Woke as a "criticism"

Long story short, it isn't one.

    A tale as old as time, really. It often feels like a self-report to me at this point when someone seriously uses 'woke' as a criticism. Like making actual critical points on a narrative or what-have-you become impossible and they have to use the buzzwords instead.

    Look, I will say, if you seriously think that 'woke' is valid criticism for anything, then I want you to define it to me without using the words diversity, social justice, modernity, or modern audience, because neither of those words are inherently bad for anything.

    What pray tell, is wrong about wanting social justice? That noone is allowed to disrespect others at a hateful degree? And what too is erroneous on diversity? Is your view on the world simply that closed off and small? That even a game set in modern day may not have diversity that is true to life? Moreover, it is one thing to write events that never happened and pass them off as historical, but it is an entirely new thing to write a fictional story set in a time period.

    Modernity, as well, has no fault. Modernity was and is the only reason we have media that the people who genuinely use 'woke' even like. It appears more like they cannot accept that the landscape of media was always as big and diverse as it is now, just that these days, we can see it better within the media itself.

    I am not for any bad writing nor pandering, hell, I would not rightly stand for contrivance, do not get it twisted. But these things are not mutual to modernity, diversity, inclusiveness, social justice, or the modern audience. Perhaps I am far too firm here, but I do believe that they who do complain, otherwise adults, do not need to be babied or let down gently, and make no mistake, they are adults for the most part.

    Yes criticism might as well be dead when even the unattuned begin to consider buzzwords as valid in terms of appraisal. And really, there are specific words to use for specific situations for a reason and it just comes off as lazy on the critic's part when he fails to pinpoint the issue, then relies on a blanket term in a published, edited, most hopefully researched piece. And critique, friends, cannot afford to be lazy, for should it be so, then all what can be critiqued in the first place will turn laziness themselves.

    For what effort matters in the face of audience apathy?

    Can it be that they can just get away with matching the attitude of their consumers and critics? After all, why try when everyone else is being arbitrary? That is not to say that everyone is guilty of the laziness, not at all, and furthermore, it is not to say that there is an excuse to be lazy on any side, I just want to drive it home... That what you give, is what you get.

    Tangent but, for the love IESVS, try and meet criticism and genuine discussion on their level, only immature folk cannot stand the civil discourse that humanity knows it is capable of, that you yourself are capable of. Stop acting that way and instead start finding your own intellectual potential; that you may reach it and begin truly thinking for yourself. I do not think anyone forever stupid, just that they have not began the process of real introspection, and understandably it is hard.

    But I digress, that tangent is long enough now. To refocus, let me offer you an example:

The Last of Us 2, one game that I do not like for sure, but aswell, one game that is wrongfully criticised for being a product of 'wokeness'. The biggest problem with the narrative, in summary goes like; Abby's storyline is misplaced and happens after too much things that make you hate her that you are unable to care about her when the time comes.

    If, say, the entire first half was dedicated to making Abby a likeable protagonist, perhaps even having a few scenes set in the past, of course obscuring the fact that Joel is about to partake in a massacre in some way, you can build sympathy with Abby, and a more tenuous relationship with Joel's actions in the last game.

    There is no problem with Abby being any kind of muscular or simply being abrasive because it is the apocalypse. Indeed, Joel was just as abrasive once upon a time. And it is not like Abby does not develop in the slightest, she does, it is just that the placement of her storyline completely blinds most players to it.

    It was never an issue of Ellie being a lesbian either, nor was it a character assasination of Joel, because it is not unreasonable that he had to have learned how to trust people more willingly, especially people who just saved his hide. How else is he going to make up with Ellie if he shows himself to be the same distrusting, ruthless man that massacred the Fireflies and lied to her about it?

    That even if it was for her sake, was still morally reprehensible. Do not even get me started on whether the cure was feasible or not, because at that point, that is an issue with the first games narrative. All in all, TLoU2 is not a product of 'wokeness' or the modern audience, it is just, unfortunately, written badly... Is that excusable in the slightest? No, not at all. But is it a product of a 'woke' boogeyman? Also no, not at all.

    Really, all I want is for people to start critiquing more critically-- not more destructively, nor angrily, mind you... Just with a clearer, more specific lens that falls to no double standard and can deliver some actual helpful feedback. Thank you.

- Z