Marianne Williamson

[[File:Marianne Williamson - 33252886458 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Marianne Williamson in 2019]]
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'''Marianne Deborah Williamson''' {{lived|1952}} is an [[United States|American]] [[New Age]] [[self-help]] guru, 2024 US presidential candidate, and [[author]] who worked for [[Oprah Winfrey]].<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/meet-marianne-williamson-spiritual-guru-friend-oprah-winfrey/story?id=60999435 Meet Marianne Williamson, spiritual guru, friend of Oprah Winfrey and 2020 presidential candidate] ''ABC News''. Feb 11, 2019.</ref> With little political experience, she ran in the [[2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination|2020 Democratic presidential primaries]] and in 2014 for the US House of Representatives, coming in 4th place.<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/Marianne_Williamson Marianne Williamson] ''Ballotpedia''.</ref> Nevertheless, she did this because she believes that the [[United States]] needed a moral and spiritual awakening.<ref name="Axios">Yadidi, N. (February 28, 2019). [https://www.axios.com/marianne-williamson-2020-presidential-election-candidate-factsheet-11e39a17-4437-4049-9479-daabdbd46d35.html Marianne Williamson on the issues, in under 500 words]. ''Axios''. Retrieved July 1, 2019.</ref>

She entered the presidential primary on January 29, 2019.<ref>Bowden, J. (January 29, 2019). [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/427394-author-marianne-williamson-running-for-2020-dem-nomination Author Marianne Williamson running for 2020 Dem nomination] ''The Hill''. 01/29/19.</ref> She gained a big following on [[Reddit]] by capitalizing on the [[meme]] culture surrounding it.<ref>Gerken, T. (July 1, 2019). [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48825835 Marianne Williamson: Presidential hopeful winning Reddit votes]. ''BBC''. Retrieved July 1, 2019.</ref> Initially, her Reddit subscribers totaled only 36, but it ballooned to around 2,400 after the Democratic debate. Additionally, after the debates, she became the top searched candidate on Google for two nights.<ref>Williamson, M. (June 28, 2019). [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/450828-marianne-williamson-most-searched-on-google-for-night-two-of Marianne Williamson most searched on Google for night two of the Democratic debate]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved July 1, 2019.</ref> Though she holds several reasonable left-wing views, such as supporting Medicare for All,<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/436162-medicare-for-all-where-2020-dems-stand Medicare for All: Where 2020 Dems stand] ''The Hill''. 03/28/19.</ref> DACA, the Green New Deal, taking [[Global warming|climate change]] seriously, and tuition-free college, while also believing she could have countered [[Donald Trump]]'s culture of fear with love, she also holds garbage views including [[Anti-vaccination movement|anti-vaccine views]] and some New Age [[bullshit]] (some of which appear to bolster her anti-corporatist and anti-elite views).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190815050239/https://twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/1145745575381479424 "The corporate/political elite represent a mindset that’s an  inadequate container for insights and energy necessary to navigate the times in which we live. #bigtruth"] by Marianne Williamson (10:26 AM - 1 Jul 2019) ''Twitter''. (archived from August 15, 2019).</ref><ref>[https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7x5574/in-a-bid-to-exhaust-me-personally-marianne-williamson-shares-anti-vaccine-misinformation-on-facebook In a Bid to Exhaust Me Personally, Marianne Williamson Shares Anti-Vaccine Misinformation on Facebook: In an especially bald pander to the anti-vaccine community, Williamson claimed vaccines require further safety studies and raised concerns about something called "neurons-toxins."] by Anna Merlan (Dec 6 2019, 12:03pm) ''Vice''.</ref>

Williamson announced her second campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in March 2023.<ref>Christina Zhao, [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/marianne-williamson-announces-another-longshot-presidential-bid-rcna73265 Marianne Williamson announces another longshot presidential bid]. ''NBC News'', 4 March 2023.</ref> The amount of policy positions for her 2024 run was so large that it got split into 18 separate articles on her official campaign website.<Ref>https://marianne2024.com/issues/</ref> Like in 2020, this longshot campaign also failed to gain any traction; Williamson suspended the campaign in early February 2024.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/07/politics/marianne-williamson-suspends-presidential-campaign/index.html "Marianne Williamson suspends long-shot Democratic presidential campaign"] by Kaanita Iyer, CNN, 2024 February 7</ref>

==New Age blather==
Williamson started her New Age career by regurgitating the 1976 book of alleged [[channeling]]s known as ''[[A Course in Miracles]]'' with her own commentary in ''A Return to Love''.<ref>''A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles''] by Marianne Williamson (1992) HarperCollins. ISBN 0060163747.</ref>

