This week’s guest is Sky Gilbert, founder of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto. We talk about drag, theatre, gay history, wokeness & cancel culture, as well as Pride, sex, gender & more. Naturally, it all leads back to Shakespeare.

Writer and children’s rights advocate Pear Joseph shared his experience w/ psychopharmaceutical interventions as a youth—and how his life changed for the better when he stopped SSRIs, moved, & used non-pharmacological methods to deal w/ stress. A thoughtful and compassionate critique that resists black-and-white thinking about mental health.

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Lisa Salomon from the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario (JMAO) and Lior Bibas from the Association of Jewish Doctors of Québec/Association des Médecins Juifs du Québec (AMJQ), discuss how medical professionals are uniting to stop the growing trend of antisemitism within Canada’s hospitals, clinics, medical schools and research facilities.

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Awesome episode with guest voices looking back on episodes from 2025 (& a few from 2024) on social unrest in the US, Canada and UK, as well as new advocacy groups working for a better future. Also, announcing my new podcast, launching in the new year. (This one will also continue!)

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I spoke with Michael Westcott, the CEO of Allies for a Strong Canada, a group founded by former Chief of Defense Canada, Gen. Rick Hillier. The Allies is committed to advocating for Jewish & Israeli safety here in Canada and defending the safety and freedom of all Canadians.

Note: This article has been updated to reflect the current conflict in Iran (March 2026).

Woke progressives, and their enablers in Liberal circles, are not happy that the Ayatollah is gone, and that the brutal Islamic regime is now at the point of collapse. Every victory in this conflict, to them, is a cause for alarm, not celebration. In contrast, Iranian exiles—and most Westerners—are overall glad to see the regime faltering (though they may have concerns about he way forward).

How did we get to a place where the identity-of-compassion (progressivism) is literally aggrieved at the falling of the Ayatollah and the IRGC?!

We get to an answer by taking a closer look at wokeness.

The role of Unreality in progressivism

The core feature of wokeness is its insistence on unreality; specifically, the strident faith in a future that will never, ever come to be. The belief in this fake future is such an important part of woke progressives’ identity that they will quickly exile anyone who questions it, via cancel culture and going no contact (or what we used to call “blackballing, alienation and discrimination”).

That strategy—which is very obviously cruel—simultaneously deteriorates broad support for woke causes, while magnifying unreality for a weakening, cult-like peer group that becomes more desperate and more extremist as its version of reality does not manifest.

Thus, woke groups become snake that eats itself--an ouroboros without the promise of rebirth and redemption.

Woke influence in Canadian government

It is especially sad today when elements of this cult-like social structure encroach on entire institutions. The cardinal example is woke antisemitism, which has degraded so many workplaces, schools, social-religious institutions and even our government. I think Sam Goldstein and Michael Teper stated the problem well in JNS this week:

“Canada’s antisemitism problem won’t be fixed by passing laws. The problem comes from a culture within the government that classifies Jewish nationalism as illegitimate; Jewish security concerns as morally tainted; and antisemitism as a problem to be managed symbolically, rather than confronted honestly.”

The Liberals have taken a cue from woke antisemitism’s own unreality. They claim (wrongly) that today’s antisemitism is conjured from the margins, not nurtured by the mainstream. They also conflate antisemitism with Islamophobia, as if the two are happening at the same level and by the same perpetrators--while in reality Jewish Canadians experience hate crimes at a rate over 25 times higher than other demographic groups.

The Liberals have historically relied on the newcomer vote, but they are now being pressured to forsake two large immigrant groups: Iranian exiles and Israelis/Jews. Rather than stand up for these groups (which would be the moral choice), they instead vague-ify antisemitism (a political choice), because to acknowledge its specific cast would be to implicate themselves as agents of antisemitism via their own rhetoric against the legitimacy of Israel.

By demonizing the government of Israel, liberal politicians have reinforced the belief that there are deserving and underserving victims of antisemitic violence. They don’t seem to have the moral will to change course, so they give out “thoughts and prayers” to anti-regime Iranians and Jews without offering true redress against the violence they face here—all while continuing along the same destructive policy path.

Since the US incursion into Iran, woke antisemites are working overtime to create reasons to harden their hearts against the brave Iranians protesting against the regime.

