Amandla Stenberg & the Woke Culture War

[@Gingawhitus]

The acolyte doesn't push anything. There's an implied lesbian couple and I don't think they ever even kiss in the series Edit: It's a bad series because of its quality, not because of anything woke.

[@EbonyPope]

There is some woke stuff in there like the pronouns. But even Critical Drinker said that it's mostly just abysmal writing. That there is no message is just wrong though. There clearly is. And it's always the activists that fail since they are too busy thinking how they can get their message across instead of writing an actual good story.

[@dusteverywhere2665]

woah i didn’t even notice the queer couple maybe i just didn’t pay enough attention to the show though

[@crankywriter1738]

@@dusteverywhere2665 It was between Amandla Stenberg's character and a female padawan. The only reason why you don't know about it is because it was one of those moments they could cut out of the show for markets that would ban a show for same-sex couples.

[@leroloralarlora]

dozens of female characters in a strictly matriarchal social order with no males chanting "power of many" as they celebrate the twins created by the force. it doesn't push anything yeah

[@TheClubOrtiz]

I genuinely feel that people have lost the meaning for woke and just don’t know what it means anymore.

[@wolfernater]

it's just kind of always meant "thing i don't like"

[@Turtlpwr]

No one does, but it’s provocative

[@JeebusCripes21]

Never forget that Ron DeSantis had a lawsuit that forced him to define "woke" in a court of law. The definition his attorneys gave: "The belief that systemic injustice exists and the desire to address it." I think about this anytime I hear someone complain about "woke" stuff.

[@nekozaemon3803]

Everybody except people like you know what it means. Forced diversity, gæ stuff, pronounce stuff, racism against white people, "toxic masculinity" whatever that means. Stop pretending like this shhh doesn't exist.

[@TheClubOrtiz]

@@wolfernater exactly! Cause like people always be like “Go Woke Go Broke” yet TONS of shows considered woke are incredibly successful! Pose Modern Family Schitt’s Creek This is Us The Good Place

[@simpsosh7648]

You really come off as defending this show. You should've watched before commenting, it's undefendable.

[@ScuffedF]

Yes, let's hear Amandla Steinberg, someone who has had a privileged upbringing, talk about oppression and whatnot. Jfc......make it make sense 🙄

[@lendondutton1296]

Please keep in mind my comment is not meant to push any political side. With that being said for those who don’t understand, when people say “get woke go broke” they mean (most of the time) if you prioritize political agenda (no matter which side) over good story telling your show is not gonna be good and is gonna fail. Thats is what the acolyte clearly did. If you don’t believe me watch a couple of interviews or promotions for the Acolyte and when Leslye Headland or anyone from the cast is being asked why it’s good take a shot everytime someone says the word “diversity” or “representation”. By the end you might be drunk enough to find the show actually good but more likely you will be passed out. They talk about Star Wars about 10% of the time and the rest is just virtue signaling. The shows that have “woke ideology” in it and are successful, prioritize the story. Companies taking control of beloved franchises and hiring writers and directors who introduce themselves as social activists above all else and openly say they either haven’t watched or don’t like the franchise (Disney has done this plenty of times including on the acolyte) are going to continue to do bad. Hopefully people like Leslye Headland and Amanda Stenburg wake up and realize that the vast majority of Star Wars fans aren’t “racist bigots” rather they are just regular people who watch shows and movies like the acolyte to escape the modern day world rather than being lectured about it.

[@someguythatdoesstuff7658]

I sort of agree. I disagree with the point that the good "woke" stuff was good because the wokeness wasn't prioritized over the story. Things can just be good (or bad) inspite of the amount of wokeness in them. Most recently, Disney's recent series "The Owl House", "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur", "Hailey's On It", and "Star Wars: Andor" are arguably even more woke than the Acolyte and the Snow White remake, yet they were well receieved. Those shows didn't hold back with LGBT+ romance, politics, exotic culture, minority struggles, etc. Same can be said for the opposite end of the wokeness spectrum. "Nacho Libre" and "The Prince of Egypt" arguably pushes a lot of Christian stuff onto people, but it doesn't matter to me because they're amazing, with Nacho Libre having a sort of redemption with people beginning to actually like it.

[@Skids0800]

If you want good gay representation in Star Wars play Kotor

[@transformerdude4251]

All you need for gay representation in Star Wars is the people that watch Star Wars

[@tristananleu4677]

I too played as a female character so I could get into Juhanis pants.

[@TEFFTPATTERN]

Bringing up the culture war stuff in regards to this show is an irrelevant red herring no matter which side or person is doing it. The show is bad. It’s made by someone who openly dislikes the black and white morality of the Star Wars universe. The show is so desperate to get you to feel the same that it breaks the most fundamental boundaries Star Wars established, instead of being clever or well executed enough to get viewers rooting for (or even just understanding) the dark side within those boundaries.

