Identity Crisis Episode 6: Reacting to Woke Instagram
In this episode, we take a deep dive into woke instagram. We read and analyze posts from a popular account that "dissect[s] progressive politics and social issues in graphic slideshow form". We break down a number of neoliberal and pop political talking points about the paradox of tolerance, Karl Popper, pronouns, dysphoria, gender & sex, and free speech. We critique the "fast food" type of political diet that this instagram account represents.
We make the case for free speech, for the enduring value of the First Amendment, and talk about how anyone who is challenging the status quo is someone who needs speech rights to be protected.
We also touch on one particular area of public speech that we do consider harmful: rhetoric which implies that suicide will result from any particular action, event, or speech—or any form of suicide encouragement/suggestion in the media. We talk about ethical reporting guidelines around suicide and consider the role of this kind of rhetoric in the gender identity conversation.