"Good evening to you, Johari." Says the man, my interviewer, whose face is blurred. His voice has also been altered beyond recognition.
"Good evening." I replied. My face is also blurred and my voice is altered. I wonder why since everyone will recognize me.
"Welcome, everyone, to 'Secret Truth.' The online show, distributed on all video platforms, where the real, unvarnished truth is revealed. Tonight we have Johari from Pur Azuré. Die-hard fans know that the group has been through a lot of changes."
"Absolutely." I continue to speak. "When Pur Azuré was born, long before I joined them, the girls wore more... daring outfits, let's say."
"Like cheerleading uniforms?" Asks the interviewer.
"Yes and cute feminine outfits with accessories. Now we hardly show any skin and our outfits are 'gender neutral'."
"The famous 'gender neutral'. Can you tell me more about that?"
"Well, to put it simply, we can't show our femininity in public. We can't dress sexy. That's to avoid the 'perverted male gaze'."
"Wait, 'perverted male gaze'?" Asks the interviewer, surprised by my words.
"That's what our manager calls this so-called phenomenon. All because of stupid Wokism and DEI. Do you know that I was only chosen to join Pur Azuré because the group, and I quote, 'must have a person of color'?"
"I suspected as much."
"This is so ridiculous." I said with anger in my voice. "Did it bother anyone that the group had only white people? No. Did it offend anyone that the girls wore cheerleading uniforms as their stage costumes? No. But the people in power are infected with DEI & Wokism, and here we are. Pur Azuré isn't what it used to be."
"This must be hard for you."
"Yes and no. The other group members treat me well and I feel like they want to join me in my fight, but they don't."
"Your fight? Are you fighting DEI and Wokism?"
"Yes, and constantly. Our manager often quibbles with me. He once threatened to expel me from the group."
"But he didn't."
"No, because it would tarnish the group's image and I have a lot of fans. That's why the girls don't help me in my fight, they're afraid of being expelled. But I can feel their anger rising. They don't want to lie anymore."
"Lying? What do you mean?" The interviewer asks.
"As all our fans know, Pur Azuré has six members. Christine, Audrey, Sheila, Isabelle, Orietta and me. Orietta announced she was transgender two months ago. Audrey and Isabelle came out of the closet as lesbians two weeks ago. Christine says she's autistic and Sheila says she's vegan. Listen to me closely. None of this is true."
"None? But how...?"
"It's DEI, it’s Wokism! 'Our group must be varied, inclusive, unique!' announced our manager without warning. He forced them to lie under threat. I found out later that the orders came from 'higher-up', from the people in power."
"How dreadful! Why don't they come out in the open? Tell the media everything?"
"Because that would put an end to the group. Pur Azuré has already lost many of its former fans thanks to Wokism. News like this would destroy everything. At least, that's what our manager says. A threat, nothing more. I'm fighting to save Pur Azuré, but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing any good."
"Well, I'm sure our interview will make waves. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we wrap up the show?"
"Yes, 'get Woke, go Broke' and all help is welcome. Fight the DEI agenda, fight Wokism. Together, anything is possible!"
The interview is over. It's posted all over the Net. Fans are mobilizing to help me in my fight. They send emails, letters, drawings saying they want the old Pur Azuré back. Without DEI and Wokism. Back when the group's songs were about friendship, love and teamwork. Not the "modern" songs about overcoming the patriarchy, that girls are better than boys, that genders are infinite, that pronouns are important, and so on. They want the return of sexy outfits for the group, dynamic dances.
This affects the people in power and Pur Azuré manager. Despite this, they ignore the "haters' complaints." This causes the group to lose even more fans. The profits dwindle month by month and bankruptcy is obvious. The manager has only two choices: dissolve the group or restore it to its former glory. The people in power have ordered him to dissolve Pur Azuré, but strangely enough he's doing the opposite. Despite his behavior towards me, he's seen the group lose its shine because of Wokism and he doesn't want to lose his job.
Thus Pur Azuré do an "old-fashioned" tour with their old songs and sexy outfits. Fans are gathering, profits are climbing, and I'm more than happy. Despite threats from those in power, the DEI and Wokism are over! I also got to keep the baby cat and dog I got as Christmas presents from my fans.