Woke Is Not A Four-Letter Word: The Pros and Cons of Woke Culture Explained.

Tee hee, my head feels funny...

With the recent casting of Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, the fan community has gone down an all too familiar road that honestly is getting a bit tiresome. Now, full disclosure: I love Idris Elba. I would literally watch a movie of him reading the phone book so admittedly I am a bit biased. Having that said, I really don’t see what the big deal about a race swapped character from a cartoon that was on television over four decades ago.

Stemming, most likely from the backlash over Kevin Smith’s version of the Masters of the Universe cartoon (Revelations and Revolutions respectively) The woke culture took a hit for better or for worse. Personally, I am a fan of woke culture, but I can see where, as with all things, it can be taken to the extreme. So with this blog article I’m going to look at the pros (prose?) and cons (Kaaaaaahhhhnnnnn!) of the scene. How it can help, how it can hurt and why we should stay away from the keyboards until we understand what is trying to be said.

Peaking strictly with the Idris Elba casting, I saw tweets like, “Why do they always have to cast a black actor for white roles?” or “Can't have anything good for the whites!”. Well, when Mr. Elba was initially cast in the Thor films as Heimdall, a traditionally white character, No one batted an eye. Perhaps because the role was too insignificant to cause a stink or because the character is essentially a doorman it was considered too banal a fight to get riled up over. My lack of faith in humanity suggests the latter.

Perhaps we slide over to the Whoniverse, where fans cried outrage over the fact that a woman (gasp!) and then a Gay person of color in the role of the time-travelling, two-hearted engine of social justice. I understand that these may not be your cup of tea but as many things, our entertainment is subjective. To clarify, I enjoyed Jodie Whitaker’s portrayal of the Doctor, but I did not enjoy the stories they set her in. Much like Peter Capaldi. On the other hand. I have enjoyed Ncuti Gatwa’s portrayal as well as his stories. I look forward to the second series and hope he continues as the Doctor when it returns to the BBC.

Just for fun let’s look at some other pearl instances clutching in the cancel culture community. Good thing this isn’t the Mortal Kombat universe, or they could have some real problems with an acronym.

Starting off, let’s dovetail into…

 Doctor Who: The character has a built-in story mechanism where every time he “dies” he regenerates int a new body and personality. And yet for nearly sixty years, he was always cast as some variation of white male. Side note, I really want Sendhil Ramamurthy to play the Doctor.

Do it you, Cowards!

The X-Men: A series based on the premise of a marginalized people being hated and feared for being different. They began woke.

Superman: “They turned him Gay!!!” Firstly, no they didn’t. Despite what Fox News would have you believe, Kal-El of Krypton is still straight and married to Lois Lane. His son Jonathan, however, is bisexual and currently dating a homosexual man. Jon has had female partners and at some point, will probably have one in the future. Its comics. Things change until they eventually go back to the status quo.

I believe I have made my point on how woke culture can be used in ways to craft a great story. You can lean into these in story mechanics to draw from a real place and deliver something unique. To further the point I believe that hiring writers, actors, directors etc. to convey these stories, we can get a first-hand account of what it’s like to see these characters through the lens of something real.

Take, for instance, the first Black Panther movie. I enjoyed it well enough as a superhero flick, but there was something about it that just made me continue to go back to it. I was listening to Fatman Beyond with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin and Marc put it so succinctly that I immediately understood why I felt that the movie struck such a chord with me.

Marc stated that black entertainment typically depicts the struggles of the black community. Nothing wrong with that at all. However, much like the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan, detailing grim slaughter or Normandy Beach or what we now call D-Day, It’s hard for me to go back and watch because I know that actually happened.

With Black Panther, however, Ryan Coogler portrayed a film where Black culture was not only shown on the big screen, but it was also celebrated. Elevated. I legitimately felt the love the characters had for one another. Even more so when they dealt with the passing of Chadwick Boseman in Wakanda Forever. It’s not that I Dislike the works of Spike Lee or John Singleton because the events they depicted didn’t happen. It’s because I live in a world where I could believe it happened.Its why I’m a fan of black horror movies. I bow down and worship and the alter of Jordan Peele. Movies like Tales from the Hood spoke to me because they were hardcore. Some of the most hardcore of the genre. And that is because, at least in my opinion, the black experience is a much more hardened portrayal of life in America. Okay, I’ll get down from my soapbox now. Let’s look at the pros and cons of the woke culture.

The Pros:

Knowledge:

First and foremost, the woke culture has put an emphasis on problems that may not be immediately clear to the forefront. Things like systemic racism, class wars, and even gender equality have made more and more people aware of the problems society faces every day without ever realizing it. Hell, most of the points that the woke community are trying to bring attention to were often regarded as jokes. Sexism, racism, homophobia, and economic status had been reduced to jokes one has to check the room so that they can tell said joke ‘safely’ without offending anyone

Side note: If you must put your head on a swivel to tell a joke, it’s probably NOT the type of joke you should be telling.

