How Have Youth Shifted in the Post "Woke 1" Era? (Blog Post # 1)
In the episode, children talk about growing up with identities outside mainstream culture — deaf, autistic, transgender, Native American, Mexican-American — and about pushing against hegemonic ideas of what's acceptable to acknowledge, including speaking publicly about your period. As I listened, part of me wondered whether some of the ideas that surfaced were outdated, ideas that felt new and transgressive at the time but are largely considered normal in youth culture today. Talking about your period is pretty destigmatized in youth culture at this point. Mental health and neurodivergence are discussed far more openly than they used to be. And ideas about gender have shifted enough that sharing your pronouns on social media, in an email signature, or when introducing yourself in class is no longer unusual.
I guess I’m wondering how the progress – and the missteps – of “Woke 1” have shifted the conversation around identity since this episode came out. Are identity politics as salient for youth today as they were in 2019 or have some ideas shifted about the way that power and identity are interwoven? Is it true that Woke 2 is about class – that “big tent” ideas about work, paid time off, universal healthcare, childcare, and affordability are eclipsing conversations among youth about the identities that differentiate us?
I think you make a really interesting point about how some of the things discussed in the episode feel much more normalized now than they did in 2019. Things like openly discussing periods, mental health, neurodivergence, and pronouns aren’t as unusual among young people anymore. Although i have noticed a pushback. Anywho, I agree that economic issues seem to be taking up more space in political conversations with young people today. Things like housing, healthcare, wages, childcare, and the cost of living are pretty big concerns, especially young people.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, though, I don’t think that means identity politics have disappeared or that “Woke 2” is entirely about class. I think the conversation has shifted more toward how identity and economic issues overlap. For example, healthcare can be both an economic issue and an issue of gender, and housing or employment can be connected to race. So I think your idea that some of the ideas from “Woke 1” have become more normalized is probably true, but rather than abandoning identity, young people may just be seeing the issues more broadly with greater intersection
I really like how you also noticed that some topics are actually more normalized today than they were in earlier years. I think that most people moved from identity politics to class politics as well. They're not mutually exclusive, and most of the time they do connect. I really liked how short you kept it so we can really sit with our own thoughts and read into it.
ReplyDeleteYour ideas and comments on the "waves of Woke" have me thinking of the waves of feminism. I'm convinced we've moved past Woke 1/issues surrounding identity and moving toward more basic life issues. Why wouldn't we, when the divide between socioeconomic classes is growing wider the by the day? Why not, when the young people have so little hope for a productive and prosperous future? I think the young people coming up today will be leading social movements towards a more socially democratic society. It's about time the U.S. caught up with the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the way young people talk about identity has changed a lot since 2019. I think some topics that were considered more controversial back then are more freely discussed now, especially mental health and neurodivergence. But also, I don’t think conversations about identity have disappeared. Instead, they seem to overlap more with other issues, like education, money, healthcare, and access to opportunities. I think this further shows that identity and class can both affect people’s experiences, rather than one completely replacing the other.
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