The Woke Neighbour

Part rant, part open letter to your neighbourhood woke

The internet is a funny space. It allows us to hold multiple profiles at the same time, both offline and online. The access is unlimited and the reach, limitless. The space our words can enter and inspire is vast, and that’s exactly why it’s such a strange space. The identities people can project feel raw, even when they’re not real.

The intention of this post isn't to yap about the scope of having access to the internet, but about the way we hold it and the hypocrisy between preach and practice.

Social media posts and write-ups have put us in a place where we double-check before we press the enter button, refining endlessly so we don't come across as politically incorrect or insensitive. On a good note, it has made us very aware and sensitive with words. 

I am not talking about people whose part-time job is body shaming on fitness reels or summoning hatred under the post of some interfaith marriage. I’m talking about the seemingly stable population.

I think there are two kinds of people. Maybe more, but let’s look at these two for now. The first kind preaches and practices the same thing. The second kind freelances in preaching. However, for the next few minutes, let's shed some light on the second kind of people. No offense to anybody here (if you identify as one), but we’re talking about the people who appear to be woke only on Instagram. Note the keyword: "only." To narrow it down, I’m picking the niche of mental health. The mental health advocates on screen, and bullies off screen kind of people. If you've met such people, you can relate.

Yes, this is part rant and part open letter. To those people whose voices are louder only on the screen.

I don't get you. The way you think or the way you preach.

 I respect you for the heart-touching words and slogans that come out in your everyday social media presence, but I’m very scared to face the identity you possess offline. 

I’m curious to understand how the fact that a kid 1000 km away got body shamed boils your blood, but you couldn't stop yourself from fat-shaming your friend. 

Why couldn't I hear your voice say "stop it" when your closest friend was picking on that junior girl for the way she dressed? 

Was it you trying to fit in? Was it self-preservation? I’m sorry, I'm trying to understand.

Why does your profile scream that you are concerned about the students who took their own lives, but you made fun of your next-door neighbour who did the same? 

Why was depression just a hot debate topic for you, something to win arguments with, but never understand?

Why do your Insta stories, reels and notes preach that you care when you truly don't?

How is it easy to hold two identities at the same time? 

Didn’t your shame stop you at some point? What made you go on and on?

To be “woke” is a title they hold. And they hold it like a badge of honour. No, I’m not talking about people who try to grasp the realities of mental health battles or are unaware of the severity of the situation. I’m talking about bullies. People who knowingly disregard others' experiences, yet treat honest, unintentional mistakes as crimes of political incorrectness, while maintaining a spotless aura online.

Mental health issues and depression deserve a trigger warning because we’ve all been somewhere on that spectrum. We're all trying to understand each other’s needs, struggling to fill emotional buckets while doing the work we’re supposed to do or are expected to do. In the middle of all this, some people preach and preach and preach online about how important mental health is, how important emotional awareness is, yet don’t give a damn when it comes to people in their real lives or communities.

There’s a word for this, it seems, Performative Activism.

Performative activism is when someone supports a cause publicly just to be seen, without any genuine commitment to that cause. It’s when people post stories and carousels, but won’t show up for those who need them. It’s when awareness ends with a caption.

Dear Instagram-only wokeness, and the people who preach it, it’s good that you do. Maybe through whatever you post, some people are inspired to walk a better path. But isn’t it time you think twice? Either before you make that post, or before you pass that comment?

Is this outrage? No. It’s disappointment.

So yes, I’ll stop here,  But before I end,

To everyone reading this: if you’re just a person who talks about wokeness on social media, and if you understand the concept of body shaming, casteism and oppression only through posts designed with brilliant aesthetics and loud voices, but fail to stand up for the person next to you who’s suffering from the same, please, think again.

I am concerned. Not about people who say something and disappear.

This is a concern about the people who are suffering silently in circles where wokeness is the loudest voice in the room, and yet, they are unheard. Yet, they are shamed for the colour of their skin, their personal battles, and their heavy hearts.