11 Things People Think Are Woke That Are Actually Just Common Sense
We're only causing more divisiveness.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock Social issues, politics, and discussions of identity, class, and status are complex and inherently intertwined, fueling language, discourse, and discussions about topics that can manifest in a variety of complicated ways. For example, the term "stay woke" once served as a tagline for the Black Lives Matter movement, encouraging people to educate themselves on issues of racial inequality and injustice. Now, it's become a tagline for oppositional groups, who suggest "wokeness" is an ideology worth fighting against.
Of course, the logic and usage of the term "woke" in recent years has taken a broadly negative connotation in these demographics, demonizing left-leaning political parties for advocating for social issues and being outspoken about controversial social debates. From restroom usage to basic empathy, there are many things people think are woke that are actually just common sense, muddying the waters and sparking more divisiveness and polarization.
Here are 11 things people think are woke that are actually just common sense
1. Gen Z's economic struggles
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According to The Washington Post, Gen Zers are far worse off financially than millennials, thanks to inflationary pressures and rising costs. They're not only struggling with a tumultuous job market — making it difficult to secure an income that allows them to tackle student debt and afford housing — they're paying more for basic necessities like utilities and groceries, which add up significantly over time.
The misguided idea that Gen Zers are simply "lazy" is a common thread in discourse demonizing "wokeness," urging young people to feel guilty and ashamed for an economic state that's not their fault, rather than advocating for a more equitable and supportive system.
Pushing back against research explaining Gen Z's financial struggles only isolates them from seeking and advocating for help, further polarizing an already divisive generational gap. Supporting younger generations in securing financial stability is one of the things people think are woke that are actually just common sense, but who's going to continue leading the country, the workplace, families, and society if Gen Z can't secure financial stability?
2. Talking openly about mental health
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A 2024 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology suggests that "woke" individuals, who either held strong beliefs about social justice concerns or associated with the political "left," were more likely to be depressed, anxious, and unhappy compared to those who weren't. While research like this has fueled opinions demonizing "wokeness," the true nature of this correlation is unwritten and largely unspoken.
Young people, specifically Gen Zers, and politically liberal individuals are more likely to report mental illness than their counterparts, but that doesn't mean they're the only ones struggling — a large majority of Americans, of all demographics and political associations, struggle with a mental illness like depression or anxiety without a formal diagnosis or support. Just because these alternative groups aren't seeking help or diagnoses doesn't mean they don't exist.
Mental health activism not only encourages those groups to get the help they need, it breaks down stigmas around mental health that support men, who are negatively affected by traditionalist gender norms, older generations like baby boomers, who grew up believing mental illness was a sign of weakness to be ignored and suppressed, and the next generation of children, who will surely be impacted by this unnecessarily polarizing and controversial subject.
3. Equal pay
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Considering many people today — across political ideologies, age demographics, and communities — still benefit from traditional gender and social norms like unequal pay structures, patriarchal values in relationships, and a rigid gender binary, it's not surprising that equitable pay is one of the things people think are woke that are actually just common sense.
Rather than address the clear division of pay harming women — proven time and time again by research studies — many prefer to characterize it as a "woke" ideology, arguing that men are more "deserving" of higher pay or industry standards account for pay discrepancies.
However, studies like one from Pew Research Center show that pay discrepancies have little to do with these talking points and much more to do with targeting disadvantaged and marginalized communities, toxic workplace cultures and expectations, and inequitable education attainment that are institutionally rooted.
4. Advocating for accessible education
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While advocating for accessible education and opportunity may seem like common sense, it's largely been targeted and deemed "woke" by — ironically — wealthy, educated, and influential players in our country who already hold power on the basis of their traditional identities.
From school enrollment statistics, to equitable financial assistance at universities, public school funding, racial injustice in the education institution, and even things like accessible free lunches for K-12 students, it's clear that we're falling short on providing everyone with the same opportunities educationally.
Marginalized communities are less likely to continue their education past high school, for a variety of social, financial, and personal reasons, which means they're also less likely to attain the education, support, and connections they need to build a secure career and future. Everything is interconnected — when we demonize one social movement or issue, all of these other interwoven factors and statistics can't be ignored.
5. The link between food and general health
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Research shows that eating healthy foods, following a consistent nutritional diet, and moving your body can decrease cancer risks and other adverse health outcomes and boost general health and well-being. While many people are comfortable admitting that connection, other pieces of this complex and complicated discussion are left unspoken or even demonized.
For example, who has the most access to these healthy foods? Who has more free time to invest in workout classes or moving their body at home? Who can afford the rising costs of organic groceries, fresh produce, and healthy protein options?
There's a link between food and health, but there's also a link between income and health, race and ethnicity and health, gender and health, and a number of other social identifiers and identities that are often put at disadvantages as a result of our current societal structure.
This realization is one of the things people think are woke that are actually just common sense. Poor people have less free time to move their bodies, less money to spend on groceries, and less education on how to take care of their well-being compared to wealthier, more educated demographics.