The humanitarian case for Iranians (and against the regime) is so strong that the woke are trying to inoculate themselves against empathy using strong and strange medicine, including InfoWars-level paranoia and conspiracies like “the regime didn’t really kill those dissidents,” “A 50-year conflict never happened; it was invented last week by Trump” and “If we support the people of Iran, Hebrews will run the world.”

If this all sounds exhausting, believe me it is. It is exhausting to be woke.

What you can do

If you have friends or loved ones who have fallen victim to the cult of wokeism (and its embedded antisemitism), one strategy to reach them is by tapping into their tiredness. These folks are literally walking around in a stupor, with some knowing in their hearts that all the bullshit being thrown at them is a lie. Sometimes, all it takes to rouse them is to live by example--showing them that there is life outside the cult, and it’s a good life.

1. Don’t argue. Be an example. Let them know you disagree with them but that you don’t want to debate, or even talk about it. Focus on your hike, your family meal or your soccer game together. By ignoring the cacophony of their ideology, you’re also giving them a break from the parade of lies--because they can’t repeat/reinforce them. Sometimes that silence is all that’s needed to break the spell.

2. Hold on to what has value. If you have a leadership role in an organization, practice zero tolerance for woke bullshit. If you consistently promote reality-based ideas and people in your group, some borderline-woke folks will begin to notice the shadows and lines of the material world again and want to join it. And, those who continue to privilege unreality will eventually skulk away after failing to ruin the group. Bonus!

3. Put yourself first. Remember you do not owe anyone a debate. The most important thing you can do right now is to enjoy your work and social life, and provide a solid foundation of values for your family. So take a deep breath and be thankful for your own common sense and moral compass. It will take time to free our culture of wokeness, but at least you don’t have to worry about your own mind, which is already free. There is a big wide world out there, away from all of these problems. Nurture it.

I have no doubt that some of our colleagues and neighbours who have refused compassion for the women and men of Iran will begin to feel shame seeping in—weeks, months or even years from now. It remains to be seen how will they react to the glints of morality that accompany it. Will they rethink their ideology broadly? Will they seek forgiveness from those they have harmed? And will the many whom they’ve harmed be ready and able to forgive them?

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Pat and I talked about the recent Canadian election; the unraveling of academia; hopes for the future of Canada & the Mideast; and how it feels to quit social media and just go touch grass. Plus much more. Pat’s Substack is a highlight in my inbox each week. Check it out!

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Bob Plamondon’s new book, Freedom Fighter, is a fascinating look at Prime Minister Diefenbaker, whose true legacy has often been overlooked. New detail about Diefenbaker’s groundbreaking work on Indigenous rights, a deep dive into the drama over Canada’s flag design, Canadian identity, the cold war & the PM’s legendary persistence & independent spirit. A great convo!

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As part of our Team IRL series, I spoke with Alan Levinovitz, a professor of Religion at James Madison University & author of Natural. We talked about his work discussing the nuances of disability accommodations in higher education, as well as his 2 upcoming books about ethics (The Gentleman & The Jester) and on psychogenic illness.

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Tafsik, a charity founded in Toronto in 2023 & now expanding across the diaspora, has been doing epic work in support groups, education/global speakers, Jewish connections, inter-ethnic allyship & advocacy. They’re driven by iconoclast ideas like “unite allies” “show up” and “get things done now.” Charities: Listen and learn!

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I spoke with former British Columbia Member of Legislative Assembly Selina Robinson about her fascinating new book, Truth Be Told. We discussed her experience dealing with antisemitism & blackballing in the BC New Democratic Party. Selina, a therapist w/ a masters degree in clinical psychology, has great insight about coping with cancelation & creating a new path forward.

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An enlightening conversation with Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a professor at University of Ottawa Medical School, about the rise in anti-semitic hate in Canada and the complicity of many of our leaders, including in the field of medicine. Are aliyah or early retirement the only ways out? How can we push to get existing anti-hate statutes enforced? What role does media play?

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Hal and I discuss how Canada’s governmental arts funding model, built around grievance culture, worsens racism while marginalizing talented writers and artists in favour of boring ideologues.

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Doctors Tannahill Glen & Jennifer Reesman are childhood development experts. Together with Dr. Molly Colvin, they’ve researched the educational and mental health impact of pandemic-related school closures. We discuss their book, Neurodevelopment in the Post Pandemic World—& how to move forward with positive solutions. Subscribe below.

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