Podcast Summary: Confessions of a Recovering Liberal White Woman

Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone
Date: January 14, 2026

Episode Overview

In this rich and provocative episode, Sasha Stone reflects on her personal journey as a former liberal and feminist, examining the cultural and political unraveling of liberal white women in America and their role in the ongoing social upheaval dubbed "the great crackup of 2026." Using vivid historical, literary, and contemporary examples—from the Manson girls to the Kent State shootings, to modern-day TikTok activism—Sasha explores how the feminist movement, progressivism, white guilt, and a search for meaning converged to radicalize a privileged demographic, pushing many to a breaking point.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Parallels to Today’s Upheaval

• Comparison to 1960s/70s Radicalism: Sasha draws parallels between today’s unrest and the radical movements of the late 1960s and 1970s, referencing the Manson cult and Kent State shootings.
  • "We haven't seen a great crack up like this since my childhood when those hippie chicks sat on the sidewalk … prattling on about the revolution." [01:18]
• Ordinary Americans’ Desire for Stability: The social chaos of the past (bombings, riots, murders) eventually led to a conservative backlash—Nixon, then Reagan, and echoing forward to Trump.

2. The "Great Crackup" of 2026

• Contemporary Liberal White Women’s Radicalization: Stone observes an acute emotional and psychological unraveling, particularly among liberal white women who feel existentially threatened by today’s political climate.
  • "Liberal white women losing their minds and going to war on federal officers. People are starting to notice..." [00:05]
• Impact of Trump’s Presidency: For many, Trump is seen as the trigger for destroying not just political norms, but sanity and parental capability.

3. Personal Testimonies & Social Media Outbursts

• The episode incorporates raw, emotional social media posts to showcase the sense of desperation and moral fervor:
  • “It’s hard to admit, but I’m aware that I would be a better mom if I had kids when Obama was president. And now I'm distracted, I'm upset, I'm angry … and my kids are paying the price for that.” [12:11]
  • TikTok monologues about the ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good, expressing rage, despair, and a perceived necessity to resist at all costs.

4. Cult of Victimhood and White Guilt

• Perpetual Cycle of Grievance: Sasha notes how progressive ideology requires an ever-expanding list of causes for white women to champion (feminism, BLM, now immigrant rights), leading to internalized guilt and anxiety.
  • "Nothing feels real anymore. They believe their one true purpose … is to protect illegal immigrants from the evil white supremacists in America.” [48:00]
• Loss of Purpose: As women lose traditional foundations (like motherhood, community participation), activism fills the void, but without satisfaction.
  • “But all we were really doing was defending our status as the ruling class, beating back a populist revolt. There but for the grace of God go I.” [59:22]

5. Feminism Revisited: Personal Regret and Cultural Critiques

• Critique of 70s/80s Feminism: Stone describes being shaped by the mantras of second-wave feminism, chasing personal ambition over family—a vision she determines was a lie.
  • “Abortions would be like biological bulimia—pleasure now, get rid of the problem later. ... That was the first lie and the most damaging.” [63:50]
• Regret and Biological Reality: Motherhood led Stone to reevaluate the feminist dismissal of traditional values, citing enduring regret over personal decisions.
  • “It wasn’t until I had a child and held her in my arms … that I realized what a lie it all was and what a huge mistake I’d made.” [68:13]
• Montage of Abortion ‘Pride’ on Social Media: She highlights the cultural normalization of abortion, reflecting a wider disconnect from foundational values.

6. The 'Great Feminization' and Uncharted Social Shifts

• Helen Andrews on Female Power:
  • "There has never been a society in which women hold as much political power as they do today." [1:01:17]
  • Stone details the transformation of workplaces, academia, and even law enforcement into majority-female domains.
• Hillary Clinton as the Climax: The belief in an inevitable female president as the climax of decades of progress—then crushed by Trump’s election in 2016, which Stone calls "our apocalypse now."
• The Reaction: The aftermath brought mass hysteria, a renewed sense of victimization, and ever-more radical activism. Trans issues and racial privilege then decentered liberal white women further.

