Woke

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As Sigmund Freud was famously said to observe, “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” This may be advice that we should occasionally consider.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle recently over changes to the look and logo of Cracker Barrel restaurants, with some conservatives charging them with “going woke.” The stock took a hit, and detractors are gloating with the old “go woke, go broke” trope.

Shocked by the outcry, Cracker Barrel quickly dropped the remake, and reverted to the old logo, uttering a corporate “oooopps.”

So, what was the beef? I am baffled about how any of these now-canceled changes were supposedly “woke.” They merely dropped the old timer, “Uncle Herschel,” and his cracker barrel from the logo, and adopted a new, more minimalist contemporary look, but not a hint of “woke.” No leftist jargon accompanied it, nor was there any new corporate DEI initiative, and the change wasn’t made to placate any leftist outcry. Still, some saw it as a capitulation to the New Order.

As a rabid Culture Warrior myself, it was a bit embarrassing to be missing out on all the fun. With all the mirth and merriment I get from mocking and lampooning the left and whatever “outrage” has most recently gotten them in a lather, I really should be better tuned in. Indeed, just last month I had a wonderful time ridiculing the leftist hysterics generated by the American Eagle jeans ad with Sydney Sweeney, over their “jeans/genes” pun. I hope I am not losing my gift for discerning performative outrage. 

Some see a parallel to the famous Bud Light debacle, although we were not treated to a performance of Kid Rock gunning down an offending meatloaf. But they were not comparable. Bud Light had not only taken a political stand by featuring a transgender influencer in an ad during the basketball playoffs, but then doubled down by insulting their existing customer base. Bud Light also had the misfortune of the ad coming just as public annoyance at the relentless promotion of transgender themes in the media was peaking, and from producing a lousy beer that doesn’t generate much customer loyalty.

The Target stores controversy was also mentioned, but it also is not analogous. Target took a political stand by prominently displaying merchandise directed at the transgendered, such as “tuck” swimsuits. I imagine that a number of parents found explaining these items to their small children a bit awkward and complicated. 

One commenter suggested that conservative critics saw the remake as a symbolic rejection of the idealized “good old days” that the Cracker Barrel theme represented. Or, perhaps the term “woke” has become the conservative equivalent of the leftist’s semantic arsenal of “isms,” including “racism,” “sexism,” and “fascism,” all-purpose epithets to be flung at anything that annoys you, regardless of context. 

Instead of “woke,” perhaps what we are witnessing is just a visceral reaction to change generally, with reactions falling along generational and political lines.

Liberals and the young tend to like change generally and invariably see it as a positive thing. Recall Obama’s slogan of “hope and change.” They like novelty and will sometimes change things just for the thrill of it. They like political tinkering and grand new initiatives. What others see as stability and tranquility, they see as “stagnation.” Politically, they see an imperfect America, and are certain that they can “fix” it if put in charge and given a lot of money. 

Conversely, conservatives and older people are more likely to be wary of change, although they recognize that it may sometimes be necessary and unavoidable. Generally, they just want government to leave them alone and subscribe to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” ethos and a fear of unintended consequences. Politically, they also see an imperfect America, but one which could get a lot worse, especially if subjected to a leftist “crusade” and some of the wild ideas that appeal to kids and urbanite hipsters.

There has long seemed to be an assumption among the young that people must grow stupider as they age, since everything seems so clear and obvious to them. They apparently reason that older persons, such as their parents, must have grown muddled and corrupt from the struggles of work and family, while they are themselves unencumbered by such prosaic concerns and can focus on the Big Picture. Of course, what they later discover is that the answers that seemed so clear to them in their youth really just reflected the fact that they really didn’t understand the questions in the first place. They then find themselves “becoming their parents.”

Me? I am still grumbling about Microsoft dropping Windows 95 and forcing me to endure the pain of learning successive new systems and facing the sullen contempt of 14-years-olds as I plead for their assistance. ∆

John Donegan is a cranky old retired attorney in Pismo Beach. Send a response to letters@newtimesslo.com.

This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2025.