Narratives (also called stories) form the central components of every discourse. Narratives have a so-called “spin” with which they advance a particular agenda. The spin is usually a politically motivated call to action.
From a woke perspective, a distinction is made between dominant and inclusive narratives. For woke activists, narratives are considered problematic with which dominant groups legitimise their privileges and control society. Allegedly, dominant groups suppress authentic narratives in order to maintain their privileged societal position.304
As a remedy, marginalised groups are to develop authentic counter-narratives. Counter-narratives are then considered “authentic” if they correspond to the woke ideology (see lived experience and empowerment).305 If counter-narratives are excluded from the discourse, this constitutes a form of marginalisation (see epistemic violence).
In woke thinking, narratives represent a struggle for power. This perspective is shaped by the postmodern view of truth: objectivity and truth claims are considered features of dominant narratives. From a woke perspective, therefore, the question of the actual truth content of theses is largely irrelevant.306 Instead, it is about how authentic forms of knowledge and marginalised discourses can be strengthened.
So-called “framing” is often practised, which has been perfected through activist practice with psychological, social, and rhetorical tricks.307 This framing often occurs through strategic moralisation: the woke faction claims positive motives for itself and devalues all other factions as ignorant or immoral. Woke activists are very practised at attributing moral or intellectual deficits to other positions (see Racism, Fragility, Experts, Populism, Hate Speech). Within moralistic framing, hardly any compromises can be found or substantive debates conducted.