Confessions of a Radical, Woke Leftist

Whew, this is a tough one to write, but I’ll try to get it out if you’ll bear with me.For the past couple of months, I’ve been doing some serious soul-searching, have spent hours in quiet reflection, and faced some hard truths.I need to come clean now and get this all out in the open.I confess that all those MAGAs in my mentions have been right all along: I am woke.“How woke?”, you ask.I hope you’re sitting down.I'm so woke, I want the complete Epstein files released so every rapist and pedophile, regardless of their political affiliation, faces accountability, and so all survivors of abuse know they matter.I’m so woke, I don’t believe people should be rounded up like animals simply for the color of their skin or the language they speak and thrown into concentration camps, just to placate insecure white bigots.I’m so woke, I believe it’s disgusting to take away healthcare and food from the old, the poor, and the sick, because no one should lack in a land of such abundanceI’m so woke, I think banning books is a sign of intellectually insecure, religion-addled fascists who are afraid of progress and want to control what people learn and experience.I’m so woke, I think actual physicians should be in charge of national health, TV hosts shouldn’t be running our Military, and Russian assets shouldn’t be overseeing our national security. I’m so woke, I think women and their physicians should decide what happens to their bodies, not a group of knuckle-dragging politicians who want to legislate their Jurassic values onto them.I’m so woke, I believe every child deserves an education, even non-wealthy, non-white people, and that they all be free from religious indoctrination in their classrooms.I’m so woke, I don’t believe someone’s gender identity and sexual orientation are anyone else’s damn business, and that people should be able to live in peace in their own skin.I’m so woke, I believe in full LGBTQ rights,that we should protect the planet,that everyone deserves healthcare,that a nation cannot be Christian,that the world is bigger than America,that to be "pro-life" means to treasure all of it.I’m so woke that I believe America isn’t a white birthright,that we are all one interdependent community,that people and places are made better by diversity,that no one’s religion should be compulsory,that non-American human beings have as much value as American ones,that there is no such thing as an “illegal.”I’m so woke, I believe generosity is greater than greed, compassion better than contempt, and kindness superior to derision.I’m so woke, I believe there is enough in this world for everyone: enough food, enough money, enough room, enough care, if we unleash our creativity and unclench our fists and treat people like we want to be treated.I’m so woke, I think it’s a pathetic disgrace that America's president is an incoherent convicted felon and court-adjudicated rapist who has contempt for the Rule of Law and the Constitution.I’m so woke, I’m embarrassed that one of our political parties continually votes against healthcare, against free speech, against body autonomy, against public schools, against due process, against the Bill of Rights, all because they are compromised and beholden to a career criminal.I’m so fully, hopelessly, and unrepentantly woke that I actually give a damn about people other than myself.I confess that the Woke Mind Virus has left me empathetic toward suffering, welcoming of diversity, generous toward those with less, allergic to discrimination, sickened by bigotry, and intolerant of intolerance.In saying all of this, I am the antithesis of MAGA Americans and certainly disappointing, irritating, and confounding them.And that’s how I know I’m doing life right.The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnpavlovitz.substack.com/subscribe