The act, especially by politicians, of jumping on the latest 'Woke' bandwagon to garner media attention, popularity, and, whisper it ever so softly, votes....
He'd no idea what BLM was about but as soon as he saw the attention it was getting in the press the leader of the opposition simply had to ensure the press had a photo of him taking the knee (whatever that meant) a clear indication that his actions were mere twokenism.
by stephenroi December 11, 2020
Get the Twokenism mug.Parading around your best example of a marginalized group (that one woman CEO or that one amazing black teacher) to prove you aren’t sexist or racist.
white People: look at this article about a black man who spends extra time with kids with no dads... why isn’t THIS viral?
Answer: because it’s Tokenism and black people doing something great isn’t as rare as YOU think.
Answer: because it’s Tokenism and black people doing something great isn’t as rare as YOU think.
by More dictionaries less bibles March 12, 2019
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Woke Tokenism.
‘Wokenism’ is a form of tokenism performed by people attempting to seem woke, progressive or politically correct.
This could be casting one random POC in a period drama set in England, and so telling the story of English history yet again, but this time with some African spice.
‘Wokenism’ is a form of tokenism performed by people attempting to seem woke, progressive or politically correct.
This could be casting one random POC in a period drama set in England, and so telling the story of English history yet again, but this time with some African spice.
Person 1: ‘Hey, isn’t it cool that Viola Davis has been cast as Florence Nightingale?’
Person 2: ‘I guess... but wouldn’t it be even cooler if she was cast as Mary Seacole? So we could have a film about a woman who really was black, instead of rehashing the same white narratives but shoehorning POCs in for the sake of progressivism, whilst paradoxically denying them the chance to tell their own stories and depict their own histories? Idk... just feels like Wokenism to me.’
Person 2: ‘I guess... but wouldn’t it be even cooler if she was cast as Mary Seacole? So we could have a film about a woman who really was black, instead of rehashing the same white narratives but shoehorning POCs in for the sake of progressivism, whilst paradoxically denying them the chance to tell their own stories and depict their own histories? Idk... just feels like Wokenism to me.’
by lightbringer January 6, 2021
Get the Wokenism mug.This corporate report is a blatant example of retro-tokenism. See that black man there, clearly he was inserted into the picture after the fact for political correctness.
by Philosophistry April 3, 2009
Get the retro-tokenism mug.The liberal act of labeling any black people that work for their political adversaries as tokens to shame, harass, and humiliate them for working with their political adversaries that the liberals project their racism onto.
Our best strategy to trick people into believing conservatives are all racists is by using tokenism to run as many people of color away from our competition.
by Jsjusjdjskksj March 2, 2019
Get the tokenism mug.by Amy Street March 18, 2006
Get the twatenism mug.A rhetorical strategy where someone cites the existence of marginalized individuals who agree with dominant views as proof that oppression doesn't exist or that dissent is invalid. "I have a Black friend who agrees with me" is the classic form. It's tokenism inverted because instead of using marginalized people as decorative diversity, it uses them as rhetorical weapons against movements for justice. The existence of exceptions doesn't disprove patterns; individuals can internalize oppression or hold complex views. Inverted Tokenism weaponizes authenticity against liberation.
"You say the system is racist, but I know a Black conservative who says it's not." That's Inverted Tokenism—using one person's view to dismiss structural analysis. One individual doesn't negate patterns; their existence doesn't make the problem disappear. Tokenism as a weapon, not a bridge."
by Dumu The Void February 28, 2026
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