Political violence on the left is predicated on their lack of answers to questions that people have.
Imagine a professor arguing passionately and frequently that the moon is actually made of cheese. He offered weak proofs for his position, but he refused to accept any other opinion. Nobody would try to shoot him, for two reasons. Firstly, he’s a nut. And secondly, it is not hard to refute his position. One could bring reams of data, a couple of moon rocks, and even Buzz Aldrin to tell of his experiences on the moon. Nobody feels threatened by a position that can easily be proven wrong.
Charlie Kirk was murdered while doing one of his signature college programs. While the authorities have someone in custody at this time, we don’t know the details of his motive. Is he really the sniper? Was he motivated by others to do what he did? Did he act alone? Why did he murder a young man who was more open than anyone on the right to hearing opposing opinions? Just as a teacher once said to my class that one often swears when he cannot figure out how to express himself, killing Charlie Kirk is the only way that the killer and many who did not like the young Republican speaker could actually respond to his arguments.
How did such a young man go to so many venues like the Oxford Union and liberal colleges? The answer is that he knew that he had the truth in his pocket. Imagine Michael Jordan at his prime being told that he will play against 10 streetball players. He knows before he laces his sneakers that he is going to beat all of them, because he knows that he is the best player around. Charlie Kirk’s positions were based on his beliefs and his own reasoning. He could stand in front of a large hostile crowd and smile: he had no fear that someone had a better argument or could undue one of his tightly-held beliefs. I remember from the Apollo 11 movie that shortly after takeoff, Mission Control reads off the heart rates of the three astronauts. Buzz Aldrin’s pulse was in the 80s—it was like he was out for an evening stroll and not hurtling into space at breakneck speed. Charlie Kirk knew that there was no person whom he would debate who could undo his understanding of the world. And with that confidence, he told them to ask away. Most people don’t like to be challenged as there is always a risk that the other side has the better argument. Not Charlie Kirk. Whether the subject was Israel, trans, immigration or any other hot-button issue, he was fearless because he knew that he had the truth. As King David wrote, “The Lord is the God of truth.”
So what can the other side do? If you’re that schlub who has to play Michael Jordan in the mid-1990s, what are you thinking? I guess you do your best and try to lose gracefully. The left, whether in the U.S. or Europe, is not interested in losing gracefully. They are fully invested in their program and having some whippersnapper come tell them that everything they hold near and dear is wrong is a serious risk. Abortion: the fetus is a human. Trans: there is no such thing. Israel: fighting for life and a true friend of the U.S. And on and on. He had no idea who would ask questions or what they would ask, but it did not matter. Unless they asked him to describe the orbital arrangement of electrons in Selenium, he knew that he was on solid ground with respect to his knowledge and beliefs. I have seen many clips of the man speaking on campus, engaging youths who have never had their world views challenged. These kids have grown up in bubbles in which their beliefs have been spoon-fed to them and have never been given a shakedown cruise. Charlie Kirk was their reality tester.
How would you like to believe in global warming or trans and then walk away with the internal knowledge at least that it was all bunk? I give credit to the kids who showed up to challenge him, who were willing to go head-to-head with a first-class debater and extremely polite and pleasant person. It’s not easy to say, “Hi, I believe that black lives matter, but not white lives,” and then get a master class that completely tears up everything you have held near and dear for years. Imagine a sailor being told after weeks at sea that his compass is defective and he is heading in the exact opposite direction? Kids have a hunger to know and many are willing to accept the truth, even if it runs counter to what they have believed since diapers. Many are writing that Charlie Kirk not only started a conservative awakening on campus but also delivered the votes that Donald Trump needed to win. That sounds like a lot of credit, and he deserves every bit of it.
The left’s problem is that they are living in their heads and not in reality. Data do not support Covid being such a dangerous virus or the ensuing vaccines being so successful. The latest reports see no changes in seashores due to the global warming hoax. Unfettered immigration is dangerous and a drag on the American economy. Every position they hold is the opposite of reality. All Charlie Kirk had to do, and he knew how to do it better than most, was show a little bit of light. Then everyone could see for themselves that the fundamental positions of the left were based on lies, disinformation, shoddy science, and the like. Men cannot be women, however much they try. Israel’s fight is the same as the West, and Israel has had few friends who defended her at every turn as Charlie Kirk did.
Charlie Kirk’s loss is a painful one for his young family as well as all of those who knew him. His voice was an important part of the program to get the United States once again pointed in the right direction. I am sure that his organization, Turning Point USA, will continue. There will never be another Charlie Kirk, but the program that he created will continue along through the force of his will and his bringing many others into his orbit. People are not replaced like cogs in a machine. The murder of Charlie Kirk is a stain on his enemies. They could not answer his arguments, so they demeaned him and asked for his demise. Their present words of praise and sorry ring empty. While the man may be gone, his efforts will continue forward in making the United States truly great again.