Daily Dabble: Woke & Baked: Surviving Modern Politics Without Ashing Your Sanity

By Bud D. Lite
Disclaimer: Today's dabble was written under the influence of cannabis and common sense. If you're easily offended, please direct complaints to my inbox at www.idontcare.edibles.

I’ve been high in some wild places — back of a Greyhound, middle seat on a Spirit flight, Trader Joe’s on a Sunday — but nothing is scarier than being high and accidentally opening Twitter during a political firestorm. That sh*t hits harder than a dab rig at a drum circle. One minute you're giggling about cereal names, next minute you're 37 replies deep in a thread about land acknowledgments and cultural appropriation of queso.

I mean, what is this timeline we’re living on?

Back in my day — which was like, 2009 — being political meant watching The Daily Show, maybe marching once, and then going home to microwave a Hot Pocket and vibe. Now? If you don't have a 60-slide Instagram story explaining your opinion on municipal prison funding, you're basically complicit in systemic oppression. Apparently.

And if you post the wrong thing? Oh boy. The Woké Avengers will assemble. They’ll find your old Reddit account, your Yelp reviews, your Spotify wrapped. They’ll demand accountability for that one Limp Bizkit phase you had in college.
Like damn, I just said I liked a podcast. I didn’t storm the Capitol.

🚨 Wokism vs. Weedism: A Survival Guide

Let’s break this down real quick:
Wokism, as I’ve come to understand it while very, very stoned, is like… religion for people who hate organized religion but still crave organized rage. It’s spirituality with footnotes. Everyone’s offended, everything’s problematic, and you’re always one sentence away from being excommunicated.

Now don’t get it twisted — I believe in justice. Real talk. I’ve seen the system chew up too many lives over a gram of green. I believe in equality, inclusion, compassion, empathy — all that real sh*t. But this new flavor of activism? The kind powered by internet drama and keyboard guilt-tripping?

Nah, man. That’s not change. That’s content.

You ever get so high you start wondering if social media is just a CIA experiment to see how fast people can turn on each other? I have. And every time someone uses the word “unpack” in a comment thread, I feel more certain I’m right.

📢 Activism or Performance Art?

The modern activist aesthetic is wild. You’ve got influencers posing in front of burning police cars like they’re shooting an Urban Outfitters catalog.
📸 Caption: “Justice for ALL. #Defund #RiseUp #FitCheck”

Meanwhile I’m just trying to figure out if “smoke session” counts as a form of protest yet.

It’s not even about change anymore — it’s about the performance of being right. The optics. The clout. Being loud enough, angry enough, and online enough to get a thousand likes and maybe a BuzzFeed mention.

And if you’re not loud, angry, or online? You’re a problem. You’re “complicit.” You’re “not doing the work.”
Bro. I am doing the work. I just don’t post about it because I’m paranoid my mom might see my burner account.

I swear, sometimes I miss the days when being high and politically aware just meant watching V for Vendetta and saying, “Damn… that’s deep.”

🤯 Thought Crimes & Language Traps

One of the craziest side effects of modern political culture is that words mean both everything and nothing. You say the wrong thing, and boom — canceled. But also, words are violence now, apparently. Even silence is violence. So if I say something, I’m wrong. If I don’t say something, I’m also wrong.
I’m over here like:
“What if I just get high and listen to both sides?”
And the internet responds:
“Blocked. Reported. How dare you.”

I had a moment last week where I realized I’d spent 45 minutes editing a comment because I didn’t know whether to say “Latinx” or “Latine” or “just don’t say anything and close the app before I get hate mail.” By the time I gave up and deleted it, I was already halfway through a pint of dairy-free ice cream and a full existential spiral.

🪧 Protest as Hobby, Outrage as Currency

I went to a protest last summer. Not to post. Not to pose. I didn’t even bring a sign. I just wanted to feel something real — solidarity, purpose, maybe a little hope.

Instead, I got surrounded by TikTokers doing choreographed dances while holding “Abolish Everything” signs. No lie. There was a girl livestreaming her political rant while her friend did vape tricks in the background.

It’s like activism became Coachella for angry people.

And sure, being passionate is good. But what happens when that passion becomes a performance? When your hot takes are more important than actual outcomes? When everyone’s screaming so loud that no one’s listening?

Meanwhile, real sh*t is still happening. Laws are still getting passed. People are still getting arrested over roaches in states where dispensaries look like Apple Stores. But you don’t see that on your feed — you see callouts, clapbacks, and infographics with pastel fonts saying things like:

💅 “Normalize dismantling your inner colonizer.”
(…what does that mean, Brenda?)

🛋️ Stoner Observation Hour: Why Weed Might Be the Antidote

You know what weed does? It makes you shut up for a second. It slows you down. It makes you think before you talk. It makes you question everything — including yourself.

Maybe that’s why closet stoners are immune to this whole culture war mess. We operate in stealth. We don’t yell. We don’t virtue-signal. We watch, we observe, and we hit the vape before we engage because God forbid we say something that offends six layers of internet dogma.

Weed teaches nuance. It teaches reflection. And, most importantly, it teaches vibe management.
Which, if we’re being honest, is what the entire political landscape is missing right now.

🙃 When Everyone’s a Revolutionary... Until the Wi-Fi Cuts Out

I don’t trust anyone who talks about revolution but still uses Amazon Prime.
I don’t trust anyone who cancels people for not being “radical enough” and then complains when UberEats is late.

The truth is, we’re all hypocrites. Me included. I say I’m anti-consumerism but I have three different herb grinders and a subscription box for CBD lip balm. The difference is — I know I’m full of sh*t. And I’m okay with that.

Because being awake doesn't mean being angry 24/7.
Being conscious doesn't mean calling your grandma a bigot because she said “Oriental rug.”
And being an ally doesn't mean turning your personality into a PowerPoint presentation of hashtags and guilt-trips.

Sometimes, being a real one means not tweeting.
Sometimes, it means shutting the f*ck up, lighting a bowl, and doing the work without needing applause.

🪞Final Thought from the Closet

Here’s the real tea, my fellow functional freaks:

If you’re high and confused by modern politics — you’re not broken. You’re awake.
If you feel like everyone’s yelling but no one’s saying anything — trust that feeling.
If you’re watching people protest injustice one day and cyberbully strangers the next — yeah, that’s as dumb as it looks.

You don’t have to pick a side. You don’t have to have a 10-point plan.
You can care deeply and still question everything.
You can fight injustice without turning into an algorithm-approved rage puppet.

And if you ever feel overwhelmed by the noise, remember:
You’ve got weed.
You’ve got perspective.
You’ve got the ability to laugh, stay curious, and think critically while eating grapes in your underwear at 2AM.

That, my friends, is a revolutionary act in itself.

🌀 Bud Thought of the Dabble:

Stay high. Stay grounded. And never let the loudest voices trick you into thinking they’re the wisest.