‘Dark woke’ is the internet’s answer to Trump-style politics

In the wake of Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. president, a growing chorus of voices is calling on liberals to toughen up and tone down the moral high ground. If the left wants to claw back power, they argue, it’s time to play dirty. Enter: dark woke.

The term began circulating online soon after Trump was sworn in for his second term. A video of someone sprinting up to a Cybertruck and spraying its silver shell with spray paint? Dark woke. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling the new Republican government “rapists” and, in response, telling critics to “cry more”? Dark woke.

#DarkWoke is rising. pic.twitter.com/2taP6TzHo2

— Right Wing Cope (@RightWingCope) February 3, 2025

Even elected Democrats seem to be testing the waters. California Representative Robert Garcia recently claimed he’s borrowing from House member Marjorie Taylor Greene’s playbook  by bringing a “dick pic”—a photo of Elon Musk—to a Department of Government Efficiency subcommittee meeting.

It’s not just a terminally online trend. TikToker and self-described “Regina George liberal” Suzanne Lambert echoed the sentiment in a CBS interview, urging Democrats to “be meaner.” Her reasoning: “You fight fire with fire: I want people to feel more comfortable fighting back, and I want them to see someone fighting for them.”

It’s the latest evolution of what was once known, during Trump’s first term, as the dirtbag left—a label for young progressives who ruthlessly mocked their political enemies. During the 2024 election, then-President Joe Biden’s campaign also briefly embraced the Dark Brandon meme, which reimagined the 81-year-old Democratic nominee as a cooler internet alter-ego. “I think the “dark woke” stuff had to happen eventually because the liberal side of the culture war has not been overtly cruel enough to fit into American politics,” one X user mused last month.

I think the “dark woke” stuff had to happen eventually because the liberal side of the culture war has not been overtly cruel enough to fit into American politics

— Liv (@Liv_Agar) February 1, 2025

However, one interpretation of “dark wokeism” essentially boils down to slurs but said in a leftist way. On X, this is framed as a backlash against the “namby-pamby language policing that no one likes” in liberal politics. “Most people think ‘dark woke’ just means using slurs/adopting inherently regressive right wing positions,” journalist Taylor Lorenz posted on X. “Most ‘dark woke’ types have just adopted conservatism but refuse to acknowledge that bc they are nominally against Trump or want to think of themselves as ‘good” ppl.”

Most people think “dark woke” just means using slurs/adopting inherently regressive right wing positions. Most “dark woke” types have just adopted conservatism but refuse to acknowledge that bc they are nominally against Trump or want to think of themselves as “good” ppl

— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) February 2, 2025

This shift toward meaner, nastier politics isn’t exactly surprising. Trump’s rise—built on a strategy of saying absolutely anything, no matter how offensive or plain wrong—didn’t just win him a second term. It set the tone for global politics. For now, dark woke is more gallows humor than any kind of serious organizing force. Whether it becomes something more? That remains to be seen.

---

https://www.fastcompany.com/91291472/dark-woke-is-the-internets-answer-to-trump-style-politics?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss