Nowhere have we suggested dropping the views and activities that got you labeled as “woke.” We won’t ever suggest that, because being true to what you care about is central to your personal brand and your corporate brand. In the end, if you want to continue being who you are, you may have to shut the door on some customer, partner, or investor relationships or choose not to apply for or accept a job. But those are tough choices to make, and these five responses give you some options before you’re forced to hit the Eject button.

If the idea of doing this gives you heartburn, we feel the same way. We hate the idea of having to keep doing good a secret because it rankles certain people. But again, sometimes economic necessity must win the day. If keeping an important customer means you can keep employing five account reps who might otherwise be let go, it might be worth clearing your company’s Instagram of photos from your voter registration drive.

Use logicSome folks have a tough time separating the personal from the professional. For example, if you’re a freelancer, you could have a client who loves your work but objects to your participation in Black Lives Matter events. In that case, a reasonable approach might be to ask your client if they can separate your professional skill from your activism and beliefs. “As long as my personal views don’t impact the quality of the work I do for you, is there any reason we can’t agree to disagree and keep working together?” It’s a fair question, and while some people choose not to do business with individuals or companies that support causes they oppose, this is probably the best way to preserve professional relationships. If the other party can’t see past personal grievances, then that may be business you don’t want.

For starters, we’d suggest avoiding the temptation to eye roll. As annoying as it may be to have legitimate concerns about equity or economic inequality dismissed as “wokeness,” some people take the issue quite seriously. Appear dismissive and you can kiss any chance of a meaningful dialogue goodbye. Beyond that, there are five strategies for countering someone—customer, investor, vendor, or even potential employer—who drops “woke” as an insult.Turn away the business or career opportunityWe’ve led with the atomic bomb because many Rare Breeds seem wired to take a hardline stance against anyone who questions our commitment to progressive ideals. But this may not be an advisable strategy for you. First off, maybe you can’t afford to point this customer to the exit, or you really need this job or freelance gig to make ends meet. Virtue signaling often takes a backseat to practical economic necessity.

On Heritage Explains, a podcast produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation, host Tim Doescher defined “wokeness” in business this way: “This trend toward corporatism or corporate wokeness is becoming more and more popular throughout corporate America. Corporations are willingly becoming activated political arms for left-wing causes. Why? What happened to these historic brands remaining neutral, letting the quality of their products speak for itself on the open market, and letting politicians worry about politics?”As you probably know, Black social justice activists took the term “woke” viral in the 2010s. It originally referred to someone who was alert to racial prejudice and discrimination, which seems to us to be an unambiguously good thing. But since then, the term has become