i have a theory that the reason people complain about Wicked being too "woke" is because they watched it and saw more similarities between themselves and the bad guys than they were comfortable with. they like the music and the characters but they can't reconcile the fact that they have more in common with the students staying silent and the people persecuting the Animals than with Elphaba. so they complain that it's too political because that way they don't have to actually examine themselves.