John Cooper, the frontman of the rock band Skillet, has stated that individuals often labeled as "woke" typically possess good intentions but are pursuing their goals in a manner that ultimately harms society. Cooper elaborated on this perspective during a recent appearance on the "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" podcast.
"I think it’s really worth mentioning that people that we would call woke, the things that we find really problematic, I think it's worth mentioning that most of those people really have big hearts," Cooper said. "They want justice. They want the world to be better."
He added that these individuals are "just going about it in a way that they don’t know is wrong, and it’s actually hurting them. It’s hurting everybody. It hurts society."
Cooper drew a connection between these contemporary issues and what he perceives as worsening conditions in inner cities. He suggested that policies intended to assist marginalized communities are, in practice, causing further harm.
"I look at the things that the politicians that say they want to help the poor, they want to help the marginalized, they want to help people of color, whatever it may be, and all they do is keep hurting them more and more and more," he stated.
Drawing from personal experience, Cooper cited individuals he knows who work for him and share his values. "I know these people. Some of them work for me. They’ve worked for me for 15 years. I love them," he said. "And I say to them, ‘I know you’re trying to be a good person, but it’s going to hurt people.’"
Cooper attributed his differing viewpoint to his Christian faith, asserting that the approaches of "woke" culture are not aligned with biblical teachings. "What they’re doing is not true, and it’s not based on the Bible," Cooper explained. "It goes against the way God tells us how to live. They end up hurting themselves, and now we've got a culture so nihilistic that doesn't know that they matter. They're looking to matter by doing social justice, but they keep hurting themselves more."
Despite his criticisms of "woke" ideology, Cooper expressed strong support for freedom of speech and an aversion to cancel culture. He has performed with artists of various beliefs, including atheists and those critical of Christianity.
"I am a huge believer in freedom of speech," Cooper stated. "I hate cancel culture. I don’t want anybody to be canceled because I’ve never said, ‘So-and-so rock artist sings a song against Jesus and I want him pulled down from Spotify.’"
He believes that differing ideas should coexist and be debated openly. "I would like to share my faith in Jesus," Cooper said. "And because of that, I don’t mind if somebody else sings a song that’s against what I believe. Freedom of speech. Let’s go put all the ideas out there in the free market and let’s see which one wins."
Cooper noted that while he generally avoids dictating what other artists should or shouldn't express, there have been rare instances where he declined to tour with an act whose message he found to be excessively offensive, such as one planning to feature a desecration of a religious symbol in its performance. However, he emphasized that this was not a call for censorship, but a personal decision based on his own sacred beliefs.