[@foliagedcarcass]

Yeah and every super anti-woke KZbinr like nerderotic wants you to only think about one single aspect that makes the show bad instead of writing and character. I really hate the guy, he just complains about every single show without a white male lead.

[@GasparGa]

Andor pretty much did the same thing (regarding the black and white morality) and it's one of the greatest shows I've ever seen

[@magicaljagical647]

@@GasparGaa grey morality works well in a show like Andor because there isn’t a thing like the “The Force” involved, allowing for the showing of raw humanity. In the Acolyte it’s different, because the show is trying make it like seem the dark side isn’t that bad and it’s the Jedi who are the bad guys, even though that is objectively wrong in many ways. I think it’s possible to make a story questioning the Jedi Order and having a character be more rebellious to the Order, but attempting to make the dark side(basically a cancer that eats away at the galaxy and the cause for the deaths of trillions over the span of hundreds of thousands of years.) be misunderstood or whatever is not great at all.

[@GasparGa]

@@magicaljagical647 I don't think they made the Jedi "the bad guys", I think they just showed how even the Jedi can make mistakes. Anyway, it doesn't matter now, the show is canceled and nobody will remember it, for better or for worse.

[@lucasshill8780]

no elvis DEI is just bad not because people are racist as you implied

[@johnnybravo9194]

I just stopped involving myself with Star Wars after Force Awakens, in fact, I don't think I've ever saw anything Disney-related since Avengers: Endgame. And not gonna lie, I'm so much happier.

[@joe9739]

When they said "this is the gayest Star Wars ever" i assumed it meant it was going to be the lamest😂

[@TJbutLag]

Genuinely Elvis is so right, even as someone who isn't straight and is neurodiverse I don't need to see myself everywhere and the people (mainly in hollywood) that say shit like "This is the gayest star wars has ever been!" in attempt to normalize it are ironically preventing it from being ACTUALLY normalized

[@zzreaper4499]

The thing hollywood did wrong is they didn't "include people" they just fetishized diversity until everyone got sick of it

[@descent3031]

A lot of the people who loathe this show love arcane. How can that be when the only reason they dont like this show is women and gay people? Stop gaslighting us and just inventing motives for people who criticise the show. The lead actress literally stated that she wanted to upset people based on their race, but you make it out like those people are the villians when they then get upset. I hate this crap where people just state "we all know what their problem really is, wink, wink" gtfo with that. Take people in good faith until they show you a reason not to. Otherwise you are projecting and mind reading.

[@SebastianAceFawkes]

There's plenty of things to Dislike about 'The Acolyte'. But Stuff like "WoKeNeSs" is Not One of Them.

[@sadtimesalways]

THIS!! i feel like you can't really find genuine criticism of this show, especially on youtube. i'm not listening to those antiwoke grifters😂

[@AfianySnow29802-GS]

​@@sadtimesalwaysThe not wrong tho.

[@AfianySnow29802-GS]

Sure lol.

[@lucasshill8780]

trash take

[@roostre5254]

@@sadtimesalways jeremy jahns reviews the whole show and doesnt talk about wokeness. Just points out all the bad character writing and inconsistencies in the plot. Or if you want something funnier just go watch the "pitch meeting" for the show.

[@lennardbeers]

The show was objectively very bad. I recommend you watch it.

[@doblove]

That song and video she made in response to the criticism the show was getting was a huge mistake and made the situations even worse, especially because she tried to play the black cart and make herself a victim when in reality she is just a rich nepobaby and a terrible actress 😂

[@danielletopping2763]

Also her Dad is the whitest dude ever.

[@protoman1214]

This video misses the mark. Yes, some people are just offended by gay people on screen. They are ridiculous. But, it's lazy and dishonest to make it seem like a significant part of the criticism comes from "racist". The problem is caring more about inserting diversity than writing a good story. Wokeness has long meant to be extra aware of injustices in the world concerning people of color and other protected groups. The singular focus on that above all else is problematic for story telling. Notice how there is no massive campaign against a show like Arcane despite the presence of many strong female characters, some who are clearly gay, and many people of color. People don't call it woke because those aspects of the story are so well managed and not thrown in your face. Especially in the advertising and interviews by the actors. Invoking the word woke might nauseate some people, but it's a legitimate criticism. Call it played out, but there is merit there. By so closely associating those who use the word "woke" with "racist", you are literally partaking in the same behavior you are criticizing.

[@nathanielquetel2018]

Wait, was she Rue(sp)? Because I remember the backlash over that character being black was intense ( and ultimately unwarranted) that adds some context for me now.

