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I first met Charlie Kirk on the Fox News Green Room in August 2019 and remember being hit by three unique qualities. First, Charlie is actually a towering figure. Now I’m 6’1″ and he’s still a few inches on his body. Secondly, Charlie really doesn’t have a good poker. For anyone who spends money Time on TV Or after media training, the first lesson is to try to limit your facial reactions, especially during debates. In Charlie’s case, if you say he doesn’t agree, he shakes his head or opens his eyes, or in many cases a little smirk will touch his face, you know he’s already reacting strongly. Sometimes, if I say what he agrees, and actually more than a few times, he will instinctively or even smile. Apparently he did not back down, and every part of him was involved in the debate. The third quality is that it is obvious that Charlie really likes what he is doing and loves giving and giving.
In Charlie Terrible assassination Wednesday. It was a heartbreaking person to see a man so young, who left me and many people at the peak of his personal and professional life. It was precisely because of the way he was killed – participating in the public square with words and dialogue that shocked us all.
I’m not going to write this article to force the investigation of the theory and the places I agree with, or to make us Americans more than we are divided, even though that’s what I really believe in. We have Severe screen division In common policies, immigration, education and the direction of this country, especially before the 2020 election, Charlie enthusiastically urged President Donald Trump to re-election and my efforts to draw a new curriculum with the Biden administration.
But we can passionately disagree and disagree with the fact that conversation turns to violence or intimidation, which is the backbone of the great nation. However, we often see this disagreement, amplified by social media, because the “enemy” must be defeated, rather than the persuased fellow Americans.
The current climate has produced some level of violence and sulfuric acid, which should give us all serious pauses. Political violence, whether against conservatives, progressive leaders, law enforcement officers or ordinary voters, is the core of democracy. It doesn’t matter what one sits alone – violence is always wrong and always destructive.
In our entire country, there Many warning signs. The local school board meeting was boiling and yelling. Members of Congress and their families face death threats and personal attacks solely to vote or advocate for policy. Both activists and commentators on the left and right are harassed and targeted online. To sum up, these are not isolated events: they are part of a wider cultural drift where too many Americans see politics as a debate about policy, but a tribal war to survive. Unfortunately, no party can claim that only the other party is engaged in this behavior. I worry that if we allow this trend to continue, we risk normalizing violence into a form of political expression. Once the door is opened, it is difficult to close.
Political leaders, especially those with huge platforms and followers, have a special responsibility to set the right tone. This means choosing words carefully, condemning violence explicitly, and refusing to score cheap points through resentment or fear. While I’m glad to see Charlie’s general condemnation of Charlie’s murder in the entire political arena, there are a lot of posting videos or offers of Charlie on the left, and his view of his entire issue seems to have happened to some reason. I fundamentally disagree with most of what Charlie advocates politically, but that’s why debate and dialogue are so important.
But, it’s not just about Political leaders and media figures. Every American has a role. We need to be responsible for the way we talk about politics. Before sharing a meme or comment, we should ask ourselves: Does this help with conversation or just add fuel to the fire?
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We should also look for opportunities for conversation in our own communities. I am honored to be part of a program called “One Small Steps” powered by a team at Story Corps. It is a national effort to “convene people with different perspectives to record conversations – not debate politics, but just to know each other.” The more we remember each other’s humanity, the less likely we are to get into a cycle of hatred or retreat into our political tribe.
History provides us with Warning stories. A country and society that normalizes political violence will not remain a truly democratic country for a long time. They slip into chaos and the United States cannot be immune to these forces. Our collective strength lies in our ability to argue enthusiastically, humanely and enthusiastically within the framework of fundamental respect as compatriots. I wish we started this call before it was too late.
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