The year 2020 was a pivotal year in modern society marked by events such as the outbreak of COVID-19 and the election of a new president. But the most important aspect of the year 2020, was the emergence of woke culture. 

Now “wokeism” or “woke culture” in a nutshell is bringing the necessary attention to systemic injustices involving race, gender, and sexual orientation. 

Woke culture is an essential part of our society. This is seconded by an article by Naia Toke in her article “Wokeism: What Does It Mean, Why Is It Important, And Why We Need To Support It,” Toke states how “We must always be aware of the menace of discrimination and political, social, racial, and gender oppression." 

Woke culture is a necessary part of our society.  It emphasizes the need for individuals to be not only aware of the issues around them but also the possible harm that could be inflicted on others. Woke culture suggests that by having a vigilant attitude toward these problems, we can work toward a more equitable and just society.

However, while aiming to promote awareness of social justice issues, woke culture has been strongly criticized for the problematic delivery of its messages, which led to divisiveness within the movement.  Ultimately, overshadowing its original purpose.

The intention of the movement is to promote social justice, but the delivery of its messages has become the main topic of discussion, with many arguing that its delivery is doing more harm than good. 

A common occurrence within the woke movement is if an individual expresses any form of disagreement or goes against the current “woke movement,” they are subjected to cancellation and or being #canceled.  

Personally, I’ve never been canceled, but when someone is canceled, it simply means individuals are either actively boycotting against someone or calling for the boycott of a company or organization that they have deemed to be problematic. The end goal is to hold either the individual or business accountable for their actions. 

Totally fair. 

But the way in which woke culture delivers their “cancellations” to many is what is considered to be harmful and often overshadows the message the movement is seeking to convey.  “As a leader, you are tasked with communicating unpleasant or difficult news, making sure that your tone, pitch, and volume are appropriate to the message you wish to communicate," noted in Joan Lowery’s article, “More Than Words Can Say: How Delivery Affects the Message.”

“Ye” formally known as Kanye West is a fashion designer, producer, and prominent rapper, has had moments in his career where he has faced extreme criticism and backlash leading to his “cancellation” in the year 2022. Now the reason for Ye’s cancellation is unknown and that’s because members of the woke culture attacked Ye, instead of formally declaring the reason for his cancellation.

The delivery of the criticism is equally important as the message itself. Cancel culture is slowly starting to harm the “woke” movement, as the “canceling” is starting to include personal attacks as well as harmful language. “For activists, the purpose of literature and art should be to convey positive messages and correct the social imbalances," says Thierry Vissol,” in an article “'Bigger than us' - The film proving you're never too young to fight for justice” written by Frédéric Ponsard.

As leaders and activists, it is important to remember that the delivery of your messages holds the same weight as the message itself. And if you are shoving your message down someone's throat, you need to be prepared for when they throw it all up on you. 

Taking a moment to reflect on the power of words, and how the delivery of words has even greater power than the actual words itself. Messages have the unique ability to inspire, connect and shape the world around us. But if the messages never reach the intended audience because of the harsh delivery, that message was nothing more than wasted breath. 

We live in a fast-paced society, flooded with endless distractions and ever-evolving communication channels. So let's rise above the noise and embrace this challenge of “waking people up.” I implore you to not only embrace the power of your voice, and ensure that the delivery is seamless and impactful. And let your words resonate with people and create change that will leave an incredible mark on the world around you.