Do you think that no one has ever unironically used "politically correct", "social justice warrior", or "woke" to describe themselves or their opinions?

I'm not saying that the response to it isn't rooted in some deeper fear, but that doesn't mean that the phenomenon they are afraid of doesn't exist.

My first exposure to the term "social justice" was several years ago, when a family member began working with local jails and businesses, personally visiting and establishing relationships with inmates, and working to help reduce recidivism by arranging jobs for former inmates. I have never heard the addendum "warrior" added as a self-description, and have only ever heard it applied as a term of mockery from the right.

> I have never heard the addendum "warrior" added as a self-description, and have only ever heard it applied as a term of mockery from the right.

I'm reluctant to name specific individuals, but there are people who embrace the "SJW" term for themselves. For example, the flair next to the username of this semi-famous developer[0] is a self-description that he is known for.[1]

Perhaps you could argue that he is being ironic, but it is a self-description and he certainly doesn't mean to mock people who identify that way.

[0] https://old.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/2fddvg/im_matthew_ga...

[1] https://ostatic.com/blog/matthew-garrett-quits-kernel-to-do-...

Of course it exists, but for decades it's been cast into a mold that pattern-matches a longstanding reactionary anxiety.

Just like "cosmopolitan" is a neutral/positive adjective by its dictionary definition, but has a very negative connotation in certain right-wing and/or anti-Semite circles.