7. Intersectionality, White Privilege, and the New Hierarchies

• Surrendering Power: Stone describes how, upon being accused of “white privilege,” progressive women ceded moral and social ground, shrinking their own cultural cachet:
  • “...now we had to feel guilt and shame for our whiteness, our microaggressions. So we de-centered ourselves. And then came the transgender women who demanded they were women too. And we had to further shrink back...” [1:15:16]
• Martyrdom Motif: The episode explores how white women, stripped of other privileges, turn to martyrdom for social justice causes as their new identity.

8. The Cult of Activism and Children

• Internalizing the Doctrine: Young people, especially white children, are taught to internalize guilt and see themselves as “minions of the devil;” activism is reframed as intergenerational penance.
  • “Sooner or later, the wheel of oppression would spin toward illegal immigrants or undocumented workers who are now the ones in need of protection.” [1:19:09]

9. Rejection of Biological Limitations; Social Media as Reinforcement

• Radical Gender Ideology: Stone claims progressivism now flies in the face of biological reality, noting that children and adolescents are drawn into radical gender and racial activism through relentless online messaging.

10. Personal Reckoning & Departure

• A New Political Home: After concluding that progressivism had become a destructive “invasive species,” she embraced the backlash, supporting Trump publicly as an act of defiance and self-preservation.
  • “It might have cost me everything, but it was worth it. All I have to do is log on to social media and I see the self I once was to realize I made the right choice.” [1:27:44]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Modern Crackup:
  "After ten years of cycling mass hysteria through their nervous systems, they’ve reached the breaking point, the great crackup of 2026." [13:23]

• On the ICE Shooting Incident:

  • “She used, she weaponized her vehicle. She used it as a deadly weapon. And our officer, he responded as his training instructs him to do.” —Tricia McLaughlin, DHS [54:22]

• On the Burdens of Privilege:
  "I'm going to be honest. I don't feel good about being white every day for a lot of reasons, because it's a point of privilege...” [1:19:52]

• On the Fallout of Feminism:
  "I bought into the feminist lie because I thought I was doing the right thing…What I realized over time is that progressivism is like an invasive species. It can’t stop on its own." [1:10:27]

• On Relinquishing Traditional Identity:
  “We couldn’t even say women anymore without being called TERFs. And now that women were effectively silenced ... it wasn’t hard to sacrifice the children too.” [1:18:00]

• On Activism as Martyrdom:
  “If you lose your proximity to white supremacy and whiteness you will lose the safety that goes along with it.” [1:21:32]

Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------| | 00:00—07:00 | Introduction, Manson girls, Kent State, and historical comparison to today's culture | | 12:00—18:00 | Social media testimonies; emotional intensity of 2026 crackup | | 25:30—37:00 | ICE incident reactions; TikTok responses; escalation of online rhetoric | | 48:00—55:00 | DHS perspective via Tricia McLaughlin; reframing the ICE shooting narrative | | 63:00—73:00 | Feminist revolution and regrets; abortion as "empowerment" and the personal toll | | 1:01:00—1:10:00 | Helen Andrews on “The Great Feminization”; peak of female political power | | 1:15:00—1:22:00 | Loss of status, rise of intersectionality and gender activism; self-critique about privilege | | 1:27:00—1:33:00 | Sasha's personal transformation and decision to support Trump; ultimate reckoning |

Conclusion & Tone

Sasha Stone’s episode is at once confessional and polemic, blending personal regret with sharp cultural critique. The tone is often biting and sardonic, especially regarding the perceived excesses and self-contradictions of progressive white feminism. With copious historic and pop culture references (Network, Kramer vs. Kramer, Thelma & Louise), Stone illustrates the transformation—and perceived downfall—of liberal white women in America, ultimately advocating for a return to tradition and a critical stance against the prevailing leftist orthodoxies.

For more essays and podcasts: sashastone.com