"Woke" And "Well Written" Are Not Mutually Exclusive
https://open.spotify.com/episode/12wnXRlg5vfXDjl36eIWh5?si=mA9kMc_kQ-iSXuqCU54JNg
Like all buzzwords, "woke" means absolutely nothing. It is an objectively ridiculous word that gets thrown around to mean that someone is giving a platform to someone who is not a straight white man. In the entertainment space, this gets used as shorthand for a show or movie or video game that is poorly written in cases where the game is specifically featuring prominent characters or a story that is not 100% focused on straight white men. The theory behind this claim is that the creators have put the identity politics of the cast above the narrative which is usually not the case.
This week, Hudson Thames (a man named after two rivers who also happens to voice Spider-Man in the new Marvel Animation show Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man) made a comment on the press tour to the effect of "I was afraid this show was going to be woke but it's not, it's well-written."
Now first and foremost, "woke" and "well-written" are not mutually exclusive terms. Something can be both "woke" and "well-written" in the same way something can be well-written and not woke or (as is usually the case) not woke and not well-written. The conspiracy theory that drives this false dichotomy is that in a "woke" piece of media, politics is put over story so this comment just continues that false narrative.
If I were to venture a guess as to where this came from, it was to counteract criticisms of the show based on the racial makeup of the cast in advance of its release. Because Norman and Harry Osborne are black, this became a bit of a talking point among the fringe far-right geek news sphere with people like former X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo commenting against this casting decision.
But here's the thing about this comment, it's factually wrong. Not that the show isn't well-written, but it is arguably the most "woke" iteration of Spider-Man to date. Aside from Norman and Harry Osborne (and if you just follow the identity politics line of what is and is not "woke"), Lonnie Lincoln is also black. In fact, aside from Peter Parker, there is not a single white man anywhere in the show besides Doctor Strange who is portrayed positively. Even when he goes to Oscorp in the second episode, the only white guys he encounters are people who obstruct him.
Even beneath that very surface-level interpretation (which admittedly is all the mouth-breathers this comment is designed to appeal to will understand) the show does have some moments that dig a little deeper into social issues. Don't get me wrong, it's not super deep by any definition but still, there is something. Nico can best be described as Sam from Danny Phantom, not just in aesthetics but social activism. She has her beliefs and she is steadfast in them. On top of that, there is a small moment that deals with racial profiling, specifically when Lonnie is followed by a cop in a car while walking in his neighborhood. The bad guy from the second episode is actively burning down buildings at the direction of the wealthy so they can buy the burned-down properties cheaper. It's definitely shying away from the larger questions it's raising, but it isn't ignoring them completely which is debatably better than nothing.
Clearly what this comment is meant to be is an appeal to those who may have dismissed the show based on the racial makeup of the cast, the problem is that if anyone who did dismiss the show saw the comment and decided to give it a shot anyone will feel like they were bait-and-switched. It also potentially put off people who were on board to begin with because I know I thought twice when I heard him say that. Really all this comes off as an attempt to appeal to people who had no desire to engage with the media and if there's something we've learned from Marvel Studios, Star Wars, or the last presidential election it's that trying to lean towards the center to generate interest among people who clearly do not want anything to do with you is not a winning strategy and only serves to alienate those who are already on your side.
