Kathy Burke’s ‘woke’ tirade from earlier this month has reappeared and received widespread acclaim in the aftermath of Amanda Holden’s remarks about Paul O’Grady.
The Lily Savage icon died ‘unexpectedly and peacefully’ on Tuesday night at the age of 67, prompting condolences from admirers and celebs equally, including the royal family.
Holden paid homage to the late pioneer, saying what she “loved” about O’Grady was that he was “not woke in any way.”
Her remarks prompted an outpouring of criticism, with one charging Holden of “utterly misjudging Paul’s legacy.”
Many people pointed out that actually, O’Grady was very ‘woke’ – defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as being ‘aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues’ – as he relentlessly campaigned to make the world a better place throughout his life.
‘That would be the drag artist, AIDS campaigner, LGBTQ+ hero and anti austerity critic Paul O’Grady. Ffs,’ one person Tweeted.
In light of Holden’s remarks, Burke’s rant from her Channel 4 show Kathy Burke: Growing Up has been resurfaced, with many applauding her meaning of “woke.”
In it, she says: ‘I think activism is a part of being young, and it’s important that the young show us what their p***ed off about.
‘I think activism is a part of being young, and it’s important that the young show us what their p***ed off about.
‘It’s not a fad and it’s not “wokeism”.’
She continued: ‘Can I just say, that gets on my f**king nerves.
‘They’re calling you woke if you call out bad things basically.
‘If you’re not racist, you’re woke. If you’re not homophobic, oh you’re woke.
‘Be woke, kids. Be woke. Be wide awake and f**king call it out.’
As the clip recirculated on Twitter, one person wrote: ‘Would Kathy Burke have a quiet word with Amanda Holden please. She’s managed to make a really bad day worse.’
Another penned: ‘Can we have more Kathy Burke and less Amanda Holden on TV and radio in future, please? Thanks from a proud woke person.’
Someone else wrote: ‘Be more Kathy Burke and more Paul O’Grady. And less Amanda Holden.’
Kathy Burke: Growing Up is available to stream on All4.
Source My Celebrity Life.