The Kyle Rittenhouse trial has given us an unusual opportunity to contrast uncontestable facts as shown on many video recordings with an endlessly repeated media narrative that seems to exist in an alternate reality.

To my amazement, even after two full weeks of livestreamed trial, most notably featuring videos taken on the night at issue and a witness testifying that he had pointed a gun in Rittenhouse’s face, many on the left cling to the prior narrative of the case.

They seem to feel as though that narrative contains a greater truth about our justice system and racism in this country and therefore cannot be disputed by facts.

I’ve known Jackie for at least a decade. I met her while she was working at a local gym as a personal trainer, a grueling 12 hour/day job. A few years ago, she was experiencing burnout and decided to move to Spain to teach English in primary school.

We reconnected a few weeks ago after not speaking for a few years. As we were catching up it became clear to me that several of her political opinions had changed. I remembered her as a typical New York liberal and now she sounded like … a libertarian.

Jackie didn’t hesitate to share how the combination of living abroad in a country with a more socialized economy, plus the global turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic, had completely transformed her political views. She described it as a multi-year political awakening. There were several turning points and several steps.

I asked if she would be willing to share her experience and she readily agreed. The following essay consists of excerpts from an interview we did, edited for length and clarity.