[@Pedigru]

I feel a strong need to point out a important fact. Amandla starts off by saying "they" received bigotry and vitriol....before the show was announced. She specifically states the show was still a concept. That means, she had not been cast. This means Amandla did not experience any of this negativity. Instead, she was told about it.

[@GasparGa]

I'm sure she experienced plenty of it

[@hmmokay.4807]

I miss stories of all kinds from Hollywood. I’m just tried of what comes out now.

[@protoman1214]

Yes! They need to stop rehashing old properties or banking on big IPs. How about some original stories?!

[@boaz08]

This culture war has made movies less fun for me, since when I see a mixed race cast or gay people in a movie, all it feels like is that they did it to appeal to the "woke culture." When movies like Blade, that casted many black people, including the lead, feels genuine.

[@dionallen6842]

That gayest Star Wars ever bit was a joke. You know, just a bit of fun. Not meant to be taken seriously.

[@thrillcollectors]

Yes. Thank you so much. Finally, somebody has a balanced take on this. I’m so sick of everyone acting like she has absolutely no point in saying that they have received a lot of the wrong kind of backlash before the show even started. The fact that the show sucks is its own argument, but you have to admit that, people are pretty awful towards the runners and actors

[@ShonuffDaMasta]

That’s gotta be the sassiest thumbnail I’ve ever seen. 😂

[@txt5220]

The Acolyte was a middling 5/10, not terrible, but not great. I agree with most of your points Elvis, and everyone in the comments trying to make excuses for why it was okay for Amandla to receive so much harrassment can get bent. It's insane how vitriolic the SW community is towards non-white/non-male actors. It happened with Rey, Finn, Rose, Reva, and now Osha.

[@cowmangaming2529]

I watched the show and could not tell you a single character's sexuality. The plot was okay, but pacing was slow. The dialogue was abysmal and that is where the writing falls. I'm definitely gay after watching Manny Jacinto take off his shirt.

[@Thomas-VA]

1. Shows should focus on well written/acted shows. 2. No one has to watch whatever they don't want to watch, no one is being forced to keep eyes on something that offends their pearls and whirls. 3. Whine culture is a thing sprung from anti PC and now the label Woke, so I soon after ignore influencers and channers who want to start their beat up the woke campaigns, it's tired

[@anonymouskitten4277]

Keep up the great work, Elvis :)

[@joe9739]

In Snow White, i think it would have went well if the people of color should have played the dwarves. That would have went over well.

[@Jibb3rs]

The show sucked ass, its that simple

[@cozakpierce4755]

I'm the same age as her I'm barely online but I also have a family to take care of. Plus I don't really care about people's political views.

[@bethanywallace8575]

Idk about woke, but it was one of the most poorly written shows I've ever watched. There were tiny glimpses of things that could be cool, but it was a disaster

[@runi5413]

"There are a lotta racists out there" yeah. And most of them are black. Racists like Amandla Stenberg, for example, who probably wouldn't watch a Star Wars show if it didn't have enough black/diverse ppl in it

[@roostre5254]

ya most of the people that work on these shows/games have a deep hatred for white males and they will tell you that you cant be racist to white people.

[@patrickkelmer6290]

Amandla isnt even fully black - she´s a light skinned half-dane (with additional greenlandic ancestry) yet loves to pretend that its non-existent. And her attempts at looking "darker" (like the fake afro in her music video) are so cringey it hurts.

[@thevoicesaregettinglouder16]

What makes things worse is that her followers tried to get multiple channels taken down because they disliked the show, then started threatening the youtube ceo when youtube announced that there was nothing wrong with their videos

[@aronjanosov9046]

you can make a good or bad movie with message/ideology. For example Hacksaw Ridge and Prince of Egypt are excellent movies and religion based, but you can create abominations like God's Not Dead. Same with DEI. You can do it right Maeve from Boys, the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, or can make it disney-style.

[@EbonyPope]

Well there are defintely woke elements like the pronouns thing with Basil. But in general it was just absolutely abysmal writing that made this show bad. The most cringe elements weren't woke they were just silly ideas like the singing of the witches. What utter nonsense.

[@nickmiles2862]

There is no audience for the show. Her comments on the alt right are so dumb

[@lucasshill8780]

oh God i would love to know Elvis' politics xD

[@Dakkss]

Isn't it weird how woke is NEVER the problem with anything for you people? Like I can admit when my side makes terrible, terrible stuff because of their politics. Like Daily Wire's cartoons or that New Norm shit. But I have NEVER seen anyone left-adjacent just admit that sometimes their politics do in fact make shitty media.

[@gubbins4944]

Couldn’t have said it better myself

[@feshpince7181]

Then you don't talk to many leftists. I'm 100% progressive, and I hated this show. Politics shouldn't be injected where they don't belong. That said, there is nothing inherently wrong with "woke" ideology. It's certainly a better future for us than whatever the fuck insane right-wing nonsense is spouted by modern conservatives.

