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“Silly, Crystal, Kooky Lady”
Marianne Williamson says the United States is too unhealthy, unhappy, and stressed; she says war and environmental degradation pose major risks to our society; she believes highly processed foods are dangerous; and she warns that the two major parties are not doing enough to combat inequality and economic insecurity.
You don’t have to agree with any of these views, but it’s tough to deny that a political market exists for them.
After all, when Williamson participated in the second Democratic primary debate in 2019, she was the most Googled candidate in 49 states, received the fourth-most attention on Twitter, and garnered praise from some of the country’s most prominent voices.
Then, the media attacked.
The day after the debate, Vox headlined a story, “Marianne Williamson isn’t funny. She’s scary.”
The article noted Williamson’s rising popularity and how respected people had praised her debate performance.
“This all needs to stop,” scolded Vox’s senior correspondent.
“Marianne Williamson is not a serious candidate for the presidency: She’s a self-help celebrity who openly disdained policy debate onstage Tuesday night. Worse than that, she looms as a menace to public health.”
CNN’s Anderson Cooper proceeded to have Williamson on and focus on tweets dating back to 2014 in which she said that not everyone who is on antidepressants needs them.
Cue the next hit piece: On August 3, Rolling Stone headlined a story, “Marianne Williamson Is Dangerously Wrong About Antidepressants.”
“Ultimately, Williamson’s comments on antidepressants and mental health weren’t just wrong — they were actively harmful,” that story concluded.
Thus was Williamson labeled “dangerous,” “crazy,” and “harmful.” Before people had a chance to make up their own minds, the media had done it for them.
Williamson’s unique worldview is a product of her unique life.
When she was a 12-year-old in Texas, Williamson’s father – a World War 2 veteran and immigration lawyer – took her to Vietnam to “see war.” What she saw left a lasting impact on her and helped seed a deeply anti-establishment mindset.
She proceeded to graduate high school but bounced between, and dropped out of, colleges. In her mid-20s, she found herself alone in New York City, suffering the effects of what she called “bad boys and good dope.” She was seeing therapists, taking drugs, anxious, and in a state of despair.
Amid this, she read a book – A Course in Miracles – that led to a spiritual awakening. That, in turn, led her out of the darkness she was in.
Williamson turned to spirituality, first selling books and then writing them. One book she authored in 1992 found a fan in Oprah Winfrey, who declared, "I have never been more moved by a book than I am by this one." Williamson became a recurring guest on Oprah’s Show and Oprah's spiritual advisor.
In 2014, Williamson sought to take her wisdom to Washington. She ran for Congress, placing fourth out of 18 candidates in the primary and scoring some prominent endorsements.
Trump’s election inspired her to run again. While she calls Trump a “fascist,” she told Roca that she agreed with both his and Bernie Sanders’ assessments that the “rage” of the working class is “legitimate” and that its “pain is valid.” Like those candidates, she said, “the system…had been rigged against them.”
Williamson’s conviction in that belief led her to run in the Democratic Primary in 2020. She’s currently running to challenge President Biden for the party’s nomination, but, as she explains in our interview, the party has eliminated the possibility of a real primary.
You don’t have to agree with a single word Williamson says to question the mainstream’s disdain for her. We questioned it, which is why we invited her on We the 66. We’d rather decide for ourselves if she’s crazy or dangerous than leave it to a Vox senior correspondent.
Whether you deem Williamson a crazy crystal lady, future president, or Democratic hack, we do not care. But if you’re curious about her off-limits message, you can listen below.
We’ll be back soon with a premium on-the-ground report. Thank you for reading Roca. If you support our mission and want to continue receiving these articles, you can become a paid subscriber here.
Sincerely,
Max F and Max T
RocaNews co-founders
