Charlie Kirk’s assassination was an inflection point. Our society stands at a precipice, and we don’t know whether we’ll fall or turn toward a better direction.
Charlie Kirk was a big fish in a small pond, well-known to those who paid attention to politics but not to the average American. In the battle over politics and culture, his weapons were only his brain and his voice. He had millions of followers, fans, and supporters, but he was not a politician, a billionaire, or a public figure with the gravitas of Martin Luther King Jr. That’s what makes this assassination so different. Kirk didn’t have any more power to affect society than you or I.
Jesse Welles summed this up in a song.
Kirk was a threat to the Progressive World Order. Unapologetically religious, he spoke on college campuses, wielding old-fashioned common sense to challenge progressive ideologies. His clarity and presence resonated, especially with young men, and likely contributed to their growing political conservatism.
His assassination reflects what I see as the decline of Western Civilization. In the United States, generations from Millennials on down are taught that speech equates to physical violence. Anti-bullying policies, safe spaces, and hate speech laws encourage silencing opposition rather than debating it. These generations view hurt feelings as equal to, if not worse than, physical harm.
The embrace of socialism and collectivism among young people is particularly alarming. Schools fail to teach that socialism and communism, through public policies, arguably killed as many people as all the world wars combined. Young people envision a utopia where everyone prioritizes the common good, yet they experience cognitive dissonance when the reality of enforcing this vision turns them into the very oppressors they claim to oppose.
In Europe, particularly the UK, governments jail people for posts on Facebook and X. Germany bans political candidates from running for office. Mass illegal immigration, permitted by most governments, harms EU and UK citizens. Europe seems to be using Ukraine to draw the United States into conflict with Russia, though the reasons remain unclear.
Western Civilization suffers from deep cultural rot. Its roots are bound and turning black. The foliage and blooms may still appear vibrant, but if we don’t repot this plant and address what ails it, we are doomed to the dustbin of history.
In the end, Kirk proved that words are more powerful than violence, even if he paid with his life. The adage, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” rings truer than ever. To survive, our country and Western Civilization must return to these principles.
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