Williamson, like Trump, is a self-help guru, but Trump intends to help only himself. Trump's stated inspiration is from {{wpl|Norman Vincent Peale||,}} one of the progenitors of the [[prosperity gospel]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/08/01/self-centered-religion-shared-by-marianne-williamson-president-trump/ For Marianne Williamson and Donald Trump, religion is all about themselves: The conviction that you can shape the world with your mind is an American tradition.] by Tara Isabella Burton (August 1, 2019) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web20190801184159/http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/surge-piety-norman-vincent-peale/ The Pastor Who Helps Explain Donald Trump] by Paul Matzko (April 19, 2017) ''The Gospel Coalition'' (archived from August 1, 2019).</ref> But Williamson herself has also promoted prosperity gospel beliefs in her 2012 book ''The Law of Divine Compensation'':<ref>''The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles'' by Marianne Williamson (2012) HarperOne. ISBN 0062205412.</ref>
{{quotebox|To whatever extent your mind is aligned with love, you will receive divine compensation for any lack in your material existence. From spiritual substance will come material manifestation. This is not just a theory; it is a fact.}}

Williamson has offered tokens of incomprehensible wisdom and [[deepity]] in her [[Twitter]] posts.

{{quotebox|Just beneath the surface, this isn't politics it's black magic. Entirely a [[psychic]] battle. Use your shield of Virtue and your sword of Truth.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190426234046/https:/twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/826441992108392453 Just beneath the surface, this isn't politics it's black magic. Entirely a psychic battle. Use your shield of Virtue and your sword of Truth] by Marianne Williamson (06:48 - 31. Jan. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 26, 2019).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Everyone feels on some level like an [[Extraterrestrial|alien]] in this world, because we ARE. We come from another realm of [[consciousness]], and long for home.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190426235001/https:/twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/145658786131099649 Everyone feels on some level like an alien in this world, because we ARE. We come from another realm of consciousness, and long for home.] by Marianne Williamson (16:18 - 10. Dec. 2011) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 26, 2019).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|[[God]] is BIG, [[swine flu]] SMALL. See every [[cell]] of your body filled with divine light. Pour God's love on our immune systems. Truth protects.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190426235229/https://twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/1662705755 God is BIG, swine flu SMALL.  See every cell of your body filled with divine light. Pour God's love on our immune systems. Truth protects.] by Marianne Williamson (13:50 - 30. Apr. 2009) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 26, 2019).</ref>}}

It doesn't help that she has spouted anti-vaccine tropes.

She has made quite a few odd references to [[pregnancy]].<ref group=note>For the record, [https://www.marianne2020.com/issues/abortion-reproductive-rights she states to be 100% pro-choice]. She does bolster that view with nonsense, believing that it's up to the woman "according to the dictates of her conscience and in communion with the God of her understanding." She does, however, believe it is morally repugnant that poor women need to seek the modern equivalent of back-alley abortions if abortion gets banned.</ref>

{{quotebox|Each of us is pregnant with a better version of ourselves.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190629051957/https:/twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/233083950216658945 Each of us is pregnant with a better version of ourselves.] by Marianne Williamson (23:15 - 7 aug. 2012) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 29, 2019).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|[[Yin and yang|Yin is feminine, earth; yang is masculine]], sky. When God is seen as He, the [[soul]] is seen as She. Just archetypes. [[Spirit]] impregnates soul.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190426235227/https:/twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/1858712465 Yin is feminine, earth; yang is masculine, sky. When God is seen as He, the soul is seen as She. Just archetypes. Spirit impregnates soul.] by Marianne Williamson (05:44 - 20. Mai 2009) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 26, 2019).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Imagine yourself pregnant with a better version of yourself. You spent long enough with the old you. You can download an upgrade. #fb<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190426235205/https://twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/4571562157 Imagine yourself pregnant with a better version of yourself. You spent long enough with the old you. You can download an upgrade. #fb] by Marianne Williamson (20:54 - 2. Oct. 2009) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 26, 2019).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|A wisdom culture is emerging from the imaginal cells of a disintegrating individualistic society. We're pregnant with the possible world.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190426234928/https:/twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/202049877050527744 A wisdom culture is emerging from the imaginal cells of a disintegrating individualistic society. We're pregnant with the possible world.] by Marianne Williamson (07:56 - 14. May 2012) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 26, 2019).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Every soul on earth is pregnant now with a new possibility. Do you have the courage to face your fear and give it birth within yourself?<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190426235230/https://twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/1587429705 Every soul on earth is pregnant now with a new possibility. Do you have the courage to face your fear and give it birth within yourself?] by Marianne Williamson (12:31 - 22. Apr. 2009) ''Twitter'' (archived from April 26, 2019).</ref>}}

