Over these past couple of years woke culture has become a lot more apparent in most of our favorite movies, shows or games; which has been done both great and terribly wrong. While it’s great to make people more aware of real issues in our world through these forms of entertainment; it can also ruin a project when not executed well. Here we’ll be diving into some of the pros & cons of woke culture in entertainment that we watch today. Also I hate to use the term woke or progressive; but till there’s an agreed upon term i’ll be using both of them through this post.
Woke culture is mainly the progressive movement of trying to wake people up to either oppressive or unfair situations going on. While it’s certainly a noble cause to follow, many have abused this term for their own benefit and have thus made a bad name for the term “woke”. Personally I believe just like any other great movement if not done right, it can greatly affect others for the worst. Especially when implemented in our favorite forms of entertainment.
Representing diverse groups of people in the media we watch or play is a great thing to have; especially when done right. Usually creating original projects is the best route, unless you can make a change to another project that is done well. For some it may not be a big deal, yet there’s still people who enjoy having a character or project to relate to. One good example is the harley quinn series on HBO Max which does a great job with harleys and Poison Ivy’s relationship.
Another pro is bringing awareness to serious issues around our world that can maybe spark a change in it. This has been done pretty well with movies like Get out, or Parasite which even won an oscar. Also many movies don’t need to be super “woke”, just as long as they deliver the message in a way that fits the plot. For more info over the exact effects these movies had around our world check this blog!
One of the negatives that has been mainly talked about is how the “woke” aspect can ruin good projects. This is due to pieces of media focusing more on the woke message than actually entertaining people. It’s also important to note that entertainment is the first thing movies, shows or games need to take care of; then they can implement the “woke” or progressive message that serves the plot well.
However, the real problem lies within the corporate heads and their half hearted attempts at appeasing certain groups. This can come off as very disingenuous to many people, which in turn ruins the project altogether. While having diversity in representation is great, many have just treated it as some afterthought to cover their backs.
Ultimately, if not done right progressiveness in entertainment can hurt both the piece of media and the message its portraying. As volatile as it can be, one should be careful when messing with it or it’ll leave many with a bad impression. Let me know in the comments how you feel about woke culture in your favorite movies, shows and games; as well as a great way to utilize it better or not at all :).