Woke or Joke?
Songs that matter to you (or not) — Tom MacDonald — Fake Woke
The song, enjoy 😉,
What does it mean to be “woke”?
I have seen the rise of “woke” culture in recent years in my country.
It seems like everyone is talking about being “woke” or being called out for not being “woke” enough.
But what does it mean to be “woke”?
"Woke" originated in the African American Vernacular and means awareness of social and racial injustice.
Being “woke” involves recognizing and challenging systemic injustices, and actively working towards creating a more fair society.
It means being aware of one’s own privilege and using it to uplift marginalized voices and communities.
It has since been adopted by wider culture to describe a general awareness of various social issues, such as gender inequality, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate change.
Then there are people who appear to be ‘woke’ or politically correct without actually engaging in discourse around the subject.
This kind of wokeness, also known as “performative wokeness”, refers to a shallow and insincere form of activism that is more concerned with appearing “woke” than actually making a meaningful impact.
The problem with performative wokeness.
It often involves performative gestures, such as posting on social media or wearing a certain t-shirt, without actually contributing to the cause in any meaningful way.
Performative wokeness is a problem because it often prioritizes the individual’s desire to appear “woke” over the actual needs and experiences of marginalized communities.
Performative wokeness is all around us, especially in popular culture.
Take, for example, the trend of companies changing their logos to rainbow colors during Pride Month, without actually making any meaningful contributions to LGBTQ+ causes.
Or the trend of celebrities posting black squares on Instagram during the Black Lives Matter protests, without actually using their platforms to amplify Black voices or donate to organizations working towards racial justice.
The impact of performative wokeness on social justice movements
Performative wokeness can have a negative impact on social justice movements in several ways.
It can distract from the actual issues at hand, as people become more concerned with appearing “woke” than actually working towards creating change.
It contributes to the dilution of social justice movements.
Are they actually doing anything to support the cause, or are they simply posting on social media or wearing a certain t-shirt for the sake of appearing “woke”?
Actually donating to organizations?
Volunteering their time, attending protests and rallies, and engaging in meaningful dialogue with others?
Striving for genuine activism
One of the most important things we can do to combat performative wokeness and become genuine activists is to engage in self-reflection and education.
This means taking the time to examine our own biases and privileges with a critical eye, and actively working towards educating ourselves on the issues at hand.
It’s important to remember that genuine activism is an ongoing process, and there is always more we can do to support marginalized communities and create a more fair society.
It involves recognizing and challenging systemic injustices.
Performative wokeness, on the other hand, is a shallow and insincere form of activism that prioritizes the individual’s desire to appear “woke” over the actual needs and experiences of marginalized communities.
So, let’s strive for genuine activism, and work towards making a meaningful impact on the causes we care about.
Till next song that matters to you (or not)
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