Conversation:

Knowledge is power. To quote David Tennant (the best Doctor):

“You want weapons. We're in a library. Books are the best weapon in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!” -- Schmoop.com

The woke movement simply brings knowledge to the lexicon. We are fortunate enough to live in a free country (for now at least. Sorry I try not to get too political but sometimes it just comes out.). The more people that are talking about it, the easier it becomes to do something about it.

A common understanding:

Within the woke culture, we can see where people are coming from in their stance. This may not seem like a big step but it is huge. Seeing an argument from more than one perspective, i.e. your own, can broaden your personal view and even inject a bit of empathy in your viewpoint. You can feel what they are feeling and have a better way in injecting yourself into their shoes. As I always say, before you judge someone, you should always walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do the judging, you’re a mile away, and you have their shoes.

Kidding aside, an understanding of one’s personal stance, is crucial to recruiting someone to your point of view. And the more people you have to share your view; the more comrades you have in your fight to raise awareness and get things done.

 The Cons:

Cancel Culture:

Obviously, this is the big one. I've never been a big fan of cancel culture as if one is cancelled, they are severely limited in their ability to redeem themselves and make amends. Redemption stories are a core structure to some of the greatest stories of all time. Star Wars anyone?If you take offense at my calling Star Wars one of the greatest stories ever told, you’re probably not going to like this or future blogs. Side note: “Star Wars has, gone woke!” is not a valid argument here. The very first movie is predicated on a princess who did not need to be saved. A couple of guys let her out of her cage, certainly, but when she was freed she proved that she was more than capable of handling herself. I guarantee she was just biding her time, probably letting her lunch digest properly before busting out. Anyway, where was I?

Ah yes, Star Wars is a redemption story. Once, the prequel trilogy came out we got the whole story. It was about the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. He destroyed the Jedi, then he destroyed the Sith. Sorry Luke Skywalker fans who think that Luke was the Chosen one. I’ll admit that Luke is the one to turn Vader back to the light side, but that’s about all he did. If you think he destroyed Emperor Palpatine that’s fair and fine. Just don’t forget to include his heroic battle cry, “*crying heavily* FATHER…PLEASE!”

I'm gonna have a serious talk with Yoda's Force ghost. NOT ONE WORD ABOUT LIGHTNING COMING FROM HIS HANDS!!!

This includes things people have said and done when they are younger. I’m not saying anyone is perfect. In fact, I believe everyone is imperfect. Everyone remembers when they were kids. How they always have one thing they wish they hadn’t done. That thought process applies here as well. If we immediately go to ‘cancel someone, how are they supposed to make amends for past transgressions. I agree, simply saying sorry and promising to do better in the future can come off as a bit hollow, especially if the person has doubled down on past said behavior. But that is simply because we can’t see the future and won’t know if they are generally sorry. This is where we must be patient and let them show us that they are doing the work.

Taking it to the extreme:

I was around in the 90s. I know everything was extreme. I clocked out around the time they starting selling extreme tooth paste. I’m all for good hygiene but I do have my limits. Woke culture has gotten so out of control that if someone happens to say something offense, Progressives try to cancel someone at the drop of a hat.

First, calm down. Many people aren’t aware of what is politically correct these days because it seems like every day something new has become offensive that used to be considered fine. Admittedly, a little forethought goes along way, but this is where patience and understanding can go a long way in the fight to bring awareness to the zeitgeist. Most people are going to go into defense mode, if you came at them hard, especially if they don’t understand why someone is yelling at them.

Division:

The harder you go at someone with an unenlightened approach to society, other people in their circle will also empathize with them and the disinformation spreads. There is an old quote, whose origin I am unfamiliar with is, :A lie will travel around the world before the truth gets out of bed.

It is much easier to gather people to your cause, especially if someone feels like they are being bullied, like an underdog story. Rocky anyone? This is the exact sort of thing the woke culture should be aware of. If a marginalized group becomes the oppressors, so much so that the oppressors feel like a marginalized group, well the name of the game is the same, the players simply changed sides.

Final thoughts:

Woke culture isn’t a good or bad thing. It is simply a tool that, when wielded efficiently, can do a lot of good in this world. However, when improperly wielded, can make a situation worse that either side can possibly imagine leaving this world for worse for the people that need protection the most.

What do you think? Is Woke culture a good thing? Is it a custom plane ride destined to drag us all to damnation? Let's have a friendly discussion in the comments.

Suggested articles that helped me make this blog more coherent:

Psychology Today

knbbs.com