
“What Radicalized You?” A Reflection for Ash Wednesdayby Jesse Steven Wheeler
A humorous meme in activist circles always begins with the question: “What radicalized you?” Multiple iterations exist, as is common among memes, but answers include: Basic human empathy, Kindergarten, or The teachings of Jesus. The subtext being that rather than neo-marxist discourses, critical theory, postcolonial deconstruction, and the like, the thing that radicalized you was essentially the Golden Rule and the ability to feel. I very much relate to this sentiment, but if you were to ask me the same question, my response would undoubtedly be