society

Nick Cave, Wokism, and I...

David B. Himself

18 Jun 2025 • 4 min read

I've loved Nick Cave's music for as long as I can remember. Well, at least since I became aware of his existence sometime around 1990 or 1991.

However, I've only recently started paying attention to him as a person. I must admit that I find him to be a fascinating character, and I have a better understanding of where the genius of his songs comes from.

More recently, I read some of his thoughts on today's societies in general and the woke movement in particular.

You see, while I'm as leftist as it gets, I've found myself identifying less and less with what we call wokism nowadays. No, don't worry; I'm not joining the anti-woke nuts. The gods know I've been angry at the right for co-opting the term and soiling it.

To be clear, it's not about the term itself but rather the various progressive movements. While I agree with what they stand for, I've become increasingly uncomfortable with them recently.

I could easily pinpoint some reasons, but it was more difficult to articulate others.

Enter Nick Cave, who has addressed the issue quite a bit in different interviews and on his website. It turns out that I recognize myself in most of what he has said on the topic.

Here are a few quotes and their sources:

The concept that there are problems with the world we need to address, such as social justice; I’m totally down with that. However, I don’t agree with the methods that are used in order to reach this goal – shutting down people, cancelling people. There’s a lack of mercy, a lack of forgiveness. These go against what I fundamentally believe on a spiritual level, as much as anything.

Mercy is a value that should be at the heart of any functioning and tolerant society. Mercy ultimately acknowledges that we are all imperfect and in doing so allows us the oxygen to breathe — to feel protected within a society, through our mutual fallibility. Without mercy a society loses its soul, and devours itself. (...) Without mercy society grows inflexible, fearful, vindictive and humourless.

As far as I can see, cancel culture is mercy’s antithesis. Political correctness has grown to become the unhappiest religion in the world. Its once honourable attempt to reimagine our society in a more equitable way now embodies all the worst aspects that religion has to offer (and none of the beauty) — moral certainty and self-righteousness shorn even of the capacity for redemption. It has become quite literally, bad religion run amuck.

I tend to become uncomfortable around all ideologies that brand themselves as ‘the truth’ or ‘the way’. (...), including ‘woke’ culture, that finds its energy in self-righteous belief and the suppression of contrary systems of thought. Regardless of the virtuous intentions of many woke issues, it is its lack of humility and the paternalistic and doctrinal sureness of its claims that repel me.

(bold text by me)

In short...

And if you haven't listened to it yet, here is his complete new album, which is stunningly beautiful and haunting in a good way:

Thanks for reading.

David