The worst of 2022: Five times wokeness took over in media
Julia Johnson
This year was full of moments where appeasing the politically correct took precedence in media. From recasting characters to re-imagining stories, there were no lines left uncrossed in these ventures. The Washington Examiner reported on these instances in which the woke took over this year, and now it’s counting down the top five worst displays of wokeness in entertainment.
5. Wizard of woke: Director to revamp The Wizard of Oz with LGBT representation
In September, writer and director Kenya Barris said in an interview that he plans to make the LGBT community the center of his remake of the classic movie The Wizard of Oz.
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“Now we’re going to turn a mirror on where we’re at right now and take disparate characters from the LGBTQ community, from different cultural communities and socioeconomic communities, and tell a story that reflects the world. I think this is the best time to do that,” Barris explained.
Other than the plans to ditch the classic’s Dust Bowl community backdrop in favor of something reflecting the LGBT community, no further details about the remake have been revealed.
4. From woke to woker: Disney casts drag queen in new Marvel series
A month prior, a drag queen was cast in a new Marvel Studios series on Disney+.
Shea Coulee, an alumnus of RuPaul’s Drag Race, landed a role in the series Ironheart. The show is set to debut in fall 2023.
“It’s really so humbling to be able to crossover into a much more mainstream avenue and push the needle forward as far as drag is concerned in the way that it’s consumed and in pop culture,” Coulee said of being cast.
“Everyone at Marvel has been so unbelievably open and receptive to my experiences and my expertise about drag,” Coulee added. “And they’ve allowed me to really come in to the MCU and put my very specific Shea Coulee print on the Marvel Universe.”
3. Woke history: 1776 Broadway reboot has solely female, transgender, and nonbinary cast
This year, a revival of the famous historical musical 1776, which is about the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, saw the show get a big makeover.
The show, which first hit Broadway in 1969, now features only female, transgender, and nonbinary actors. “I want the audience to hold that dual reality of what the founders were but also a company of actors in 2022 who never would have been allowed inside Independence Hall,” co-director Diane Paulus said.
She claimed her goal “is to hold history as a predicament, rather than an affirming myth.”
2. Go woke, go broke: DC’s gay Superman canceled after 18 issues and poor sales
Roughly 1 1/2 years after DC Comics released Superman: Son of Kal-El, which featured Superman Jon Kent coming out as bisexual, the company announced the end of the series. Artwork for the comic book even featured a same-sex kiss between Kent and his boyfriend.
When the superhero’s new sexuality was announced, writer Tom Taylor said, “I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes, and I’m very grateful DC and Warner Bros. share this idea.”
“Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth, and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics,” he added.
Data representing the top 50 comics by units sold indicated that the series was not selling well ahead of the announced cancellation.
1. ‘I’m a woman’: Sports Illustrated publishes glowing profile of transgender swimmer
In March, Sports Illustrated published a glowing profile of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who is a biological male. “I’m a woman, so I belong on the women’s team,” the swimmer said.
Thomas made headlines while swimming on the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s team, where the athlete consistently defeated female opponents.
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“The very simple answer is that I’m not a man,” Thomas said of critics.
The magazine didn’t show any concern for teammates who expressed concern over changing in front of a much larger person, nor did it ask female swimmers how they felt about having their athletic opportunities taken by someone with obvious physical advantages.