Understanding that and taking actionable steps to fix it also means addressing education disparities, pay gaps, racial injustice, and a million other interwoven discussions.
6. Basic empathy
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A Zurich Insurance Group report titled "Decline in Human Empathy Creates Global Risks in the 'Age of Anger'" suggests that individual struggles like anxiety, loneliness, and isolation can become societal issues when they're coupled with identity politics and polarizing social discussions.
If we're all so angry that we can't empathize with our fellow human beings and neighbors — for example, characterizing a person's identity as a "dangerous woke ideology" — how can we find unity?
It's unsettling and frustrating that basic empathy has become one of the things people think are woke that are actually just common sense, but it's the world we're currently living in — riddled with divisiveness, polarization, and resentment that's best healed with human connection and empathy.
7. Family stalls and changing tables in men's restrooms
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For many unsettling and ignorant reasons, discussions about restrooms have become incredibly polarizing and hostile in recent years, despite being a place we all use regularly without reservation. Everyone needs access to a restroom, but there are other needs that have been misguidedly labeled as "dangerously woke," when they're really just common sense.
There's so many examples of needs in places like the men's restroom, for example, yet it still seems too controversial to address at the hands of political figures and influential spokespeople who've never used a public restroom in their lives, let alone changed their own baby's diaper or navigated a store with a stroller and five kids.
At the end of the day, no matter your views on the gender binary, traditional family roles, or childcare, who are we truly hurting when we combat equity and accessibility in places like the men's restroom?
When a father doesn't have a changing table to change his baby's diaper in public, who is that hurting? When a transgender man doesn't have access to a private stall or free menstruation products, who is that hurting? When kids are forced to use the restroom without private stalls or a lock on the door, who is that hurting?
8. Taking time off from work
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Stigma around taking time off tends to do more harm than good, especially for people battling chronic illnesses, new parents, workers battling burnout, and others. It's not just these employees that become at risk for exhaustion and emotional turmoil, employers also fall short on maximizing their productivity and cultivating a strong workplace culture when they demonize time off, sick time, and vacations on their teams.
Coupled with misguided beliefs about Gen Zes and other young professionals entering the workforce, stigma around taking time off isn't doing anyone any favors. Like all the other things people think are woke that are actually just common sense, time off expectations and stigmas are rooted in a million experiences.
For example, a study from Aetna revealed that workers are twice as likely to take time off for a physical illness, compared to a mental one — creating an inescapable stigma around grief, mental illness, and other emotional factors rooted in our humanity at work.
When we start to believe taking time off is controversial, we ignore the humanity of our workforce, harming workplace productivity, but also general wellbeing amongst employees.
9. Embracing singlehood
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While there's surely a link between a rise in feminist ideas and a dismantling of toxic gender norms on traditional nuclear family structures and lower marriage rates in younger generations — statistics that can be alarming to demographics demonizing "woke culture" that thrive on a traditional social structure — if these new ideas are encouraging people to embrace singlehood, steer clear of toxic relationships, and advocate for their personal wellbeing, shouldn't it be common sense?
Younger generations are largely on the forefront of new ideas about embracing singlehood — entering into adulthood focusing on their personal wellbeing, financial stability, new experiences, and careers before automatically having children or settling down with a partner.
It's not "woke" to put yourself first over traditional expectations like starting a family, especially for women that tend to bear the emotional and physical burdens of marriage and family life at disproportionate rates to men. It's just common sense for anyone that's knowledgeable enough about the toxicity of social and gender norms to care.
10. Climate change activism
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According to scientific experts from NASA, the evidence for rapid climate change in recent years — from warmer global temperatures, to an increased frequency of natural disasters, and rising sea levels — is compelling enough to be alarming. Yet, on a social and political level, activism around climate change is largely deemed "controversial" and dangerously "woke."
Of course, the root of climate change — our industrialized society, reliance on fossil fuels, and corporate interests — are inherently political, making scientific urgency around climate activism inherently controversial, despite being coined "necessary" by experts.
If you're an individual, more concerned about climate change for the sake of your family, future generations, and world unity, it's just common sense to view climate change as a problem that needs collective action, rather than a controversial debate.
11. Equitable maternity leave
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Especially in our culture that's fixating on pressuring young people to settle down, get married, and have children in hopes of attaining a nuclear family, it's shocking that equitable maternity leave isn't more prioritized. It's almost as if people in power care more about upholding traditional values than genuinely protecting the safety and well-being of young parents, specifically mothers.
The stories are well publicized — mothers in Congress voting with their baby in their arms, young dads being forced to return to work during impressionable bonding stages, and mothers being burdened by unfathomably low wages, guilt, and workplace discrimination for having children.
Equitable parental leave — for both parents — is one of the things people think are woke that are actually just common sense. If you want to incentivize people to have children, give them the time to healthily do so, without judgment or fear.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.