13 Reasons Millenials Are Now Pushing Back Against Woke Culture
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There is no four-letter word that can polarize or offend average Americans more than “woke.” The term was once claimed and mainly used by the Black community to describe a personal awareness of social injustice. Now, the term is claimed and used by anyone. The term “woke culture,” now changes according to whoever uses it.
What was once a progressive and rallying term to maintain situational awareness of social injustice has morphed into a new swear word. Conservatives use the term as a pejorative and descriptor of overwrought liberal initiatives. Meanwhile, far-left and radical liberals have used woke culture like a social baton against its critics. The misappropriated use of woke culture is now used to criticize, cancel, or marginalize anyone with a differing opinion.
Social scientists should study how the term de-evolved so quickly. Still, one generation, the Millennials, have had enough of it. Here are 13 reasons Millennials are finally pushing back against woke culture.
1. Woke Culture Has Lost All Meaning
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The term “woke” used to be used in black culture to inspire people to always be cognizant of racial and social injustice. The earliest use of the term was in a 1938 Leadbelly song called “Scottsboro Boys.” In the song, Leadbelly utters the term “Stay woke, keep your eyes open” in a spoken discourse at the end of the song. The song refers to a 1931 incident in Scottsboro, Alabama, in which eight black teens were imprisoned for decades over a false accusation.
In the present day, the term has lost all meaning, especially to Millennials. Wokeness and woke culture are now toxic, promote exclusiveness and intolerance, and incite negative feelings in people who react to the word without even understanding its real meaning.
2. Woke Performance Culture
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In May 2024, an Italian general and aspiring political figure made international headlines by declaring war against woke culture. General Roberto Vannacci claimed that woke culture was destroying traditional Italian culture. For the Millennial, this same complaint can be heard by many American politicians as well. Usually, politicians rile people up by invoking wokeness to get support but do nothing to solve the problems they bring up. Woke culture, whether you believe in it or not, is often used as a political performance art tool to cause division and create more problems, not solve them.
It must be noted that Vannacci was suspended from military duties earlier this year. His statements on woke culture, which were also published in a book, were seen as being insulting and defamatory to the Italian military.
3. Virtue Signaling
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Virtue signaling is the woke culture update on the word “phony.” A person or an organization’s virtue signals when they disingenuously express an idea or statement to make themselves look good or pacify woke-centric critics. Virtue signaling is done for its own sake and cheap PR points, not necessarily because the person making such statements believes it. Virtue signaling muddies complex issues people usually don’t want to discuss and empowers woke warriors who aren’t looking for a solution, only chaos.
4. Cancel Culture
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Although every political community uses boycotts and cancel culture as social weapons of change, the term “cancel culture” has become synonymous with woke culture. In 2023, conservative voters tried to cancel Bud Light for having a transgender spokesperson and allegedly adopting woke culture and almost succeeded; sales of Bud Light plummeted by more than 24% then. Meanwhile, far-left voters unsuccessfully tried to cancel Dave Chappelle in 2022 for jokes they didn’t like. Wokeness has become so bizarre that no one is allowed to express themselves, which is something Millennials want no part of.
5. Celebration of Exclusiveness
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As previously mentioned, being woke used to mean being informed of social issues. You can’t stay informed of anything without having a mindset of inclusivity and at least listening to differing points of view. Present-day woke culture has transformed into a celebration of exclusiveness and intolerance to any differing point of view. Millennials will soon become the middle-aged generation after Gen X, so how will anything get done if they adopt such a mindset?
6. Conflict Amongst Generations
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The term “woke culture” can cause mildly negative to incensed reactions from those who hear it. Baby Boomers and Gen X may feel that wokeness is trying to erase their histories and cultures. Youthful Gen Z divides into factions and uses the term to argue past one another. Millennials are old enough and young enough to see how wokeness has been warped to become a socially divisive tool among previous and future generations and want no part of it.
7. Oversimplifying Complex Issues
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Woke culture adherents sometimes oversimplify complex social issues into a “right vs wrong” narrative. What they usually mean to do is push an “Us vs Them” narrative. One side tries to push an agenda that benefits themselves and hinders others at any cost. For example, what is the point of going to a comedy club to try to cancel a comedian or even attack one because you don’t like their jokes? Such so-called woke warriors usually project anger about arbitrary ideas they want to enforce on others, not bring awareness or solutions to complex issues.
8. Millennials Appreciate Open Communication
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A 2010 scientific study was conducted on the personality types of Millennials relative to their future roles as a generational workforce. Millennials were perceived as being open-minded and motivated to excel. Millennials are also appreciative of open communication with others. Woke culture does not value open communication.
9. Millennials Prefer Action and Solutions
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Woke culture antics empower indecisiveness, powerless feelings of anger and resentment, and divisiveness in people. Wokeness adherents identify a problem and amplify it but never offer a solution. Millennials prefer action when something must be done. Millennials prefer solutions over chaos.
10. A Culture of Intolerance
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Radical woke culture critics are extremely intolerant of differing opinions, ideas, and viewpoints. Sometimes, the only way to learn something is to listen to a different viewpoint, no matter how much you disagree with it. Wokeness empowers intolerance to an absurd degree. Millennials won’t exist in a world of intolerance.
11. Pressure to Conform
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Woke culture demands that others conform to the woke beliefs of the moment. It is not acceptable to disagree with any opinion expressed on the side of wokeness. You are either a part of woke culture, or you are an enemy of it. Millennials appreciate independence and don’t like being pressured to conform to groupthink.
12. Ostracization
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You are either with woke culture or against it. There is no middle ground when it comes to woke culture. If you don’t 100% conform to woke ideologies, which can change on a whim according to current controversies, you can be ostracized and criticized by your own side. Millennials stray from such drama at all costs.
13. Langauge Control
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In October 2023, the Arkansas government banned the official use of woke culture words like “birth-giver.” However, the governor could not provide examples of such woke words actually being used in local government circles. Even though woke culture is seen as the domain of the far left, there was a conservative government doing the same thing they accuse the other side of doing. Wokeness has created an environment where political forces on both sides of the spectrum are trying to police words.
Millennials Are Now Pushing Back Against Woke Culture
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Whether woke culture is past its peak of controversy is for you to decide. What is undeniable is that wokeness has polarized the country and world like never before in recent years. The only thing that can be learned from it is to recognize how destructive a politicized term can become to people. One generation of people who recognized the damage caused by wokeness are Millennials and they are pushing back against it.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
