Last week, I sat down with Keri Smith, a self-described “former SJW,” writer, the host of Deprogrammed with Keri Smith, and the founder of Civility Dinners.
We talked about how she grew up in South Carolina, attended an excellent specialized school for math and science, and attended Southern Baptist church, but despite her traditional upbringing, like so many young adults today, she went “woke” in college.
In this conversation, she explains how it happened rather gradually. She was exposed to ideas in her women’s studies classes that seemed aimed at helping people, and making progress for human beings, but she was never presented with alternative ideas about how to go about achieving these goals. Everything was one-sided, but she wasn’t really aware of it until after long after she’d graduated, and built her life and identity around being the kind of person who subscribes to the ideas she learned in college without questioning them.
Keri and I decided to have this conversation on behalf of parents who may be wondering their kids can be indoctrinated into ideas that aren’t good for them, or don’t make sense (yes it can), how it can happen (could seem to be overnight, or it could happen gradually across years), and what if anything they can do to prevent it from happening, or maintain their relationships with their children if it happens anyway, despite their best efforts.
We also wanted to have an open, frank discussion about the grieving process and loss that comes with deprogramming, so everyone can understand it’s not only a long process, much like leaving a cult, it’s a process that takes courage, because it generally includes the loss of friendships, a sense of purpose and belonging, and even sometimes of jobs or careers.
Keri is one of the most open, caring, and insightful people I have had the pleasure of speaking with, and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did, and that you will find hope in her story. Whether you’re dealing with a “Social Justice Warrior” in your own family, or if you are someone who’s trying to break away from the “Woke” culture, but afraid of the unknown, or of rejection on the other side, Keri has wisdom to offer!
Many thanks to Keri Smith for her generosity in taking the time to talk with me, and for her courage in speaking out about these issues when she’s already gone through so much!
Please also subscribe to Keri’s podcast, Deprogrammed on YouTube and Spotify.Deprogrammed started as a series of interviews intended to better understand and make sense of her old belief system, Social Justice ideology.
Deprogrammed and Civility Dinners are also committed to fostering conversation, creating a culture that respects freedom of speech, and making space for both reason and faith.
Follow Keri @RealKeriSmith on Twitter
0:48 Welcome, introductions
3:20 Falling into “woke” culture
6:47 Confronting “white privilege” for the first time
19:08 Outsourcing “identity”
35:01 Outsourcing judgment and virtue
44:42 The gnostic faith-based cult of “woke”
58:00 The High Priests and Priestesses of the “woke” church
1:03:59 Why deprogramming is so hard
1:39:01 What the deprogrammed lose, and what they gain
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When the Woke Child Grows up