Liberalism Is An Echo Chamber: Here's How I Escaped

The first step toward my indoctrination into leftism was college. Back in 2012, the class rosters weren’t as overt with the liberal agenda. There weren’t classes such as “Queering God: Feminist and Queer Theology” from Swarthmore College, though I remember taking a media studies class where we were tasked with finding ads and media that exemplified the “patriarchy.” I was surrounded by young men and women seeking to rebel from their conservative upbringings. The old saying rang true: if you’re not a liberal in your twenties, you have no heart. There was a feeling that liberals cared more about the world, that they were more inclusive of others, wanted equality for all, and rejected seemingly archaic conservatism.

Moving forward into the world and adulthood as a card-carrying leftist, there wasn’t much analysis of ideas needed. Since I had seemingly joined the “progressive” party, whatever they deemed politically and socially correct must have simply been true. Social issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and feminism had required viewpoints in order to maintain your “woke liberal” title. At the time, being pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, and a feminist made sense in my narrow worldview. So I took on all the titles, participated in activism when deemed necessary by the woke crowd, and didn’t dare question the status quo. Until I did.

I took on all the titles, participated in activism when deemed necessary by the woke crowd, and didn’t dare question the status quo. Until I did.

I identified as a lesbian for a few years in my early twenties. This was a time before transgender ideology really took hold in the way we see it today, though it was beginning to become normalized and popularized. This, looking back, was a clear social contagion and one I would have certainly fallen prey to if I had been born a few years later and experienced my “lesbian phase” in the midst of the trans takeover. I felt like a member of a tight-knit community while existing as a lesbian. This was enticing to me, as I was new to New York and craved friendships with like-minded people. These were some of my closest allies, until I dared to question their beliefs.

My first step out of the liberal echo chamber happened during my time in the LGBT community. There was a subset of women who identified as “TERFs,” or “trans exclusionary radical feminists.” These women made some astute observations about how trans ideology and LGB ideology were not things that could coexist. The idea of abolishing any meaningful biological distinction between the sexes as it pertains to “gender identity” completely nullified a gay or lesbian identity. If genitalia and biology mean nothing, what does it mean to be homosexual? I wrote about this phenomenon in 2017 for a conservative outlet, knowing no liberal publications would touch it, though I still identified as a liberal at the time. The publication of this, along with a Twitter account I ran where I spoke about the absurdity of transgender ideology, gave me my first experience with how quickly my liberal comrades would not only turn on me, but wish me dead. DMs flooded my inbox, full of threats against my life, insults, and vitriol that was truly shocking. All of the hate came from liberals, sometimes even fellow lesbians.

I wrote a few more pieces, gained some popularity on Twitter, and even had some speaking engagements planned. However, my engagements were cancelled due to leftists spamming social media to complain about my “transphobia.” My social media accounts were constantly flagged or, at times, deactivated due to “hate speech.” I realized that this type of censorship was part of what created the echo chamber I found myself in for so long. Cancel culture was at its peak during this time, and eventually I caved to it. I begged for my writings to be taken down, not because my opinions changed, but because I feared social and financial consequences. I wanted a job and to go back to school. I feared the group that once welcomed me would be my downfall.

Though I was convinced of the insanity of transgenderism, I still held my other liberal beliefs, mainly because I wasn’t ready to face the backlash of stepping out of line even further. I kept quiet, stayed off social media, and stopped writing. Though, in my private life, I began exploring past the bounds of liberalism. I listened to debates about social issues for which I had previously just accepted the left’s given position. I began to form my own views.

Suddenly, differing opinions weren’t just different, they were “fascist” or “racist.”

Along the way, I realized the tactics of the left that truly kept people indoctrinated. They were constantly shifting language to suit themselves and their ideology. Suddenly, differing opinions weren’t just different, they were “fascist” or “racist.” They denied the contradictions within their own movement. I realized that no matter what I did to appease the woke mob, it would never truly be enough. I lived in Brooklyn at the time and was told that I was a “gentrifier” for being there as a white person, though if I left neighborhoods with a strong minority presence, I was “racist” and participating in “white flight.” There are strict rules on who can even have an opinion on certain issues. “No uterus, no opinion,” and white people being barred from conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement, though also chastised if they didn’t speak up, are a few of the tactics the left uses to police discourse. Does this sound like the party of openness and tolerance?

I realized how much the media was pushing certain narratives of the left. I couldn’t watch a show or movie without being told what my opinions were supposed to be. Media was infiltrated with pro-trans, pro-choice, and feminist plot lines. This ideological infiltration makes it easy to remain in an opinion that seems so widely accepted and gives the impression that dissenting views are not only wrong, but not progressive or cool.

Even feminism, the one ideal that kept me on the left the longest, couldn’t keep up with itself. It's a nice promise: equal rights for women. But I soon realized the feminist agenda spanned much farther than that. Sex work was touted as empowering. Abortion went from ideally rare and safe to something to be celebrated. I bought into both of these ideas, even participating in the sex work industry, convincing myself it was a “feminist” thing to do.

Over time, after years of growth, life experience, having a daughter, finding God, and being honest with myself and my true values, I was able to fully escape the left for good. I realized abortion was wrong, feminism mainly hurts women, and the left has its own interests in mind, not mine. For years, I kept my full-blown conservatism to myself. I went along with friends who were liberal, politely nodding at the right times in conversations about politics. I knew the language of the left and could easily fit in. I was a covert conservative.

The woke mob doesn’t just disagree with conservatives; they would rather us be dead.

The ultimate breaking point was the day Charlie Kirk was murdered. I was shocked by the event itself, blown away that someone so young could be taken away in an instant from his family and from this world. What shocked me even more was the aftermath, though. Watching people I once called friends celebrate and mock his death. Their reasoning? They didn’t like his opinions. The same opinions I held. I realized then that the woke mob doesn’t just disagree with conservatives; they would rather us be dead. After September 10, 2025, I knew I didn’t want to be silent any longer. I didn’t want to hide my opinions to placate a group that showed such little humanity toward others. Predictably, I had many friends and even some family tell me they weren’t interested in a relationship anymore. They had no idea we held such differing opinions. All I could think was: well, I knew. And our differing opinions never stopped me from wanting a relationship with them. This is the difference I experienced between the right and the left: the right hates the left’s opinions, the left hates the people on the right for having certain opinions.

My experience as an openly conservative woman has been the complete opposite of my time in the liberal sphere. There is room for discourse and disagreement on the right. Not everyone agrees with everyone on everything. Discourse does not come with vitriol and threats; it typically comes with open minds and a willingness to debate or at least understand. Conservatives welcomed me with open arms despite my past. Liberals kicked me out the moment I dared challenge them. There is a party of love and tolerance, and it isn’t the woke liberal left. As the saying continues: if you aren’t a conservative in your thirties, you have no brain.