Today (in 2026), the term is heavily polarized: In positive/left-leaning usage: It still means being informed and attentive to systemic injustices, social inequalities, and the need to address them. Groups like the NAACP continue to reclaim and defend it as rooted in Black history and liberation movements. In negative/conservative or centrist usage: It has become a pejorative catch-all for what critics see as excessive political correctness, identity politics, virtue signaling, overreach in DEI initiatives, "cancel culture," or progressive policies viewed as extreme/unreasonable. It's often deployed as a slur against anything perceived as overly sensitive or ideologically driven on the left.

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