Woke activists deal intensively with “problematiques”, as anything and everything can be problematised (texts, behaviours, discourses, curricula, etc.). Problematising means identifying something as part of an oppressive power structure in order to make this power structure more visible (e.g. as part of racism, sexism, transphobia, coloniality, climate change, etc.).357
Only privileged groups can be held responsible for problematiques, as marginalised groups have no access to systemic power.
Allegedly, most privileged persons do not have sufficient consciousness to correctly understand problematiques; in part, they are even morally corrupted by self-interest.358 Anyone who holds a privileged standpoint can only understand these complex dynamics in a limited way (see Standpoint Theory).
Problematising forms a method to further develop woke theories. As a rule, something is located as a component of an oppression system; often one presents oneself as an advocate of a marginalised community. New knowledge arises through the problematisation of theses that have not yet been problematised, not through falsification. The problematising method is often easier than systematic falsification (see Science). Problematiques are always to be considered as intersectionally as possible, as individual critical theories would not sufficiently take into account the effects of multiple power structures.
This is why woke ideas are never too strongly problematising: previous theories are always only too little problematising, as scepticism towards previous problematiques is considered problematic because this scepticism could make the hidden oppression invisible again.
In the end, a situation like in the fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” arises: dissidents and non-woke critics are themselves considered problematic if they speak out.359 Renowned persons who do not agree with woke positions must expect to lose their expert status (see Cancel Culture).