A chilling thing has festered and grown over the past decade. I watched with a twitching eye as it was born, and I saw it take its first steps. I watched as it grew from a toddler into a full-grown monster, and I watched as politicians, big business, and mainstream media cracked a crooked smile as they sent it into the world, knowing full well that this was the coup de grâce, having the sheeple police themselves. What I'm talking about, of course, is the woke culture.
In musical terms, the woke culture is like a never-ending jam session, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But unlike a tasty jam session, the stakes are much much higher. It's not just about music in the real world, it's about your career, your reputation, your very livelihood, and you're accused, judged and executed in real-time on social media. If that’s not bad enough let's not forget about the woke culture’s goosestepping first cousin, cancel culture. Be careful, if you’re not conforming to the concern d’jour cancel culture will take your birthday away.
You see, the thing about the woke culture is that it's constantly changing. What was acceptable yesterday, is suddenly taboo today. It adds unnecessary complexity and stress to everyday life and for the people who are just trying to get through their day. Many people feel overwhelmed by the constant pressure to stay informed about the latest social justice issues and to navigate the ever-changing landscape of what is and isn't considered politically correct. This can lead to a sense of anxiety and fear, where people are restricted more and more to the point that they afraid to speak their minds or to even have a casual conversation for fear of being called out or cancelled. It's like tap dancing in a freakin’ minefield. One wrong step, one dissenting opinion, and BOOM, you're out. It's like a modern-day McCarthyism, but instead of communism, it's political correctness that's the enemy.
It’s frightening to think that the woke culture can easily be compared to historical events such as the Salem witch trials and the inquisition in terms of the way it encourages a culture of fear and suspicion, where individuals are accused and judged for holding dissenting opinions or for not conforming to certain ideological standards. Like the witch trials, the woke culture operates through a system of public shaming and social ostracism, where those who are deemed to be "guilty" are publicly humiliated and their careers and reputations are damaged. And like the inquisition, today’s woke culture is characterized by the use of fear and intimidation to silence dissent and to maintain ideological conformity. The constant pressure to conform to the latest social justice trends and to avoid being labelled as "problematic" can be akin to the pressure to confess to witchcraft or heresy in the past.
In this day and age, the woke culture demands a lot of mental energy, time, and attention we don't have, to be up to date with the latest trends and terminologies, which can be draining and exhausting. This can lead to people feeling like they're not doing enough or not being "woke" enough, which can ultimately contribute to feelings of guilt and inadequacy. This added complexity and stress can be a distraction from the real issues that need to be addressed and can make it harder for individuals to focus on making real change in their communities.
And the thing is, these self-appointed gatekeepers of morality, they're not even that moral themselves, shocker right!? They'll talk a big game about social justice and equality, but when it comes down to it, they're just a bunch of hypocritical douchebags. They'll cancel you for using the wrong pronoun, but they'll turn a blind eye to those who are actually doing some real harm.
So, what's the solution? I don't know. But I do know one thing, we need to start thinking for ourselves. We need to start speaking our minds again. We need to stop being afraid of the cancel culture and start standing up for what we believe in. Because that's what freedom is all about, you know? The freedom to think, the freedom to speak, and the freedom to be who the hell we want to be, even if it means jamming to a different tune.