In the aftermath of the shocking murder of Charlie Kirk, it is understandable for people to focus on processing everything that has happened over these last two weeks while overlooking what did not happen. Non-events sometimes make the headlines. For example, the president not sending the National Guard to Chicago, Fed Chair Jerome Powell not lowering interest rates, or Kamala Harris not assuming responsibility for her shattering defeat at the hands of Donald Trump have drawn much attention. But the absence of something that could have erupted in the wake of the Kirk assassination stands in striking contrast to the aftermath of the last high-profile death the country endured in 2020.
In the midst of that awful year of the pandemic, George Floyd lost his life after being forcefully arrested by police in Minneapolis. Viral video of Floyd’s demise was torturous to watch and sent shockwaves throughout the land as those on both sides of the political divide condemned the actions of Officer Derek Chauvin. But it was how the left reacted that revealed its heart and spirit. Though some mourned the passing of a tortured soul with heartbreak and grace, radical far-left actors went on a rampage, seizing the opportunity to set the country on fire.
Now fast forward five years and consider what happened — or more precisely did not happen — following the horrific assassination of a conservative Christian adored by most on the right. There was outrage, but no violence. There were vigils, but no protests. No riots. No targeting of Kirk’s long list of enemies. No calls for sweeping, reckless reforms to our criminal justice system. No demands that citizens bow down to those professing to hate the country and all it stands for. And when the widow of the murder victim spoke before tens of thousands of people who loved her husband and millions watching around the world, she made a mind-blowing declaration about the alleged assassin: “I forgive him.”
Can you imagine leftists assuming the posture of Erika Kirk if one of their most beloved figures was murdered in cold blood, a year after a president they loved was targeted twice by assassins and came within a millimeter of losing his life? It is safe to assume that, if Joe Biden had been targeted even once by a deranged sniper, and it was followed by the successful assassination of a major figure on the left, we would have lived 2020 all over again.
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But beyond that, consider the contrasting profiles of George Floyd and Charlie Kirk. Floyd was essentially a career criminal and drug addict who had been stopped or arrested by police no less than 20 times in his life and was convicted of crimes on eight occasions. And yet, those eulogizing him acted as if he were a hero, a righteous and upstanding symbol for the left’s grievance culture. Well-adjusted people saw that this event presented the country with a ripe opportunity for a serious and constructive dialogue about the relationship between the people and the police and beyond. Instead, the haters rioted, targeted the police, and blamed all of white America.
In the sharpest possible contrast, despite those who hated him for his ideology and even more so for the incredible success of his movement, Charlie Kirk lived a truly heroic life marked by unquestioned devotion to faith, family, and freedom. He leaned in to dialogue with those who openly professed hatred for him and the MAGA-world writ large. He refused to condemn his enemies, choosing instead to try to persuade them with reason and intellect. He was fully committed to the proposition that conversing with your opponents, treating them as fellow Americans rather than enemies, is the only thing that can prevent exactly the kind of violence that ended his life.
Like negative space in a painting purposely left blank, conservative response to the murder of Charlie Kirk must be viewed not strictly by what is present but by what is absent: rebellion and chaos. Tens of thousands at a stadium in Arizona and millions of others across the world were inspired and uplifted by proclamations of faith and fortitude in a public memorial service for the ages.
Maybe, for at least a moment, leftists might stop to consider what might have happened in the wake of the George Floyd affair had they behaved like conservatives following the murder of Charlie Kirk by seizing the opportunity to influence people for the better. Instead of darkness, conservatives chose light; instead of violence and hate, those on the right chose compassion and forgiveness. Such dramatically divergent reactions speak volumes.