From Leftist Roots to Unlikely Advocacy: A Jamaican Journey of Political Thought
If my granny taught me anything, it’s that “every story have two sides, and sometimes three.” She would say it while sipping her bush tea, the morning sun glinting off her spectacles, as if she were a sage on the hilltop of wisdom. And for the longest time, I thought I understood her—until my own journey taught me that sometimes, those "two sides" can get twisted into a Möbius strip, where you're constantly flipping perspectives but never quite leaving the loop.
You see, I wasn’t always the Jamaican leftist-turned-Trump-policy supporter sitting before you today, typing this post on a world-weary laptop. Once, I was a wide-eyed Bernie Sanders supporter, shouting "Not me, us!" from the rooftops—or at least from my Twitter feed. Back then, I believed in the power of the left to challenge big money, to bring about social equity, to shake up the system. But as the story goes, heroes often become their own disappointment. Bernie bowed—not once, but twice—to the corporate Democrats, first to Hillary Clinton and then to Joe Biden. And the Squad? AOC and Ilhan Omar? Their fire seemed to fizzle out, leaving behind lukewarm platitudes where once there were calls for revolution.
The disappointment didn’t stop there. Mainstream media, as it always does, failed to speak to my issues. I turned to the "Leftist Mafia" of YouTube—Democracy Now, The Young Turks, Sam Seder, David Doel, the Rational National. They were the new scribes of the revolution, or so I thought. But as Bernie's spark dimmed, their analysis seemed to grow more like fluff pieces than sharp critiques. I was left hungry, starving for the kind of journalism that could cut through the noise like Steven Sakur's *Hard Talk* used to do back in the '90s. Remember *Hard Talk*? That was when journalists still knew how to hold power accountable, before sensationalism and clickbait infected the trade like a parasite.
Disillusioned, I found myself wandering the digital wilderness, guided only by my granny's voice in my head: “Two sides, sometimes three.” That’s when I stumbled upon Russell Brand, the Jimmy Dore Show, and others who dared to question the narratives I had once held sacred. Names like Jordan Peterson, Lex Fridman, and even The Liberal Hivemind entered my orbit, each with their own lens on the world. Were they perfect? Hardly. But they reminded me of the importance of listening to perspectives beyond my echo chamber—a lesson I learned long ago from Batman, the world’s greatest detective. You can’t solve a case by only looking at it from one angle.
Now, let me pause here, because I can already feel some of you recoiling. “A Bernie supporter who now listens to Jordan Peterson? A socialist-turned-Trump advocate? What kind of madman is this?” And I get it. I really do. But let me ask you this: When was the last time you truly listened to someone you disagreed with? Not just to refute them, but to understand them? My journey taught me that truth doesn’t live on one side of the aisle. It’s scattered, fragmented, and often censored by the very systems that claim to protect our freedoms.
Take Russell Brand, for instance. A comedian turned social commentator, he was one of the first to call out how corporate interests shape our media narratives. Or Jimmy Dore, who dared to critique the left from within, exposing the cracks in the foundation I once thought was solid. These voices—along with platforms like Rumble, which I’m slowly migrating to—remind me of what journalism and discourse should be: messy, uncomfortable, but ultimately enlightening.
And let’s not forget the tech giants, the new gatekeepers of our digital agora. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube—they’ve become the digital plantations of our time, where algorithms decide whose voices are amplified and whose are silenced. I’ve seen my own digital presence reduced to a whisper, my posts buried beneath the weight of corporate censorship. It’s why I yearn for open-source platforms, public domain AI, and freer avenues for expression. Until then, I’ll keep fighting to be heard, even if it means shouting into the void.
But this isn’t just about me or my journey. It’s about us—Jamaicans, philosophers, thinkers, skeptics. We live in a world where censorship wears a friendly face, where dissent is branded as misinformation, and where the pursuit of truth often feels like a lonely road. Yet, as my granny would remind me, “Better to walk alone in the right direction than follow a crowd into the wrong one.”
So, to my fellow Jamaicans, and to anyone reading this who might be skeptical of my positions, I say this: Question everything. Question me, question yourself, question the narratives handed down to us by those in power. And when you feel yourself recoiling from an idea or a perspective, lean into it. Challenge it. Wrestle with it. Because at the end of the day, truth is rarely found in comfort zones.
My journey has been anything but linear. It’s been a dance between ideologies, a battle between skepticism and belief, a search for meaning in a world that often trades authenticity for convenience. But through it all, I’ve held onto one simple truth: There are always two sides, sometimes three. And the only way to truly understand the world is to listen to them all.
It is interesting to note I may not be the only person who feels this way, as since Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election, mainstream and leftist media ratings have experienced significant declines. Here are some key statistics and facts regarding the changes in viewership:
MSNBC Ratings Decline
- Overall Viewership Drop: MSNBC's average viewership fell by 39% since Election Day, averaging 550,000 viewers compared to its October average of 1.1 million viewers. In prime time, the decline was even steeper at 53% [1].
- Specific Show Performance: Rachel Maddow's show, which is MSNBC's highest-rated program, saw a drop to 1.3 million viewers, about 1 million shy of her October average. This was the least-watched edition of her show among viewers under 54 since April 2022 [1].
- Post-Election Performance: In the days following the election, MSNBC's primetime viewership plummeted by 54%, averaging 808,000 viewers compared to 1.8 million in October [3].
CNN Ratings Decline
- Overall Viewership Drop: CNN's viewership also suffered, with an average of 413,000 viewers since the election, marking a 22% decline from its October averages. In prime time, CNN's viewership dropped by 43%[1].
- Election Night Performance: Despite the overall decline, CNN had a strong showing on election night with 5.1 million viewers, but this was overshadowed by Fox News, which had over 10 million viewers [1].
Fox News Ratings Surge
- Viewership Increase: In contrast to MSNBC and CNN, Fox News experienced a 21% increase in prime-time viewership, averaging 3.3 million viewers since the election. Its total day audience jumped by 38% [1].
- Election Night Dominance: Fox News led the ratings on election night with 10.3 million viewers during prime time, significantly outperforming its competitors [3].
General Trends
- Fragmentation of Media Consumption: The decline in traditional media viewership is attributed to a broader trend where younger audiences are increasingly turning to platforms like TikTok and YouTube for news, bypassing traditional cable news altogether [2].
- Trust in Media: Public trust in mass media institutions is at a record low, which may contribute to the declining ratings of mainstream media outlets [2].
These statistics illustrate a significant shift in viewership dynamics following Trump's election victory, with left-leaning networks like MSNBC and CNN facing substantial declines while Fox News capitalizes on the situation.
As I sign off, I leave you with this: If you’ve made it this far, if you’ve read these words with an open mind, then you’re already on the path to becoming the kind of philosopher our world so desperately needs. Now go, seek your funky understanding, and remember—Batman would want you to investigate every angle. Even the uncomfortable ones.
