Everyday, there’s a fresh article about why some show is too woke, or has been ruined by woke storytelling, or how “woke culture” is ruining someone’s childhood. The reality is these people either don’t remember their childhoods or are so far down the rabbit hole of “Alpha Male”/”Manosphere”/”TradLife” talking points, they are oblivious to how none of this is new.
Since the advent of storytelling from the epic poems we can’t attribute to a singular author, to the dramas of the Greek World, to the plays of Shakespeare, to novels, to radio plays, and finally the silver screen and television, storytellers have been expounding on morality. As times change, societies morality changes with it in response to the world around it. In the Greek World, sex was considered a pastime and dalliance that party goers joined in as the mood struck them, with whomever was willing, man or woman. There was no talk of what “a real man” is. It wasn’t until much later, after the rise of the Roman Catholic Church that homosexuality was seen as “unclean” and “abhorrent.” All because someone wrote down a story that taught millions a new morality.
Before you get up in arms, stories can be both fiction and non-fiction. I’m not here to debate the veracity of any one story, merely how stories have always been used to teach morality to the masses.
At the end of the Dark Ages, the old stories resurfaced having survived attempts to purge the world of “corruption.” Science, medicine, art, and new philosophies regarding morality and democracy were born. New stories inspired millions to explore and discover. It taught people to reach out and evolve. Both good and bad came from this. Suddenly, what was once condemned as witchcraft became hailed as science and technology. A practice that once had limits applied to its practice – slavery – was seen as a booming business trade where limits were thrown aside for the sake of profit.
Later, books and articles were published that railed against slavery. This new morality caught on and soon the act was abolished across the world save America, where it took far too long for absurd reasons. One of those reasons? Because the chivalric tales of old where peasants were tightly controlled under feudal lords and nobility which the richest men of the south saw themselves as. Stories were teaching two halves of the same nation two different versions of morality.
Over and over again, this cycle of teaching lessons through story repeats throughout history, from Aesop to Mr. Rogers. We are a species of stories. We define who we are by the stories we tell and consume. And with each turn of the era, with each evolution of cultural morality, there are those who scream against progress. They fear the change before them and claw and scream against the coming tide. Sometimes they are able to hold it off for a time, but not often for long. The stories historians tell makes that clear.
But, there will still be people who say, “It’s worse than ever now. It’s all gone too far!”
Has it? Those of you who grew up in the 80s and 90s may remember all the after school specials that aired on television. One such special was a short film called The Wave. This movie taught children that blind allegiance was dangerous and even when led by a respected teacher, may not be worthy of our acceptance.
Who remembers the slogan, “And knowing is half the battle,”? G.I. Joe, a show about strong men who fight against oppression and tyranny ended every episode with a short clip teaching a message about how to be respectful of others and be a better citizen.
How about the special episodes of popular sitcoms? The Defenders (1961-1965) features episodes about abortion, capital punishment, immigration, and adoptive parental rights. All in the Family (1974-1979) features the first black family on television without submitting to the stereotypes of the day and gave the lead actress a voice in addressing issues with the storylines as they arose, which for the time is unheard of. On Golden Girls (1985-1992) they confronted homosexuality head on. In Family Matters (1989-1998) they discussed gun violence. On Golden Girls (1985-1992) they confronted homosexuality head on. The list goes on and on.
Facts of Life (1979-1988)
Family Ties (1982-1989)
Full House (1987-1995)
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
Will & Grace (1998-2006)
“But those shows were about X and Y people. What about all the casting they are doing in my favorite fandom?”
Well, Star Trek began in the 60s with one of the most diverse casts in television history specifically to present the idea that in the future, racial divides would vanish. It even featured the first inter-racial kiss on television. Go look up the story behind that. It’s hilarious. They tried to force them to film it in a way where you didn’t see the actual kiss and Shatner deliberately messed up every take to ensure they had to include it.
Star Wars? Are we really discussing a science fiction movie with wookies and legions of faceless soldiers. Even now, we know that all or most of the storm troopers were clones of Jango Fett, a Māori actor. Leia is a badass, commanding woman from the first scene she’s in.
Look at just the first two movies, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. With themes like “All live is sacred and contributes to the Force,” to “We must fight for the liberty of all against the Empire.” How is Star Wars and Star Trek not woke?
Science Fiction and Fantasy has always been full of diversity and equality from its inception.
And how do “real” fans react? Many have spent that last several decades writing their version of what happened after Episode VI, but didn’t work towards ever making it a reality. So when the sequels don’t match up to their “brilliant” ideas or unattainable hopes, they lash out and condemn anyone who disagrees. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. I disliked the Dragonball live-action movie but I haven’t sent a single death threat over it. Does that not make me a “real fan?”
More recently, Doctor Who which “fans” are calling woke garbage because Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa played a Timelady and a gay Timelord respectively. Seriously? Doctor Who started as a children’s show that taught history and moral lessons through time hopping adventures. It featured an elderly, often stern, father figure, a strong willed grand-daughter, and some interchangeable white dude. The show evolved to discuss things like acceptance in the face of the unusual, to battle against oppression, and to solve our problems with words and thought. The Doctor, even the War Doctor, refused to carry a gun while battling villains like the Daleks, the Cybermen, and the war happy Sontarans. He used his brain, his words, and a screwdriver.
With several millennia of tradition behind us, the idea of some new “woke culture,” is beyond foolish. Stories have always preached a form of morality and confronted the ills of our time. Whether that story is told via an epic poem, a novel, or a television show, we’re following a long held tradition that will survive today’s outrage addicted attention seekers. So, are creators pushing a woke agenda or are they merely being writers following an age old tradition?
Every generation has had to deal with a tyrannical leader or movement that wanted to suppress the natural progress of a culture, and while they may occasionally win in the short term, the long game will always go to progress. Look to history if you don’t believe me.
As progress’s own definition tells us, it is, “a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage, continuous improvement.” A movement toward continuous improvement.
Now let’s get out there and improve the world together with our actions and our words.
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