Shock jock Howard Stern openly embraced being labeled as "woke" during his SiriusXM radio show on Monday, staunchly defending his support for equality, science, and democracy.
In response to the notion that he's "not good anymore" because he's considered "woke," Stern expressed his view, saying he considers it a "compliment."
He then proceeded to elaborate on his interpretation of the term, explaining why he has rejected the way conservatives have used it to ignore science and discredit others who've spoken out against former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement at large.
You can hear what Stern said in the audio below.
Stern said:
“I hear that a lot that I’m not good anymore because I’m ‘woke.' I kind of take that as a compliment, that I’m woke. I'll tell you how I feel about it."
"To me the opposite of woke, is being asleep. And if woke means I can’t get behind Trump, which is what I think it means, or that I support people who want to be transgender, or I’m for the vaccine ― dude, call me woke as you f**king want.”
Stern also expressed his delight over new COVID-19 boosters that have become available now that the federal regulators and health authorities have signed off on them—and mocked Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen:
'I'm not for stupidity, you know. I ran out Friday morning. I was over at CVS. Thank you, CVS. I went over there 9 a.m. and got myself that new vaccine for COVID."
"F**king science. This f**king country is so great."
“I am woke, motherf**ker, and I love it. I want to be awake. I want to read legitimate news sources. Here’s how woke I am: I believe the election was not rigged.”
Many concurred with Stern's assessment after his remarks went viral.
For the political right, "wokeness" or "wokeism" generally refers to a left-leaning perspective that acknowledges the widespread existence of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination in American society.
Advocates of this viewpoint assert that addressing these systemic biases requires ongoing vigilance and policies that consider identity and historical disadvantages. However, conservatives often employ the term "wokeism" to criticize a broader spectrum of liberal ideas that they perceive as detrimental to historically privileged groups, meritocracy, and religious freedom.