ACTUALLY, a WOMAN wrote the “I Am a Liberal” Essay — NOT Ron Howard
Because this misinformation is making its rounds again...
I originally wrote this article on Medium in May 2020. Five years later, this misinformation is making its rounds again. A post by some A-hole named Dan Walters has amassed over 77,000 shares attributing this essay to Ron Howard. [Insert face palm emoji here]. Here it is again… my essay about the essay (with some edits now that I have acquired better writing skills in the last five years).
I am infuriated at the amount of misinformation being spread on liberal social media pages. Liberals love to shout “Fake News” back at the conservative right for sharing memes and Breitbart stories that have as much truth to them as the cover of The Sun. BUT LIBERALS ARE DOING THE SAME THING WITH THE “I AM A LIBERAL” ESSAY!
Liberal: “I really like this essay. I really like Ron Howard. Share!”
Without actually fact-checking that shit.
Writer Lori Gallagher Witt wrote the “I Am a Liberal” essay and posted it to her Facebook page in 2018!
(Full text below)
Here’s the story… Lori posted her essay. A person named “Ron Howard” copied and pasted her essay into his Facebook without giving her credit. (Idiot) This Ron Howard’s friends liked it and shared it. Those friends of friends thought Ron Howard was THE Ron Howard (idiots), and started attaching his photo to the essay and making tributes to how smart and politically savvy Ron Howard is… and it continued to spread like the Obamagate tweet.
And you would think that when presented with the Snopes article outlining the misattribution, the so-called liberal individuals who posted it, claiming they believe in social responsibility, would want to clarify their mistake, to give credit to a lesser-known female writer as to not perpetuate the marginalization of women… but instead many responded with (and these are actual copy and pasted quotes):
“Who cares!”
“No matter who wrote this, politics has no part in being a decent, caring, kind and compassionate person.”
“Personally I don’t care who said it, it’s the truth. Attributing it to Ron Howard only facilitated it being shared.”
“Look, it doesn’t matter if Ron Howard is the one that said this or not. It’s still a great description of what it means to be a liberal and I like it!”
“Personally, I don’t care who wrote it. I agree with what it says.”
“Sorry, if that is the case, but as a liberal myself, I do agree with the statements anyhow, independently of who wrote it.”
And in 2025, from probably a bot named Johnny Mahady
”Go play in traffic. You are the poster child for botched abortions. Mind your own damn business. POS .”
In fact, the individual who posted the essay along with the tagline “For me this is just what it means to ‘be a good person’ — thanks Ron Howard” along with this photo
has not yet taken down the post or re-attributed the author to the rightful one. (Update: He added an edit saying “I guess maybe some woman named Lori Gallagher Witt might have written this essay.” And didn’t take down his original comments about Ron Howard and didn’t change the photo attached with the post.)
Point 13 of the essay states
“I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege — white, straight, male, economic, etc. — need to start listening, even if you don’t like what you’re hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that’s causing people to be marginalized.”
And yet the unapologetic liberal crowd continue to openly and willingly marginalize a lesser-known woman by attributing her work to a well-known man.
I DON’T GET IT, FOLX!
One woman wrote “It certainly got more shares to inboxes than it would have without his name. Please don’t jump on that. I was a liberal before you were a gleam in your father’s eye and have the credentials.”
I responded with: “Yes, and men getting credit for work that women do has existed long before YOU were a gleam in your father’s eye… and it continues.”
Why are people blind to their blatant HYPOCRISY?
Claiming that you believe in the values outlined in the essay, but then not acting out the values that you claim to have… and then saying that you don’t care that you’re doing that… is the definition of hypocrisy, and gives conservatives more fodder to discredit liberals with. So WHY be a hypocrite? WHY!? Because you’re too proud to admit you made a mistake? You’re too lazy to change it? I don’t get it! I really don’t. Explain it to me.
Why does it matter who wrote the essay?
This misinformation is the equivalent of Walmart claiming credit for the products made by a small business or original artist. They don’t need the credit! And it’s stealing!
A quick google search says that Ron Howard is worth about $160M.
I don’t want to insult you, Lori, but Ima go ahead and say you’re not worth $160M.
This kind of exposure and credit is key to writers moving forward in their careers.