[@johno5182]

Velma

[@jefftharakan1457]

It’s not the politics that makes something bad, it’s just how it’s written, many of the daily wire shows are written just like a Fox News segment where they are preaching their politics rather than discussing them in a neutral and more nuanced tone like a king of hill where it’s not created as a reaction/desperate move. Velma is bad because the writing has little substance to it and the characters are unlikeable, the characters being different races and gender have nothing to do with that. The woke claim is just a lazy definition to describe something a person doesn’t like. Plenty of ‘woke’ shows like Andor and the Boys with diverse casts of actors are good because the writing is good

[@Dakkss]

@@jefftharakan1457 Wrong. Velma is literally a perfect case. Yes, the writing is bad. But it's bad BECAUSE of the overt political bent. Velma being an unlikeable bitch has much do to with overzealous girlboss yas slay queen hyperfeminism, Fred was entirely rewritten to be "whitey bad" and Scooby and the whole formula was excised following the current trend of subverting everything while wearing it's old skin as disguise and as a giant "fuck you" to the past. There are many more examples too. You're literally doing what I said in the OP. "Yeah it was bad but it's got nothing to do with any left-wing politics!" Yes it does. Not every time, but sometimes, yes it absolutely does.

[@liosns]

i think if they focused on the story and how to fit it in the star wars universe it might have been a good show, the problem is they focused too much on irrelevant things and made a 5.5 maybe 6.0 out 10 show at best.

[@jeanpatton708]

star wars isn't as great as we remember

[@notcomfortable_here]

never was

[@stephenalansj3585]

Yer the man

[@foliagedcarcass]

I hate woke stuff but the super anti-woke KZbinrs like nederotic and critical drinker are just so tone deaf and annoying. Any time a woman defeats the bad guy in a movie they claim “Mary sue” and any time there a person who isn’t a white guy in a show they claim dei hire. Anybody else hate both radical sides of this radical issue?

[@magicaljagical647]

I don’t know about Nerdrotic, but Drinker has made many videos praising shows that have diverse casts or characters(like Arcane and Sandman) and he even said that he liked the way that some women defeated male characters(like in his Enola Holmes video.)

[@IcyAxeSid]

Also for this channel, what's wrong with wanting a male lead character if it's canon. Feel like a grift opinion

[@AfianySnow29802-GS]

8:19 - Maybe he took criticism?????

[@QuinnLytleFilms]

While the show was not great by any Metric, and I really hate to defend Disney, the episodes had 1000s of negative 1 star reviews on IMDB hours before they even premiered. If that's not review bombing I don't know what is.

[@jonasbjrnkrlarsen5875]

Dar wars?

[@concernedandequal1928]

It's a bad show that is woke. And it's not that it is a bad show that happens to be woke, it's just that things that are woke tend to be bad.

[@ThePkmnYPerson]

2:09 If that's a real song, what the heck, Jason Aldean?

[@Hepheat75]

As far as I've seen with the show, "woke" is not exactly the reason this show is bad. It's mostly because the showrunners were incompetent.

[@TheGuardianssorrow]

The thing that annoys me with Snow White is that they could have picked someone who wasn't white, and picked someone who was Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. Snow White had light fair skin, ruby red lips, and beautiful black hair. Could have been someone white or someone from another race that was also light skinned. Also, why did they make the Queen someone super pretty and Snow white is eh? Like the Queen is suppose to be jealous of Snow whites beauty.

[@jamesc5751]

lol you think America is going to go watch a show with ASIAN MCs when we derive our wealth from economically f*cking Japan, Korea and Taiwan and are currently in a cold war with China because they got uppity? Try again. ASIANS are our pets, not our peers.

[@protoman1214]

She wasn't just described as pale as snow, the story literally originates in Germany. No one would tolerate a white person playing a character from African folkore. You know I am right about that. The thing that kills me is that they just couldn't write an original story for the lead they picked instead of rehashing something old. It's easily one of the top worst trends in Hollywood right now. Is it too much to ask for original stories???

[@blaineishere3851]

3:03 i thought they'd just give her snow white hair, which i feel would work fine. weird they didn't.

[@GasparGa]

I generally like your content Elvis, but you have no idea what you're talking about here. Like literally, you start with "I've never watched the show" so why are you talking about it then? Is it for the views only? Yes, as you said, representation is a complicated topic and you have very simple opinions about it (no offense). So why even make a video about it? You're talking about Snow White "the original movie" as if you didn't know it was based on a fairy tale form 19th century. And yeah, obviously the protagonist was white in 1812 Germany. It's 2024 now, what's wrong with changing it? Why talk about these things if you barely understand the topic? Again, I'm not "cancelling" you, I like you, but I have no idea what the purpose of this video was.