A Surviving Facts Blog
I had an appointment with my favorite doctor this morning. I have an autoimmune illness, and she has been incredibly helpful in alleviating chronic pain. She always begins her appointments with friendly chit chat, inquiring about what’s going on in life before doing a thorough exam.
Today’s appointment went as expected. We chatted, she examined, and we were winding up. That’s when she surprised me. She said she was “devastated by Charlie Kirk’s death; he was a beacon of hope.” I tried not to let the smile fall from my face. I said, “I don’t know much about him, but a public assassination of anyone in the public eye is a terrible thing.”
My doctor’s face looked slightly surprised that I hadn’t automatically agreed with her. She encouraged me to “listen to the way he talked to kids and students. He was such an inspiration.” I said, “I know he told young women in college to get their M-R-S or Mrs. degree.” My doctor’s face looked confused. She said, “don’t make a judgement based on a single quote, listen to him.” I said, “I’m not judging either way. I’ve heard good and bad things about him. I haven’t really looked into his comments before.”
I lied. I have read quite a few of Charlie Kirk’s speeches. I want to be clear: I do not support the death of any public official, even those with whom I disagree. These murdered individuals leave behind spouses, children, parents, extended family and friends. Their loss is tremendous and unthinkable. I don’t celebrate anyone’s murder for political beliefs or otherwise.
I know you hear a “but” coming.
But I am bewildered about the response for Kirk compared to democratic murders and school shootings. I heard about Charlie Kirk’s shooting almost immediately after it occurred. Every news source jumped on the issue drowning out all other news. Five hours later, I heard about yesterday’s school shooting in Colorado. In Colorado, a student shot two peers before killing himself. The news impact— and nationwide response— has been minimal.
Trump blamed Kirk’s shooting on “radical left political violence” and lowered flags to half staff. He said nothing about the school shooting. Nor did he lower the flag or remark on the tragedy of shootings of democrats or students. It’s not that I don’t think Kirk’s shooting isn’t horrible. It is awful. His wife and children are left without a husband and father. Violence will not resolve any disagreements anyone had about his views. But the response should apply to anyone harmed by violence.
For the record, the majority of political shootings in this country have been done by Republicans. Yes, that’s correct. Donald Trump was shot by a Republican. Nancy Pelosi’s husband was attacked by a Republican. The two Minnesotan legislators were shot, and one died, because of a radical right Republican. Where are the radical left killers?
We don’t know yet who shot Kirk. Until more details are known, we should be careful about jumping to conclusions. That’s not what Republicans are doing. They have further politicized the unfortunate events and even called for “war” and “retribution.” Where were these people when Pelosi’s husband was attacked or when the 2 Minnesota legislators were shot? Trump said he would not call Governor Walz because it would be a “waste of time.”
Why does the media not call out the trend of Republican violence and glee over harm to their opponents? Why does a controversial far right extremist deserve more attention than school shootings or the shooting of a political figure with democratic or left viewpoints? Why does Charlie Kirk’s shooting bring despair while murdered teens inspire “thoughts and prayers”?
In 2024, as of the end of August, America has seen 44 school shootings. If calculating any shooting on a school grounds, a whopping 91 shootings have occurred, averaging more than 10 per month. Isn’t this a national crisis? Shouldn’t we be seeking solutions for the risks our children face just going to school?
Why, also, does the media not raise accountability? Kirk was a public figure who knew he was at risk. He knew he had enemies on many sides. He was controversial because of his far right Christian Nationalist viewpoints. This does not mean he deserved to be shot. He did not. He did represent extremist views and often attacked anyone who disagreed or challenged him. He also minimized violence wrought upon others. After all, this is a man who has said:
“I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every year so we can have the Second Amendment…” Whose deaths was he referring to? The children in our schools? The children who find guns at home and accidentally shoot themselves? Did he count himself among the “worth”?
This is a man who opposed Civil Rights, claiming, “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.” He also once said: “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”
This man stated boldly that Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson were unqualified and had taken a white person’s spot. His exact words were that these incredibly well spoken and highly educated women “do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person’s spot.”
A proponent of traditional gender roles, he had told young women on college campuses to get Mrs. degrees, the only valid degree for them: “We should bring back the celebration of the M.R.S. degree” is his exact quote. He complained, “White, college indoctrinated women will ruin America if we let them.”
On rape and violence against women, he mused, “It is so materially insane to think that 1 in 5 American women will be raped in their life … meaning that they’re lying about being raped, that they’re lying about being sexually assaulted. Like a fraternity guy and a sorority girl at age 19 hooking up, both five drinks in at 2 a.m. and all of a sudden, like, she removes consent. Yeah, like, that’s a murky, middle gray area.”
He wasn’t a fan of empathy either.
To be fair, I also sought out and read other speeches. Kirk was an inspiring speaker who inspired young people and gave people a sense of connection— if you agreed with his beliefs. Kirk said, among many positive quotes:
“Freedom is meaningless without personal responsibility.”
“Never let anyone silence your voice, even when it’s unpopular.”
“Leadership isn’t about titles; it’s about impact.”
“Learn relentlessly. Knowledge is the foundation of freedom.”
“Courage is acting on your beliefs, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
So Kirk said many good things… and he said bad things as well. Currently, however, the media is overfocused on erasing his controversy rather than talking about the controversy he represented. One can celebrate a life and legacy while still representing the whole picture. Whitewashing an image doesn’t prevent history from carrying both sides forward.
Here’s what I believe we are missing.
The unevenness of response values some humans over others. We should be asking why this is.
Shouldn’t this event stir a broader conversation? Murder is never ok. But hatred foments hatred. The Biblical adage, “you reap what you sow,” comes to mind.
Shouldn’t we be noting that extremist viewpoints create an intolerant and angry society? A society that solves issues with violence rather than debate?
Shouldn’t we be crying out for gun legislation and the lives of all the children and adults, including Kirk, who have been its victims every day?
Shouldn’t we be worried about our current place in history in which our policies and opinions hurt other Americans?
Shouldn’t we mourn humans equally, not only if we agree with their views?
Kirk is accountable for everything he spoke— not simply the ones either side of the political viewpoint picks out. Looking holistically, we see a young man working to inspire a movement. The movement, however, is onesided, and one that many— at least half of our country— associate with hatred, bigotry, sexism, racism and violence. Read about Turning Point’s relentless attacks on professors to see the extent of harm Kirk’s organization pursued.
I do not send thoughts and prayers to Kirk’s family and believers. That phrase has lost its meaning. I do share my heartfelt sorrow at their loss and a fervent wish for seeing Kirk both as a crime victim and a victim of his own beliefs- he was, after all, sadly executed publicly, which he advocated for children to watch. May this event help us find our way to holding hands across beliefs rather than attacking, and killing, one another.
I would love to hear from you, even if, especially if, you disagree. Perhaps we can bring back the American tradition of debate. Please like and share this blog with others. Subscribe to receive it by email and go directly to the Walk the Moon website (www.walk-the-moon.com) to peruse the full collection of articles and updates. You can email me from the Walk the Moon website as well.
Walk the Moon 