woke mind virus

Noun

woke mind virus (plural woke mind viruses)

1. (derogatory, neologism, slang) Leftist, progressive, or social justice-supporting movements that are perceived by opponents to be fanatical or corrupting society.
   • In the fiery interview, which aired on Tuesday evening, Musk protested attempts to cancel comedian Dave Chappelle and said the “woke mind virus” is “arguably one of the biggest threats to modern civilization.”2021 December 23, “Elon Musk unveils ‘biggest threat to modern civilization’”, in RT
   • "We have made Florida the state where woke goes to die," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a recent event in Virginia. "The woke mind virus represents a war on merit. It represents a war on achievement."2023 July 21, Domenico Montanaro, “Republicans can't stop using the word 'woke'. But what does it really mean?”, in NPR
2. (broadly, derogatory, neologism, slang) Perceived left-wing threats to freedom of speech or conservative values.
   • “I think we need to be very cautious about anything that is anti-meritocratic and anything that results in the suppression of free speech,” Musk said to Maher. “So those are two of the aspects of the ‘woke mind virus’ that I think are very dangerous…. you can’t question things, even the questioning...2023 April 28, Ellise Shafer, McKinley Franklin, “Elon Musk Talks Twitter, Censorship and the ‘Woke Mind Virus’ on ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’”, in Variety
   • What’s interesting, when you look past all the hysterical bullshit about brown people and trans kids and the imaginary woke mind virus, is that Hanson’s new converts in Farrer and South Australia are angry about the same shit as everyone else, whether that’s a Lebanese-Australian bricklayer in...2026 June 3, John Birmingham, “Neoliberalism ate the world. Enter: Pauline Hanson”, in Crikey