Woke activists today often like to hearken back to nostalgic media from the 1960s; what they consider the golden era or genesis moment of far-left movements in British and US history. These were the days when being a progressive was considered “counter-culture” and cool, with every major rock star and celebrity tapping into youth angst and hippie philosophy. The progressive shift led to considerable social instability in the 1970s.
It is common these days to hear leftists in popular media argue that TV shows like Star Trek or Doctor Who were “always woke” and that they are simply carrying on the tradition. This is simply not true. While many productions in the US and in Europe displayed liberal sensibilities, woke activists are not liberal and do not hold liberal values. They are, rather, a hybrid ideology combining elements of Marxism/communism/fascism, collectivism, moral relativism and narcissism.
One could argue that the woke cult is the natural end state, the unavoidable final evolution of liberal thinking. That may be true, but that’s a debate for another day. The point is, the woke activism of today has very little in common with the political movements of the 1960s. In fact, if you were to go back in time only 15 years ago and tried to explain to a typical Democrat in the US or Labour member in the UK what leftists are trying to get away with in 2024, they would laugh in your face and call you crazy.
In our decade nearly every major television and film franchise of the past has received the woke treatment; what leftists call “updating for modern audiences.” As a consequence, nearly every franchise has suffered an extreme collapse in audience number, ad revenues and box office receipts. Why? Because woke ideology is a fringe movement making up a tiny percentage of the population. Almost no one likes it, hence the reason why “Get Woke, Go Broke” has become a rule rather than a theory.
Doctor Who has not been able to escape this rule despite being considered an open sci-fi world where almost anything goes. The problem is, it doesn’t matter what the canon technically allows or what the writers want – In the end the fans always dictate what succeeds and what fails. When a show starts preaching at people about respecting gender pronouns, they aren’t going to stick around to see what happens next.
The BBC show (working hand-in-hand with Disney) has been on an unstoppable decline for the past few years as it becomes increasingly woke. The real collapse started with the introduction of a female and decidedly feminist Doctor (played by Jodie Whitaker) for three seasons. The series ratings fell exponentially and Whitaker became one of the most hated iterations of the main character in the history of the show.
You would think the BBC would have learned not to be confrontational with the fans, but as we all know leftists never admit failure, they only double down. The newest version of the character is being applauded as the first “black queer” Doctor Who, played by Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa. The show also features a villain played by Drag Queen and trans activist Jinkx Monsoon.
Long considered a family show, parents are turning away from Doctor Who because they don’t want their children constantly exposed to gender propaganda. Not surprisingly, the show’s audience numbers have imploded by roughly 50% compared to the previous two seasons. The mainstream entertainment media blamed “warm weather” in the UK for the ratings disaster, but numerous representatives from the production openly attacked fans for their opposition to its woke direction and told them not to watch.
As Ncuti Gatwa told Variety when discussing fan criticism:
“Don’t watch. Turn off the TV. Go and touch grass, please, for God’s sake…As the world darkens – and I do think the world is darkening around queer rights – there is a joy and a celebration, and there’s a community…”
It would seem the audience took Gatwa’s advice to heart. They aren’t watching and his show is now facing an embarrassing collapse into obscurity.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 05/16/2024 – 02:45
