Once upon a time, being woke meant you were paying attention.
Now it means you’re one tweet away from public execution.
It used to be about justice, empathy, and learning.
Now it’s about being the first to cancel your cousin because he used the wrong hashtag in 2014.
Welcome to the Woke Olympics, where nobody wins, the goalposts move daily, and the gold medal is moral superiority on Instagram.
Let’s dive in.
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1. It Started with Awareness. Then We Added a Sprinkle of Shame.
“Woke” was once a beautiful thing.
“Stay woke” meant stay alert to injustice.
Now it means stay silent unless you have a PhD in every issue and cite 3 peer-reviewed articles before every opinion.
Oh, you mispronounced a word in a conversation about climate justice? CANCELED.
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2. Activism? Nah. Aesthetic First.
Why actually volunteer when you can just change your profile pic, repost a trending infographic, and declare yourself a thought leader?
Because nothing screams justice warrior like a Canva template and a well-timed clap emoji.
👏 We 👏 Will 👏 Not 👏 Be 👏 Silenced 👏
(Unless you’re a barista who messes up our oat milk latte—then we will definitely yell.)
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3. Performative > Personal Growth
Therapy? Nah.
Accountability? Nah.
Instead, let’s just:
• Quote bell hooks out of context
• Weaponize the word “toxic”
• Use “gaslighting” every time someone disagrees with us
Why grow when you can go viral?
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4. The Woke Paradox: Inclusivity… But Only If You Agree 100%
We preach empathy, but roll our eyes at people who are “still learning.”
We say we want growth, but offer no grace for mistakes.
We call people “problematic” like it’s a zodiac sign.
“You’re a Gemini AND you asked a question about gender identity? Yeah, blocked.”
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5. The Cancel Button Is Getting Worn Out
Don’t get us wrong—some things should be called out.
But at this point, people are scared to say “Good morning” in case it’s outdated.
(Is “morning” a colonial construct? Should I say “solar greeting” instead?)
Even the woke are tired of being woke.
We’ve reached Woke Burnout™:
When you want to speak up, but you need to fact-check your own emotions first.
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So What Now? A Return to Sane Awareness, Please.
Being “woke” doesn’t have to be a personality.
It doesn’t require a moral purity test.
And it definitely doesn’t have to involve canceling your aunt over Thanksgiving dinner because she said “millennials” weird.
Let’s go back to:
• Listening
• Having awkward conversations
• Letting people be human
• Laughing at ourselves
• And yes… occasionally logging off
Because honestly?
If we don’t let people learn, evolve, and mess up with humility… we’re just building a new kind of intolerance.
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Final Thoughts (Before I Get Canceled for This)
I believe in justice.
I believe in growth.
I also believe not every mistake needs to be screenshot, dissected, and discussed on TikTok.
Let’s be real: if we cancel everyone who’s ever been imperfect, we’re all gonna be eating dinner alone.
So maybe—just maybe—we can be aware, kind, funny, and still fight for a better world.
One less Instagram infographic at a time.
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