Wokefisher: how to recognize a manipulator to stay away from

He immediately said he was absolutely in favor of gender equality, or agreed with the choice of those who become vegan for ethical reasons, discussing the cruelty of battery farming. Except then after a few appointments, you discover that his way of life is the furthest thing there is from what he preaches and everything that impressed you about him doesn’t exist in reality.

Maybe you’ve taken the bait of a wokefisheryet another manipulative figure from the underwater world of dating, which is best to stay away from. But to do this you must first get to know it closely.

What is wokefishing?

«Wokefishing» is a neologism that coins the word Woke, that is to say “stay awake, with your eyes open”especially in the field of defense of human rights and social values, And fishinga suffix now used in the virtual world to indicate the falsification of personal information or photos online, to pretend to be someone you’re not. In this case, the wokefisher pretends to share moral and ethical values, for the sole purpose of “enticing” the other party.

The first to talk about it, in fact to coin the neologismwas the journalist Serena Smith in an editorial on Vicethen taken up by New York Post, in which she told her personal story, which then acted as a sounding board for that of thousands of women: how many happened to start dating a man with progressive, pro-integration ideas, who drank oat milk instead of cow’s milk, but then basically he didn’t care that much about all this? His goal was only to get you into bed, nothing more.

Who is the wokefisher? An identikit

The environment in which the wokefisher moves is the dating apps, like Tinder or Bumble. Here you have the opportunity to study the victim’s profilecarpendone political ideologies and social valueswhich then goes to learn more about social media, to better frame it in terms of tastes and habits. Subsequently he goes on the attack, contacting her and posing as a very knowledgeable man in terms of social rights and feminism and sensitive to related issues minorities and the environment. Once he started dating and got what he wanted, that is, a sexual encounter, the interest lapses and passes to the next victim.

Analyzing the figure from a psychological point of view, the wokefisher is an individual who implements a cunning strategy to deceive one’s victimwithout worrying about the consequences at all. Behind this manipulative profile, some traits of what is defined can be connoted dark tetrad: it can present strong traits of psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism and, sometimes, sadism.

To trace them general characteristics, the wokefisher is skilled at telling (and supporting) lies, shaping your personality on certain ideological positions to charm his victims; occurs often sexist and racist traits, not sharing any of the ideologies it pretends to defend; finally, present poor empathy and clear instrumental goals.

The consequences of wokefishing on victims

Pretending to be a progressive, open-minded person, which you are not at all, for the sole purpose of having fun for a night is within the scope of handling and as such, it produces a painful effect on the victim, which does not end at the end of the relationship.

Statistically the victims of wokefishing are Millennial or Generation Z women, that is, very likely to be interested and also to take sides and fight for social causes. The practice of wokefishing began approximately in 2020, following the pandemic, intensifying in recent years, not without consequences on the psyche of those who suffer it. A woman victim of this dynamic, in fact, suffers a attack against its fundamental values, for mere sexual interest.

They can occur mental after-effects important, like experiencing a mixture of anger and shame, feeling used or even betrayed, feeling stupid for not having noticed the deception, all feelings that lead to a whirlwind of frustration and insecurity.

If the mental cost of this loss begins to become significant, it is a good idea to request the support of psychological therapy.

Wokefisher: If you know it, you avoid it

Here we are faced with a mechanism of virtual manipulation (then brought into reality), which goes beyond the best known catfishing: in this case, the perpetrator creates a false profile to deceive the victim, in wokefishing he uses a very sophisticated hook, that of an ideological or political position.

So how can you protect yourself from such behavior, avoiding falling into the wokefisher’s net? Here are some tips suggested by experts in this article published on Exploring your mind.

Avoid giving confidence right away

Remember that this is a person you have just met, even if the affinity arises, avoid giving immediate confidence: it’s still simply a flirt.

Try not to give detailed information

Wokefishers study their victims’ social media profiles, so be more mysterious online.

Pay attention to the themes

Wokefishers “fish” in the mare magnum of social issues: So if he starts talking heatedly about feminism, the environment and social rights, be careful.

Ask lots of questions, even specific ones

What if he really was an activist? To unmask him, ask him lots of questions: the more, the better. Don’t hesitate to ask him the most disparate questions about his ideological position. It won’t take you long to spot gaps, ignorance, lies, mistakes, distortions or inconveniences.

Share your experience

If you have been a victim of wokefishing, Don’t hesitate to share it with other women so that they become aware of this type of deceptive practice.

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