The Day After (1983) | How Woke Is It?

Our VerdictNot Woke

15%

The Day After1983

In a free society the right to critique art is essential and protected speech. These reviews reflect personal opinions and not statements of fact.

What We Think

“The Day After” is about as non-woke as a mainstream 1980s TV movie gets. It tells its story straight, with no forced messaging or trendy identity politics, just old-fashioned nuclear anxiety.

Score Breakdown

Compromised:Narrative Integrity

Not Woke

What is this?

There’s very little evidence of narrative being sacrificed for modern ideology here. The story focuses on average Americans confronting nuclear war’s devastation, with characters driven by their circumstances, not identity politics. No forced representation, and no flawless diverse characters dropped in to tick boxes. It actually tells the story it set out to tell.

Compromised:Cultural Foundations

Mildly Woke

What is this?

The film depicts family and faith under immense stress, but doesn’t mock or seek to subvert them. Traditional roles are shown realistically; cultural traditions and midwestern American values are portrayed authentically, if bleakly. There’s little attempt at cultural revisionism or mocking foundational norms, if anything, it’s a somber memorial to them.

Compromised:Ideological Monoculture

Not Woke

What is this?

While decidedly anti-nuclear war (which was not exactly a fringe or divisive view), the film shows a variety of perspectives, including military, medical, religious, and civilian. Characters debate difficult moral choices, and no one is cartoonishly villainous based on worldview. It doesn’t hammer in one modern ideological perspective at all.

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Disclaimer: In a free society the right to critique art is essential and protected as a form of free speech and freedom of expression. The reviews and commentary on this site represent personal opinions and interpretations. They are not statements of fact and should not be taken as factual claims about any individual, company, or creative work.