==Anti-vaccine views and other pseudoscientific views==
Williamson, while not hard-core anti-vaccine, appears to be at least sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement, a soft-core anti-vaxxer. Williamson believes that vaccine mandates are "[[Orwellian]]" and "draconian".<ref name="latimes">[https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-pol-williamson-vaccines-20190619-story.html 2020 candidate Marianne Williamson apologizes for calling vaccine mandates ‘Orwellian’] by Matt Pearce (Jun 20, 2019 | 8:35 AM) ''Los Angeles Times''.</ref> She has compared vaccine mandates to [[abortion]], saying that the mandates interfere with what people want to do with their bodies. Appeal to personal choice is a common anti-vaccine refrain that neglects children's health, and, newsflash, [[measles]] don't care about principles of bodily autonomy. Furthermore, people in general, especially immunocompromised ones, don't really like having [[disease]]s spread to them.

She later walked back on those remarks, though she still does not take a strong stance against the movement by stating something along the lines of "I think vaccines save lives but concerns about drugs are valid because [[Big Pharma]]"<ref name=latimes/> and believing that public safety has to be balanced with personal choice ("individual choice" again, is a common anti-vaccine [[Loaded language|buzz word]] and neglects those that don't have that luxury: children, people who were previously infected with measles and chicken pox and have to suffer long-term damage after the disease is gone, and immunocompromised people). She also, back in 2011, made a vague post in Facebook: "I understand the controversial aspects of vaccinations, and I share many of the concerns".<ref name="latimes"/> During a 2015 segment with [[Bill Maher]], she said that she believes that the [[Pseudoskepticism|"skepticism"]] is healthy and that while vaccines do protect against measles, she is rather concerned about the "overload" of vaccines ("too many, too soon" gambit by anti-vaxxers<ref>Michael Simpson, [https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/another-anti-vaccine-myth-debunked/ There are not too many vaccines – debunking another anti-vaxxer myth]. Skeptical Raptor, 18 August 2021.</ref>) and how Big Pharma apparently covers up results of studies of vaccines they don't like.

Williamson doesn't like [[glyphosate]], believing that it can cause [[cancer]] (no evidence has been shown to establish a link) and that it helps [[Monsanto]].<ref>Williamson, M. (June 26, 2019). [https://web.archive.org/web/20190630164336/https://twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/1143886733894979584 Make your voice heard!! Tell the EPA to ban the herbicide glysophate, the main ingredient in Roundup. It is a dangerous carcinogenic. Good for Monsanto's profits but bad for our bodies and our planet.] by Marianne Williamson (7:20 AM - 26 Jun 2019) ''Twitter'' (archived from June 30, 2019).</ref> This is despite Monsanto's [[patent]] for glyphosate having expired in 2000. And since she links to Center for Food Safety, a site that heavily promotes [[Genetically modified food|GMO labeling]], we're predicting that her views on GMOs aren't really stellar either.

==On antidepressants==
She believed the numbing effect of antidepressants are harmful.<ref>https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/marianne-williamson-wrong-about-antidepressants-866807/</ref>

==See also==
*[[Jill Stein]]
*[[Oprah Winfrey]]
*[[Mehmet Oz]]
*[[Christiane Northrup]]
*[[Suzanne Somers]]

==External links==
*[https://www.marianne2020.com/ Official campaign website]
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/06/28/here-are-some-true-maybe-true-statements-about-marianne-williamson/ Here are some true — and maybe true — statements about Marianne Williamson], by Alexandra Petri (June 28, 2019) ''The Washington Post''
*[https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2019/08/01/as-a-disabled-person-marianne-williamsons-ideas-terrify-me/ As a Disabled Person, Marianne Williamson’s Ideas Terrify Me], by Imani Barbarin (August 1, 2019) ''Rewire News Group''.

==Notes==
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==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:2020 US Presidential candidates]]
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[[Category:Self help]]
[[Category:United States politicians]]

Categories: 2020 US Presidential candidates, 2024 US Presidential candidates, Anti-vaccination movement, Authors, California, Living people, Perennial candidates, Pseudoscience promoters, Self help, United States politicians