Should James Bond be woke?

Not that word, please not that word...

Admit it, when you saw the word you grimaced. Don’t worry, we’ll get through this together, just breathe into a paper bag. All good? Here we go:

When the word ’woke’ comes up in a conversation, you probably remember that thing you were supposed to do and dash off. Good for you.

The conversation is broken almost beyond repair. It’s a minefield, saying something on the matter could get you easily labeled as one of ’them’, or even worse, one of ’them’. Who in their right mind would want either?

You’re most likely neither. Chances are, you’re in layman’s terms a sensible person. A person who doesn’t flip out hearing someone do a humorous accent on the TV. And you’re probably not a snowflake who reacts to a rainbow by burning Barbie-dolls on a pyre. There are way more of us sensible people, than there are ’them’ or ’them’.

’Them’ and ’them’ are two opposing groups, who make a lot of noise. These people are struggling with something, and whatever their problem is, should not be yours.

Interestingly, both parties seem to have a similar goal - banning stuff. Only, the other party calls it ’canceling’ and the other one ’banning’.

In many cases, they want to ban and/or cancel stuff they have not personally read, listened to, or watched. And it’s not out of the question, the two parties might want to ban/cancel the same thing, but for conflicting reasons. One because of rainbows, the other for the lack of. Or something.

Come to think of it, these two are the same person, just operating under a different flag.

They share an equal amount of nuance in their thinking. There’s ’black’ and ’white’, ’on’ and ’off’ - case closed.

Whatever the motif, banning/canceling cultural history is all the rage these days. Be it Aldous Huxley or Huckleberry Finn, many feel the past must be erased or re-written.

So, what about Bond?

If you haven’t read Ian Fleming’s Bond-books, you most definitely should give one a try. You will be surprised by the racism, chauvinism, even substance abuse. (that’s right, Bond does bendzedrine, which is basically today’s meth!)

Seriously, try it. The books are a dive into a white, privileged, mid-1900’s male colonialist’s mind, and it often gets hilarious. The books are time capsules from a different era. This must be repeated with slanted letters: from a different era. Reading those books will make you realize: We’ve come a long way. (This is a good thing)

Same goes for the Bond-films. I can think of a few moments in those movies that absolutely would not fly anymore. Once again, this is the point. Modern day Bond doesn’t slap women or strangle them with their own bras. Why? Because we have come a long way since those days, and this arc of evolution is there for all to see.

Instead of banning, canceling, or re-writing Bond (or something else from the past), please consider an alternative:

Bond-books should be read in schools, then discussed, studied even. The worldview in those books should be viewed in light of its time, mirrored against ours. It won’t only be educational, but also gives the kids a chance to feel smug and roll their eyes at their ancestors. Don’t try to argue, it’s awesome to feel morally superior.

The Bond-movies should also be watched by future generations, preferably in chronological order. The series of films paints a picture of evolution. No kidding. Not just in terms of storytelling and cinematic tools, but each film reflects the current political and cultural status quo of its era, spanning over the last 60 years or so. Priceless. Also, very entertaining.

When you start banning, canceling, or re-writing cultural history for ’modern sensitivities’, you are doing a disservice to your children. We’re supposed to know our past, learn from it, and understand our grandparents’ frame of mind. This is how we improve.

We don’t cancel grandpa when he jokes about trans-people at the coffee table. We say ”more cake, anyone?”. (This is what your grandchildren will do to you, btw.)  Grandpa is a product of his time.

When we improve, there’s a higher chance we learn to tell the difference between truth and propaganda. Get better distinguishing what actually is offensive, and what’s not. And if certain material is offensive, have you considered the possibility, the following uproar after said offense might be beneficial in the end?

Yeah. Books and movies may contain something you don’t like. Fictional characters may say, or do things you don’t approve of. Like end sentences with prepositions.

But this is not reason enough to withhold fictional content from other people. You also don’t have the right to alter an artist’s work, no matter how many years have passed since its release.

A fictional character’s moral compass may differ from yours. F.e. Hannibal Lecter kills and eats people, so you might find his actions morally questionable. James Bond (in books) does not only kill people, but also has outdated opinions about people of different colour, and feels women should not be allowed to drive motorcars. You’re not obligated to agree with James Bond on these issues.

Any book out there may contain stuff you disagree with, but it’s not reason enough to ban/cancel it. Suggesting so would suggest that your personal values are above anyone else’s. That your opinion is the one true, golden standard the whole world should live by. (yeah, another preposition at the end of a sentence, deal with it) You don’t want to be seen that self centered, do you?

How about a compromise then? Let’s add a disclaimer to all books and movies: WARNING, THIS WORK OF FICTION MAY CONTAIN BAD THINGS, AND BAD THINGS AREN’T GOOD.

A bit condescending, don’t you think? Let’s give ourselves some credit, we don’t need that much guidance. Just the fact that someone’s reading a book instead of watching TikTok is a triumph in itself. Let them (us) decide for them(our)selves whether bad things are good, or indeed, bad.

One should also remember, James Bond was never a role model to begin with. (rule of threes, the preposition joke ends here) In fact, James Bond is a diagnosed psychopath.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8md1Jdm4SE

He’s also an alcoholic, womanizer, a paid assassin, an unhappy man who will die alone. No one said he’s a hero. If we tone down the character, we will lose the character.  

If we replace vodka martinis with locally sourced herbal tea, we should also make him... I don’t know, stop killing people. I hear that’s also frowned upon. (Boom, surprise preposition encore!)

So, woke or no?

If Bond doesn’t strangle a woman with her bra in the next film, I’m a happy camper. If this is woke, let’s woke. But if he starts following speed limits, the camping trip just got a lot less happy.

C’mon, let the psychopath do his thing. At least he’s on our side. (Right?)

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P.S. A real cynic might argue: ”Who cares, Bond is over anyway. Amazon will soon flood the market with prequels, spin-offs, reboots and whatnots to the point we really don’t care anymore.” (see: Star Wars, see: Marvel...)

Sadly, this is a very likely outcome. Let’s just hope they don’t lose the character completely. And hey, we’ll always have the old stuff.