In recent years, online critics have used the word  “woke” to criticize movies, shows, books and other forms of media. Woke is often used as a pejorative for sociopolitical awareness and describes pieces of media with diverse characters or progressive values.

This begs the question: Is diversity genuinely needed in media or is it a ploy from Hollywood to push a narrative?

To answer the question, the “narrative” anti-woke critics target ultimately harms no one, not even the entertainment being scrutinized.

The Walt Disney Company, unfortunately, has been a victim of these types of meaningless critiques since the 2010s. Most noticeably with the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy beginning in 2015.

While genuine fans and true critics were let down by the writing, characters and other traditional aspects films are rated by; anti-woke critics hated the films for introducing a woman protagonist, Ray, to Star Wars.

These types of “critics” would go around, parading their cringe-inducing clickbait YouTube thumbnails featuring Mickey Mouse and Brie Larson until they made their point clear.

But that was just the beginning, that was 2016, and this is now. Diversity in not only Disney but other movies too (such as the amazing “Wicked” film adaptation that was released this year).

Diverse movies have become hated by anti-woke critics. These critics spit in the face of creative freedom in favor of restricting the stories and lessons that viewers consume.

Needless to say, these critics are wrong and misguided. Diversity is essential to movie culture and it always has been. Historically, filmmakers have always attempted to tell stories with the characters and messages they want.

Therefore, to criticize artwork just because it depicts cultures, settings, ideas, or people that differ from traditional Western cinema is absurd.

Going back to Disney, the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy didn’t turn it “woke.” What many ignore is that Disney has always pushed boundaries. This can even be observed in Disney’s very first film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” features an empathetic, likable protagonist—Snow White—who just so happens to be a woman, flees from her futureless life and finds true love along the way.

This boundary-pushing never stopped. Disney went on to create even more movies depicting women and people of color. Disney has created a vast array of diverse settings, both fictional and real, that depart from typical American settings. Disney still practices this with the release of movies such as “Moana 2,” which features a Polynesian woman as its main character.

This goes to show that diversity in media only compliments and enriches it. So, the next time you listen to a review from a critic, pay attention to whether they ever call a movie “woke” as it may indicate a lack of credibility.