Why Do People Go Into Social Justice Activists?

Leighton Woodhouse is a journalist documentary filmmaker, and an iconoclast. He’s a (former?) leftist who now critiques movements for police accountability, racial justice, and even climate change. I disagree with him — vehemently in some cases — on almost all of these issues (and even on some aspects of animal rights: the cause that originally brought us together). But he’s also a dear friend, and someone who has shown kindness to vulnerable beings in their times of need. I will always remember the time he found an orphaned kitten on the road, and the passion and effort he brought to saving her life.

This conversation is a lot of things, as we discuss everything from the culture of policing to the root cause of homelessness. But what I think shows more than anything is how to disagree with a friend. Leighton and I have drifted apart, in our political views, but he knows that he’ll always be a friend.