Paris Demetriades
"It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now," Donald Trump remarked last week during his visit to France for the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.
This statement, while containing a grain of truth, carries a surreal irony: one of the reasons the world feels so chaotic is Trump’s own reelection to the presidency of the United States.
Among the unsettling developments tied to his return to power is the renewed public discourse—even in our country—around the supposed "woke agenda." But what is the "woke agenda"? Does it truly exist, or is it largely a case of superficial misunderstanding and misinformation? Has it become a puritanical and conservative backlash against the progressive movements that have shaped recent decades?
The term "agenda" itself carries suspicious, conspiratorial, and negative undertones. It suggests that some hidden forces are deliberately promoting harmful objectives for their own gain in a secretive and manipulative manner. Isn’t that the implication when someone is accused of having an "agenda"?
However, a rational thinker can easily grasp the absurdity of this laughable yet concerning notion. Who would have a sinister interest in advocating for gender equality? Who benefits from ensuring that all races are treated as equals? Likewise, who gains nefariously from eliminating discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity?
Turning to the term "woke," we find a different story. Added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017, "woke" is defined as an adjective describing someone who is "well-informed and sensitive to racial or social discrimination and injustice." Is there anything wrong with that? Of course not—quite the opposite.
That said, have there been instances where the social justice movement has gone too far? The answer is undoubtedly yes. Is cancel culture, at times, harmful, divisive, and even hysterical? Absolutely.
But at the end of the day, it all comes down to priorities and how one evaluates the bigger picture. Could society have avoided the overreactions and extremes that emerged after centuries of marginalization and ridicule endured by vulnerable groups who are only now finding their voice? Probably not. Such excesses were almost inevitable. The real question is whether we should continue to focus disproportionately on these exaggerated aspects, which are often overemphasized and misleading. Wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on the core progressive ideals?
As a final thought, it’s worth noting which political entity in Cyprus has taken it upon itself to lead the "fight" against the so-called woke agenda. Unsurprisingly, it is the far-right ELAM, which has proposed legislation in parliament promoting ideas like the "duality of genders" and raising concerns about "premature masturbation"—all in an attempt to combat the "madness" they attribute to proponents of the woke agenda. While this could be dismissed as laughable, the widespread influence and popularity of this conspiracy render it a troubling issue.
This opinion was translated from its Greek original.
