Woke storytelling is objectively-bad storytelling

Woke ideology denies the importance of storytelling

Woke storytelling is objectively-bad storytelling because woke ideology is antithetical to storytelling.  Woke people believe that everything interesting or important about a person is revealed by their superficial innate characteristics, like their race or gender.  Thus, the instant these criteria are revealed, which is almost always the instant we first meet the character, we already know everything there is to know about that character, from which we can easily infer every important element of the plot.  Why is the bad guy bad?  Because he’s a guy.  Or, in slightly more sophisticated fare, because he’s homophobic, misogynistic, etc.  It’s simply impossible for a woke storyteller to imagine that the bad guy might have a point, might be motivated by anything other than “irrational hate.”  Well, why should I care to read on?  I already know what he’s up to and why.  And why is the good guy good?  Because he’s a guy who wants to become a girl. Or he’s black.  Or some such transparent obvious reality that tells me everything about the story before I’ve made it past the first page or screen appearance.

In a well-written story, character reveals plot and character drives plot.  Frodo’s decisions prove what sort of hobbit he is, and Frodo’s decisions flow naturally from his character, but if we - like a woke storyteller - assume that his hobbit-ness means he has particular character traits and, thus, will make certain decisions, then the story’s over before it began.  Nobody watches a minstrel show to be surprised or to learn new insights into the human condition because minstrel shows presuppose exactly what the character is and what they will do; the results are the same even if favorable traits are assigned to Black characters.  Since we KNOW the Black character can only be the victim of a racist, we already know how the story ends, and we already know everything about the character - why bother reading on?

If you believe that everything important can be summarized with a few adjectives that would be instantly apparent to anyone who met the character, then you have no story to tell, no reason to use stories at all.  Not surprisingly, audiences have responded accordingly.

Stories presuppose that every character is more than meets the eye.  Snape didn’t just hate Harry.  Rhett Butler wasn’t just a cynical capitalist out to make a buck.  The Little Women weren’t paragons of virtue who only wanted a career.  Every great character surprises you in ways that, in retrospect, make perfect sense, and every great story has at least one great character, but woke storytelling denies all of that - you are whatever you appear to be because that’s the only thing that matters and that’s why woke storytelling sucks: it entirely denies the importance of stories.

If there is no ultimate truth that’s relevant to everyone everywhere ever solely by virtue of their common humanity, then stories are pointless.  I may never become obsessed with a whale like Ahab, but I’ve seen and experienced the dangers of obsession and revenge.  I may never fall in love with a member of my family’s worst enemy like Juliet, but I’ve experienced the hope and hopelessness of first love.  I may never marry a wealthy man like Elizabeth Bennet, but I know what it’s like to misjudge someone who later means so much more to me.  That’s the point of storytelling - to highlight the universal truths we all share, but wokesters deny such truths exist or, at least, that they matter, so they’re doomed to fail.  They’re bad storytellers precisely because they don’t believe in storytelling at all.