Woke Culture: from ally to annoyance

We’ve all seen memes, online debates, and roasts, and maybe even used this term in our discussions - “Woke Culture”. Ever wondered what exactly it is? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Woke Culture refers to the social and political movement of being aware and active about important issues, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and many other forms of oppression. But this isn’t probably how you know it. So how did this movement, which started with noble intentions, now become the source of so much eye-rolling and laughable ideologies?

In the ever-evolving landscape of societal discourse, “Woke Culture” has always surged to the forefront. It started in the 40s, raising awareness of racial inequalities and calling for social justice. But, it gained wider recognition in the 2010s. Remember the Black Lives Matter or #MeToo? They were both a part of the Woke Culture which were fueled by social media and a collective awakening, tackling critical issues like police brutality and sexual harassment, and giving voice to marginalized groups who were often ignored.

In its infancy, it served as a hope for marginalised communities, to raise their voice and shed light on issues swept under the rug. It gave them a voice, a platform, and a community to share their experiences and demand their rights. It helped individuals and communities to fight for their rights and hold institutions accountable, working towards a more just and equitable society. At least, that’s what I thought.

In recent times, Woke Culture has taken a very confusing turn. Being woke changed from acceptance to just forcing certain ideas onto everyone. And those who don’t accept it, since you know, some people use common sense, they are silenced and labelled as ignorant, bigoted, or hateful. Moreover, it has become entangled with content creation. Think of the friend who only shares perfectly curated social media posts about specific causes but never volunteers or engages in offline action. This superficial engagement can feel disingenuous and ultimately undermine the very causes it claims to support.

Going into the specifics of faux-woke culture, though there are many problematic ideologies, I want to throw light on two important topics: the way one identifies themselves, and Fatphobia. 

Everyone takes birth, either as a male or a female. The way you were raised determines your qualities and personality, so no one can tag you into one particular gender, but coming to the sex you were born with, you’re either a male or a female. 

But over time, your preferences may change, and you can choose to be one of the infinitely many genders out there. There is no big problem with this, as you think and take your decision. It’s how you feel. The problem starts when kids, who don’t even have the maturity to understand the complexities of genders, are pressured to choose one specific gender. Yes, they should be taught about the different genders that exist, but forcing them to choose one while they’re still kids is stupidity. Why can't they grow up just as  kids, with the freedom to be what they feel like?

New pronouns accompany the emergence of new genders. Previously, it was She/Her, They/Them, It, and He/Him. Then came neo pronouns. It’s defining oneself with their own pronouns because they don't think the standard ones do. That's okay since they serve as a tool for non-binary people to define who they are. But, unless you specifically tell someone your pronouns, it's a little abnormal to feel upset when someone you've never met before uses the pronouns they learned as children to address you. If you don’t state your gender, not everyone would know it even if you assumed it and thought they would be aware of it beforehand.

Let’s talk about Fatphobia now.  It's an irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against obesity or people with obesity. And fighting against it is the right thing. I mean, some people are termed ugly just because they’re fat, and are not treated as normal humans. This, indeed, is wrong. But again, woke culture had to step in and ruin it with extreme “Body Positivity”. 

Discrimination against any kind of people, just because they belong to a specific substrata of society is reprehensible. But considering obesity as healthy is foolish. The way woke people define this is, if someone actively wants to be fit, it means that they actively do not want to be fat, which in their mind means that they are fat-phobic. Woke culture has taken body positivity to an extreme. Yes, every shape is beautiful, but that can also be an oversimplification of health issues. It is important to challenge the stereotypes in society, but again, ignoring the problems and complications of obesity altogether is problematic. 

If a person works out and wants to be healthy, it solely means they want to live a happy life without going around hospitals. Their intentions might be different, aiming to look aesthetic or to be able to do advanced skills. But it all boils down to one fact, being fit means you’re healthy. And who wouldn’t want to be healthy?

Then come those who say they identify as something so absurd and believe in it and start to live like that. A few years ago, that would’ve been a joke, but in the current world, it’s pretty serious. Again, it’s their wish. I can’t deny what a person can or can’t believe. It just wouldn’t be true for everyone. Now you can say you identify as a bird and claim you’re a new species, that has fur and hands rather than feathers, but that doesn’t make you fly, does it? 

This might sound funny, but there are people out there who do this. A man identifying himself as a wolf. A fully able adult identifying himself as a baby. An obese man identifying himself as skinny. And there are many more like this. It crosses the line of sanity when people think they’re transabled. This is defined as the need of a non-disabled person to transform their abilities or senses to acquire a physical disability (amputation, paralysis, blindness, deafness, etc.) and therefore become disabled. A healthy person, actively wanting to be disabled and injuring themselves. This is them laughing at those who want to live a normal life, but can’t because of their disabilities.

Now an argument might arise, if it makes you happy, why not just let it be? Costs nothing, does it? Well yes, you can. Your belief is yours. However, why does someone else have to participate in your thoughts if they don’t believe in them? Even though you identify as a non-binary feline who transforms into a wolf on full moon nights, and believe it’s true, it doesn't mean a vet can treat you. Even though you identify as skinny with extra fat on your body, your obesity will be responsible for the health complications you face. It's insane when these thoughts, which clearly don’t make sense, are forced onto other people to believe. Doesn't that go against the basic tenets of being woke? Think about it.