WOKE: The Problem with Activist Characters

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Content warning: use of t-slur, homophobia, racism, sexism.

Additional research and scriptwriting by Yaz Coonjah and Isabel Moncloa Daly

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[HeyRowanEllis]

It's a guide to life for queer girls - including advice, information, and personal experiences around everything from sex and relationships to history and community!

[Tareltonlives]

I feel it's because they're written by people who don't believe in the causes, so activism is more often played for laughs.

[IReadTooMuchCrap]

I'm sleep deprived, but the "I'm so over this Toxic Masculinity in this hallway" bit had me rolling with laughter.

[KatieBadenhorst]

I feel like the only time an activist is allowed to talk sense is when they're the villain. They'll usually throw in some great dialogue, only to finish with "and that's why we need to kill everyone".

[maleineperle]

The depiction of Hermione's pro-elves activism has always disturbed me in HP.

[yaz_skate]

Activist characters always feel so hollow when they're written by big studios. its almost like they don't want to portray a character positively that would actively oppose their institutions (aka capitalism)

[dragonetafireball]

I do dislike some people who treat life like a narrative and deem me “to intersectional” like if I was fictional I’d be called unrealistic but I exist and I don’t get people expect me *a real person* to just reduce the number of traits I have that are marginalised.

[Princess_Weekes]

This has always bothered me. I always think of the lesbian character in Legally Blonde and it is so cringe. Great video as always!

[shockingheaven]

Activist characters will only feel real when they're written by people who actually believe in those causes

[music_YT]

Sophie from Mars (YouTuber) has been really pivotal in showcasing the footwork necessary for trans activism. It is interviews, arranging marches, getting petitions going, making speeches. It is a staggering amount of work made easier with a group of committed people; their detailed accounting of the nitty gritty bits of activism that are often glossed over in movie and tv depictions brings visibility and understanding to those outside of the community.

[sentientmarshmallow]

I like how Elena’s activism is portrayed in ODAAT. Whenever they are teasing her, they are making fun of her methods not the causes themself.

Like when she gets a group together to protest a video game company that strongly suggested they would have 3 gender neutral character options but only have 2 (if I remember right). Basically it’s not poking fun at wanting inclusivity but what they’re targeting. They show up on a day the office isn’t even open because they are just kids who want to make a difference but don’t quite know how.

[thegayghost]

Disney's Zombies is a good example of the "good activist bad activist" trope. It's a very unsubtle metaphor for civil rights that uses zombies in place of black people. The main character and "good activist" is Zed, who basically wants the zombies to conform and integrate with human society but only because he wants to play football, and the "bad activist" is Eliza (coincidentally the only zombie played by a non-white person) who protests unfair treatment of zombies and doesn't like humans

[KarlSnarks]

I'm glad you brought up Pride (such a sweet movie) and its unfortunate betrayal of lesbian activism. The real-life people the characters were based on, even said that that was one of the least true-to-life parts of the movie. The actual group had no animosity towards the lesbian group and actually worked together most of the time.

Also, when watching that part of Queer as Folk when I was a teen, it really made me feel like a dick for often looking through the lens of "we're just like you" .. Where I live, marriage equality was already established by that time (recognized since 2001), but there was still sometimes a sentiment of "I'm okay with gays, as long as they aren't flamboyant".

[SabrinaRina]

Moxy might be the most real depiction of activism based on your summary. A black character started something, inspired, but the aesthetic of a white character got made the head of the movement. That's very very sad to acknowledge inspiration by a POC, but paint a story that the white character really had the ingenuity to enact change. Like the black best friend trope. She helps boost her white friend... But has no goals or challenges herself, just an argument with their friend. All style, what the media triumphs black people in particular for, but no substance, not the main character.

[normal]

When it comes to poorly written activists, I think Hermione from the Harry Potter books takes the cake. She was at the center of an entire subplot about how activists are cringey and gross, and her cause was... abolitionism. She was standing up against chattel slavery inside of her school. And not only was not a single human on her side, Rowling even portrayed most of the *elves* as being pro-slavery. I always thought that arc was going to go somewhere, but she just ended it on "slavery is fine if you're nice" and never made any mention of it being abolished or even reformed.

The way Rowling went from "slavery is bad" in book 2 to "slavery is fine when the good guys do it and whiny abolitionists need to stop being so preachy and shrill" in book 4 is such a wild turn, and really foreshadowed how she was only ever going to get worse. I mean she started off bad with the goblins and with appropriating Gaelic religions for the aesthetic, but it's still kind of amazing to look back an see her progressively get more and more depraved.

*Edit:* The "appropriating Gaelic religions" comment wasn't from nowhere; Harry Potter received a lot of critique from traditional practitioners in Great Britain when it initially released and throughout its run. These critiques didn't get mainstream attention in later years like the racism and antisemitism did, so they've essentially been drowned out by now. Early on, however, the critique was there for people who went looking for it or something similar. (I found it myself when looking up stuff on the goblins, to see if JK was being antisemitic on accident or on purpose. I didn't fully understand the complaints about misrepresenting their culture at the time because I was young, but they stuck with me the entire time.)

[Bandajify]

in Poland this type of character has been given a name "Julka" (a short, cutesy version of a common name Julia - Julie), it's the combination of disregarding young teen girls as well as activists or anyone with any semblance of a moral compass, to the point that proclaiming any slight left-leaning opinion online, especially if you're a woman, will get you attacked, called that and your opinion disregarded as insanity

[okaykatieokay]

The marketing for tick tick boom really frustrated me. It's been my favourite musical for years, and I was genuinely so confused when I saw the trailer - the show isn't about activism, Jon wasn't an activist (he was an ally/supporter) but never an activist. Especially for a semi-biographical piece it felt weirdly revisionist and dismissive of actual activists. When will writers/production and marketing companies learn that everyone doesn't need to be an activist

[nanamiharuka]

after abortion was all but banned here in Texas, I don’t take any progressive, policies that we think can never be undone for granted. If i’ve learned anything in the past few years is that A LOT of progress can be undone

[celia]

Elena generally well liked because the "wokeness issue" is mostly about her as a character rather than "wokeness" itself (like when she's upset because she's passing). She's got the general theory down but is still growing into her personality and morals. And that's specifically about her personality and/or inexperience. So yeah she knows the theory but not the practice of activism which is something that comes with time and experience (we actually see her evolution between season 1 and 4 on that front).

[crustpunkjesuschrist]

Ngl I know a lot of people hate this character but Diane from Bojack Horseman is definitely one of my favorite activist characters in media especially bc in episodes revolving around her activism she is clearly reacting reasonably to a fucked up world and even when her activism “going to far” is the issue of the episode, she’s still portrayed in an understandable way, not just a wacky annoying character but a genuine moral compass in terms of social issues.