The 3 Types of Woke Folk

Wokeism sure grinds our gears. Maybe yours too. It’s easy to sympathize with conservative commentators who lambast woke individuals and their tiresome virtue signaling.

However, Christ calls us to charity, even when sharing the truth with our ideological opponents. This is especially true since many woke people have been brainwashed and don’t know any better.

Here’s an overview of three types of woke people to help you tailor your responses in the most charitable way.

1. The brainwashed victim
There are people in the woke movement who have taken the “poison” of wokery because they are victims. They’ve often suffered from broken hearts and woke evangelists manipulate their wounds to make them susceptible to false ideas.

Here’s an example. A child suffers from same-sex attraction. Rather than lovingly helping him handle this disorder in a compassionate, Catholic way, his father treats him contemptuously and cuts him out of his life.

The child’s pain makes him vulnerable to a seemingly friendly LGBTQ activist, who convinces him that all Catholics despise him.

Many Catholics make the mistake of treating the victim as the enemy. This deepens the victim’s wounds and reinforces negative perceptions of Catholicism in their minds.

2. The unwitting participant
These people truly see wokeism as a movement of goodwill. They often have a generous heart and simply want to see everyone loved and accepted.

Sadly, they are also victims. They’ve been convinced that the only loving way to approach people is to affirm their lifestyle — even if it goes against the Natural Law.

Don’t hurl insults at these people. Help them understand how charity compels you to speak the truth, so that all people may be saved.

3. The enemy
There are true enemies of the Church, which many people in the hierarchy seem reluctant to admit.

They talk about “accompanying” these people. But while victims need accompanying, enemies simply need to be stopped, either by ignoring them, excommunicating them, or publically refuting their arguments. We do this to protect the innocent and also — hopefully — move our enemies to repentance.

Before confronting a woke activist, check yourself. Say a quick prayer and try to understand the person first. Then tailor your response to them, affirm their humanity, and leave the rest to God.