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The cultural tides have turned, if HBO’s “The White Lotus” is any indication.
A scene from the March 8 episode of the popular anthology series went viral for its sympathetic portrait of a character whose chic coastal-liberal friends abused and belittled her for — maybe, possibly — having voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election.
Surprisingly, it was the vocal Democrats who were the obvious villains of the sequence as they bullied their friend for wrongthink.
It sparked endless online commentary: Is the overbearing, reflexive leftism of the entertainment world really breaking?
At the same time, Woke TikTok was having a similar rude awakening.
Kylie Perkins is a TikTok influencer who, until a month ago, had a mid-tier account with 200,000 followers.
Calling herself “Your tough love BFF,” she encouraged her mostly female audience to declutter their homes one room at a time, stop making excuses and feel more grateful for what they have.
Her followers posted their thanks as they took Perkins’ advice to bring order to their kitchens and laundry rooms.
Then the left came after her.
One Perkins follower, a complete stranger who claimed she “needed” to know the TikToker’s political leanings, took a deep dive into her account.
That’s when this stranger uncovered something that was absolutely unforgivable in her eyes: Kylie Perkins may have voted for Trump.
She’d never said so, but following the president on social media and reposting one of his videos was all the evidence needed.
Within hours, TikTok videos and comments started calling Perkins out. The message was clear: she voted the wrong way, she needed to be canceled immediately.
Over a million viewers saw the original clip, which the amateur investigator labeled a public service announcement.
The “motivational cleaning lady . . . is a Trump supporter,” the vengeful ex-follower said. “Will not ever support someone who supports him.”
Other left-leaning TikTokers chimed in.
“Why are we giving Kylie Perkins . . . somebody that voted for a felon, that doesn’t care about our rights as women, a platform?” one demanded.
But soon those posts were swamped by others cheering Perkins on — including some big names.
“Admittedly I didn’t know who Kylie Perkins was before ya’ll tried to cancel her,” posted women’s sports activist Riley Gaines. “But now I do and I follow her.” Gaines’ video reached 3.6 million viewers.
Within 72 hours, Perkins had gained over a million new followers. Two weeks later, she’s up to 2.3 million.
The attempt to silence her did the exact opposite: It amplified her voice.
Now, Perkins is becoming an icon for creators sick of hiding their political beliefs for fear of being canceled.
“No one is going to Kylie Perkins me,” one declared. “I’m just going to let you know now — I voted for Trump!”
For years, conservative content creators on social media have carefully curated themselves online, knowing that even a hint of right-leaning views could bring backlash.
I know. I used to be one of them.
But it turns out Woke TikTok has unintentionally created a coalition of Americans who are tired of the fear, tired of hiding their politics away.
At last we know there’s a massive audience of people who feel exactly the same way.
Maybe it stands to reason. After all, when a majority of the country votes red, it’s about time we stop fearing “cancel culture.”
Yet bullying online leftists have made creators afraid to be themselves — worried that even a casual comment might trigger the mob.
I know what it feels like; the mob came for me too.
Soon after I started posting on TikTok in 2019, I deliberately chose to stop commenting on politics — even going so far as to remove early videos that praised Trump’s support for the Jewish community.
I wanted to create a platform to educate others about Judaism and to fight antisemtism, and I thought discussing party politics would only draw toxicity.
In 2022 as I was nearing 800,000 followers, I was vacationing with my family when my account was suddenly flooded by angry comments and videos. I was bewildered.
“So disappointed”
“I don’t understand how you can support or have supported someone so antisemitic”
“I was rooting for you. If you voted for him in 2016 ehh ok…but in 2020? I can’t believe it.”
I realized people had figured out who I’d voted for, based on photos of me taken at a 2020 pro-Trump Israel rally.
Nearly 20,000 of my followers disappeared overnight.
The hate was relentless. I was intimidated and scared.
But then I received a piece of advice I’ll never forget — something I hope Kylie Perkins knows now, too: The only one who can cancel you, is you.
I stayed online. My follower count rebounded and then some.
So the left should be on notice. When the mob tries to silence us, it’s going to make us louder than ever.
Melinda Strauss is a Jewish educator and content creator on TikTok and Instagram: @therealmelindastrauss
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