanna be right, we are threathening! At first, i came to the conclusion i would stop debating and offer them a (semi-ironic) hug. I truly hope they make peace with their emotions, without disregarding and without being overpowered by them either, and start looking inward. Unfortunately, i don't think that hope is realistic, when you look at the way these men have been acting since, well, forever. I also dont know if taking the "gentle" route is something that appeals to me anymore. I think we should threaten them. They should feel a discomfort. But will they change? And is my own narrative not me trying to be right, afraid of the discomfort the opposite side brings me? (i mean, i think being aware, tolerant, and open to change is a good thing, and adaptation to change and ✨love✨ is what got humans and animals this far in evolution and probably the only thing that could save us, as corny as it is. but thats for another page-long comment i would title: "why conservatives and dodo birds"). Anyway, this video was very cathartic, and your channel truely helps me feel more confident when i choose to debate in real life. Thank you, can't wait for part 2! xox (sorry for the spelling mistakes im tired and english isnt my first langage lol)

Ibram X. Kendi had the girls going wild. I fear the damage is done with that book.

this is an incredibly insightful dissection of anti woke hysteria, and it's amazing how you were able to deliver it all in good faith. thank you so much shaniya, can't wait to watch part 2!

your videos are always so informative, and I'm here for it! also your voice is so nice, in a calming way :) keep it up, don't stop!

This video is a great extension to the conversation that "privilege is not what you get its what you dont get (ie what doesnt stand in your way)". I wish I could send it to my male family members without it coming across as passive aggressive to them and it being dismissed, but I am taking notes for the next family gathering where they inevitably make a remark and I inevitably can't stop myself from taking the bait xD

You are truly hilarious! You make headache inducing subjects less painful to get through

every video essay you create continues to educate, inspire, and leave me in awe. you're one of my fav KZfaqrs pls never stop being you

The problem is the fact that wealth is concentrated in the few, who control the government, who very much so benefit from keeping us at each other’s throats, angry and divided. Whether that’s across religious, ethnic, sexual, gender, cultural, and tax bracket lines, it benefits those at the top to keep us so mad at whatever ‘villain’ they’ve named to get our rage and anger focused away from those who really deserve it. We do have a lot to address and redress in order to conquer those lines that divide us, but we can’t do it until wealth disparity is handled. The fact that such a small group of individuals have, what would be or could be considered, the closest thing to god like power over the rest of us, is a HUGE problem. That problem requires a solution. And I have no idea what it is, but until that very real and very big problem is solved, we’re essentially f-cked. Because the world is rigged for those few, and definitely made harder for the rest of humanity. And it definitely isn’t JUST white people who are at the top, with their talons gripped on the levers of power, and it isn’t a white problem, it’s a very real problem with humanity itself. I find it once fascinating and ironic that the word ‘humanity’ is supposed to stir feelings of some ethereal nobility of spirit, honor, and compassion, but humans are the only beings capable of true monstrosity, we dance on a very sharp blade’s edge right now, and either way, whatever’s next, it’s going to be painful. I just hope we come out on the other side better for it. Great video!

This is the first time I watch a full length video on such a topic. My attention span usually can't handle this, but Shanspeare's explanation and charisma help. I really love your videos. Thank you!!

I'm already gonna like this video even before I'm done or started because I hate how the right villainizes the word 'woke' , especially when the thing in question is usually just an lgbt character or poc on screen and it makes me feel as if there's bugs in my veins. If being 'woke' means adding more representation for marginalized groups than I'm woke and I'm proud to be woke.

"woke" is one (of many) of their code words for black, and more "inclusively;" gay.

i have been dying for someone to make a video on this exact topic, thank you so much so excited to watch this series!

So very excited for part 2. I really appreciate you sharing your opinions and experiences and using this knowledge to educate others. It means a lot and it DOES SO MUCH. Keep doing what you’re doing.

I absolutely detest the word. Whenever it's brought up, I can just feel the internal ire. Rather than spew woke, just describe your feelings of hating minorities, POC and the LGBT+. It's easier to stomach than hear excuses.

Shanspeare! Girl, you have done it again! constantly raising the bar for us all and doing it flawlessly. id say I’m surprised but I know who you are.

Just incredible. Your work is so well researched and so well presented-I am in awe and am grateful for the time and effort that clearly goes into your work.