play_arrow

Society & Culture

Woke is BACK! …really?

podcast December 5, 2025


Background
share close

Some say we’re entering the Woke 2.0 era. Is that real or imagined?

From declining Target sales to Mamdani’s election, some folks online are feeling a vibe shift. Is that feeling…woke? And if so, does that mean woke is back in style?

To answer those questions – and to dissect whether or not woke ever left – Brittany is joined by Constance Grady, senior correspondent at Vox, and Tyler Austin Harper, staff writer at The Atlantic and co-host of the podcast, Time to Say Goodbye.

Vote for It’s Been a Minute in the NPR Pod Club Awards!

(0:00) When did Woke end?
(4:22) Why Woke doesn’t work when racism is still on the rise
(8:50) Target, Sydney Sweeney, and America’s appetite for racism
(12:08) The rise of “Dark Woke” & will it work?
(13:51) Is Zohran Mamdani a sign of a new kind of Woke?
(15:40) How MAGA made the blueprint for Woke 2.0

Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.

Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Rate it
Previous episode