Lori writes under the pen name L.A. Witt (as well as other pen names) and has over 150 distinct works! If her essay were actually attributed to her, perhaps those millions of people seeing her essay would want to read her other writing or would want to support her and contribute to her success as an author. This opportunity is stolen from her every time someone posts the essay and attributes it to a multi-millionaire MAN. [insert vomit emoji here]
The act of intentionally misattributing her work is anti-liberal, anti-feminist, and just flat out wrong. And yet lots of people sitting on their high horses feeling all woke after they click the “share” button don’t seem to care that they’re outright hypocrites.
To support Lori:
and
If you posted this essay, CORRECT YOUR MISTAKE PUBLICLY. Let the plethora of people who saw misinformation know that you made a mistake so that THEY can correct THEIR mistake too. It’s the right thing to do.
“I Am a Liberal” written by Lori Gallagher Witt
Posted on Facebook on January 7, 2018
An open letter to friends and family who are/were shocked to discover I’m a liberal…
This is going to be VERY long, so: TL;DR: I’m a liberal, I’ve always been a liberal, but that doesn’t mean what a lot of you apparently think it does.
Some of you suspected. Some of you were shocked. Many of you have known me for years, even the majority of my life. We either steadfastly avoided political topics, or I carefully steered conversations away from the more incendiary subjects in the name of keeping the peace. “I’m a liberal” isn’t really something you broadcast in social circles where “the liberals” can’t be said without wrinkling one’s nose.
But then the 2016 election happened, and staying quiet wasn’t an option anymore. Since then, I’ve received no shortage of emails and comments from people who were shocked, horrified, disappointed, disgusted, or otherwise displeased to realize I am *wrinkles nose* a liberal. Yep. I’m one of those bleeding heart commies who hates anyone who’s white, straight, or conservative, and who wants the government to dictate everything you do while taking your money and giving it to people who don’t work.
Or am I?
Let’s break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I’m getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: Not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines.
1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. Period.
2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that’s interpreted as “I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all.” This is not the case. I’m fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it’s impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes “let people die because they can’t afford healthcare” a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I’m not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen.
3. I believe education should be affordable and accessible to everyone. It doesn’t necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I’m mystified as to why it can’t work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt.
4. I don’t believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don’t want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can’t afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist.
5. I don’t throw around “I’m willing to pay higher taxes” lightly. I’m self-employed, so I already pay a shitload of taxes. If I’m suggesting something that involves paying more, that means increasing my already eye-watering tax bill. I’m fine with paying my share as long as it’s actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare.
6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn’t have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live.
7. I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. (BTW, prayer in school is NOT illegal; *compulsory* prayer in school is — and should be — illegal) All I ask is that Christians recognize *my* right to live according to *my* beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I’m not “offended by Christianity” — I’m offended that you’re trying to force me to live by your religion’s rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia on you? That’s how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don’t force it on me or mine.
8. I don’t believe LGBT people should have more rights than you. I just believe we should have the *same* rights as you.
9. I don’t believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN’T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they’re supposed to be abusing, and if they’re “stealing” your job it’s because your employer is hiring illegally.). I’m not opposed to deporting people who are here illegally, but I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc).
10. I believe we should take in refugees, or at the very least not turn them away without due consideration. Turning thousands of people away because a terrorist might slip through is inhumane, especially when we consider what has happened historically to refugees who were turned away (see: MS St. Louis). If we’re so opposed to taking in refugees, maybe we should consider not causing them to become refugees in the first place. Because we’re fooling ourselves if we think that somewhere in the chain of events leading to these people becoming refugees, there isn’t a line describing something the US did.
11. I don’t believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It’s not that I want the government’s hands in everything — I just don’t trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products/practices/etc are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they’re harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation.
12. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I’m butthurt over an election, but because I’ve spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.
13. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege — white, straight, male, economic, etc — need to start listening, even if you don’t like what you’re hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that’s causing people to be marginalized.
14. I believe in so-called political correctness. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you’re using, you now know better. So why not do better? How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person? Your refusal to adjust your vocabulary in the name of not being an asshole kind of makes YOU the snowflake.
15. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.
I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I’m a liberal because I think we should take care of each other. That doesn’t mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don’t believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved.
So, I’m a liberal.
For more from me, check me out in the places:
Facebook; Instagram; TikTok; Substack; Website
Thank you for the signal boost with the correct information! :)
I really appreciate the effort you put into making sure L.A. Witt gets credit for her excellent writing and will share this correction on my socials. Women are constantly dealing with men taking credit for their work and this has gone on throughout history. Thank you for calling out the hypocrisy and setting the record straight!!