Work-life and the left in Brazil

The return of tycoon Donald Trump to the White House, in his second incarnation as US president, reignites critical debates about what is generically called woke culture, or "workism."

Symbolic moves in this direction were made, for example, by the major technology companies in Silicon Valley. Just days after Trump's inauguration, back in January, billionaire Mark Zuckerberg declared that he would change the community policies of the social networks he runs, Instagram and Facebook.

He also announced that he would move the department responsible for managing this area of ​​the platforms—which also analyzes potential hate speech or fake news—to Texas, leaving California. The move is considered anti-woke, given that the West Coast state is known for its progressive culture within the country's political spectrum.

The topic also reached Brazil during these almost three months of Trump's presidency. Podcasts, television debates, newspaper articles, and many other media outlets began discussing a certain hangover from the issue of political diversity in society. And, on national soil, the situation is aggravated by the idea of ​​woke culture being associated with and related to left-wing movements, groups, and parties.

This correlation couldn't be more superficial. The idea of WokeThis, which refers to a generation "awakened" to the problems of market society, does in fact seek to expose certain inequalities in ethnic and gender spheres, especially in power relations. However, it does not address the structural incongruities of the system that underlies all these social and economic relations in capitalism.

Therefore, "workism," which is also characterized as an empty concept, instrumentalizable to the liking of whoever analyzes it, could not be further from a leftist root. It is no coincidence that it gains strength in a neoliberal reality that has left the hegemony of discussions on inequality, prejudice, and injustice largely in the hands of private enterprise.

Thus, we witness important discussions being framed in a superficial way, without the necessary material depth. When actress Halle Bailey, for example, was announced as the protagonist of The Little Mermaid, in 2023, we saw a debate focused on the plausibility of having a Black mermaid on screen.

The reality is that there are no mermaids—neither white nor black. What exists are market decisions. Disney, the film's producer, profits from the unproductive debate. It brings people to the cinema, sells toys, and generates demand for the product. However, it is structurally unproductive, since it focuses purely and simply on the plot to discuss racial inequalities.

And this is not to diminish the importance of greater representation and diversity on movie screens or television. On the contrary, it is essential to defend this practice and include minorities in productions, especially in diverse countries like Brazil. 

In the Brazilian reality, it has never been more important for agents of the progressive field to understand this context. We cannot give up on serious and essential debates for transforming the reality in which we live, such as racial, gender, or any identity-related issues. However, we must never forget that these disparities stem, above all, from a material, power structure that must be overcome.