After The Woke

The woke will die out eventually because they cannot build anything. They could do a lot of damage on the way down...but I very much doubt they could be as "successful" as say, the Bolsheviks (they lack the ruthlessness, organization, and picked the wrong home country). Ask yourself...do you know any Bolsheviks today?

But after the woke, I can picture a new ideology centered around a group I'll call The Enthusiasts. I've noticed this type of person in a variety of walks of life. They are a know-it-all about minor subjects and love to slam mainstream opinion. A few recent examples: I started shopping for a BBQ a few months ago. And jesus, how complicated that's become. I started to settle on a Traeger for the combo of ease and cooking flavor, but then I started stumbling upon these BBQ enthusiast boards who were slamming Traeger for the expense, for the lack of searing ability, for the flavor, etc. They all suggested going for this Kamado Joe thing. Meanwhile, I'm exhausted by all the choices - I started this thing charcoal vs. propane. And now I'm looking at some $2500 egg grill. So after almost being "talked" out of the Traeger by the Enthusiasts I said f-it, I'll trying this Traeger and am happy as a clam. And now I'm thinking to myself what was the point of the hardcore Enthusiast disdain? 

In a similar fashion, I stumbled upon another online discussion of the Peloton. Now, we got one because my wife wanted one. It's that simple. I'm aware it'll probably be a clothes rack in 5 years. But I ride it now and it's totally great, especially because we have small children and it's frankly really hard to get out and do exercise. So hopping on a bike for a 20 minute ride is better than the alternative of falling asleep on the couch with a bag of cheetos watching White Lotus. You dig? And I don't think Peloton is a good deal. Fuck no. It's expensive. You get the thing when you're in your 40s, if you both work, and it's not easy to get out of your house. A single guy in his 20s with student loan payments should not get this thing. Nevertheless, you go onto a "Is a Peloton worth it" discussion board and you get people coming out of the woodwork explaining how stupid it is, what a waste of money, why it's bad for your knees compared to an elliptical, how they go running on the beach instead for 3 hours a day, how they'd rather spend the money on a home gym, how they'd rather use some random other brand I've never heard of instead. Etc. 

Who are all these people? Who spends all this time micro-analyzing workout regimens? Doesn't this just boil down to individual preference? A Peloton is worth it if the cost doesn't affect you and you'll use it. But the Enthusiast insists the Peloton or the Traeger or (fill in the blank) sucks and you should check out this XYZ other thing that undoubtedly sucks even worse, but it doesn't matter because I'd never go in that fucking direction anyway. I'm not getting an elliptical. I've never even done an elliptical. But the Enthusiast insists the elliptical is better than the bike. Who cares? It's like asking if Mammoth is a good place to ski and the response is: skiing sucks compared to sky diving. What is the appeal of this weirdo rabbit hole of logic?

20 years ago you could find what we'd now call a "woke" person on every college campus asking some stupid question about Che Guevara every lecture, but you never thought such people would amount to anything. I figured that person would either change their tune or be unemployed. Instead, they run newspapers, public schools, and corporations. Joke's on me. So I wonder what happens to these Enthusiasts in 20 years, especially after all the woke are finished eating each other. Just asking...