When tragedy strikes, thriving societies and countries come together – despite political differences – to get through even the toughest of challenges.
But in order for civil society to survive, especially in a country full of people from different cultures, religions, backgrounds and certainly political differences, decency and empathy must underpin the nation. Decency and empathy allow for moving past even the most egregious sins and circumstances.
In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, there are clear indicators that civil society is falling apart. At the very least, the seams are fraying.
“When he was shot, there were cheers from the balcony [behind Kirk],” 18-year-old Mariah Peterson, who was just 30 feet from Kirk when he was killed at Utah Valley University, told The Telegraph. “It was horrific to be a part of. There was just no human empathy.”
Those who weren’t loudly cheering have justified his killing or made up excuses and justifications for why it happened. Not just trolls on the internet, but powerful people in local government and Congress.
In St. Louis, Missouri, a major U.S. jurisdiction, a resolution honoring Charlie Kirk was voted down 5-2.
On Capitol Hill, in the heart of America's capital city, many Democrats are gleeful.
“There are a lot of people who are out there talking about him just wanting to have a civil debate,” Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said on a recent podcast. “There is nothing more effed up, you know, like, than to completely pretend that, you know, his words and actions have not been recorded and in existence for the last decade or so.”
And in typical fashion, those in our national media and driving the discourse have been the worst behaved.
“You can’t stop with these awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and then not expect awful actions to take place,” MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd said on air. In other words, Kirk exercising his First Amendment rights to talk about politics half the country shares means he had it coming. In a glimmer of sanity, Dowd was fired.
ABC News National Correspondent Matt Gutman described the words of Kirk's killer as "touching," driving the narrative that the killer was simply trying to protect his "trans" lover, with a bullet.
Caustic reactions also spilled into the Airline industry, with pilots charged with the safety of hundreds on their planes, issuing statements of support for Kirk’s killer. Nurses, doctors and some members of the military have done the same – presenting a jarring reality for conservatives about those tasked, even trusted, with their care and safety.
Even those on the left disturbed by the literal silencing of Kirk have prefaced statements with, “While I didn’t agree with him,” or, in the case of former President Barack Obama, falsely claimed “we don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk.”
Unlike the left and broader Democrat Party, the conservative right isn’t rioting in response to Kirk’s political assassination. