Document text
Reader not sure if he is woke Jun 19, 2022 12:00 AM A A I am a 91-year-old white, privileged, male USMC veteran. I’ve been hep, hip and cool over the years, so I am not unaware of the latest words — punked, catfish, gaslight. However, I am confused by the word “woke.” Do I want to be a woke person? Will it interfere with my daily naps if I am? Please clarify this for me since you know everything. — Matt B., Medford We don’t know whether we know everything, Matt, but we know enough to know that you are likely woke, woker, wokest, which are all slang words recognized by modern dictionaries. Merriam-Webster defines woke as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” though other sources are more succinct: “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.” The Associated Press Stylebook generally advises newspapers to avoid use of slang, but because woke is accepted as a real word by both Webster's New World College Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, it says that woke can be used without putting it in quotation marks, which means you are woke, and not “woke.” Nap with confidence, young man. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by email to [email protected].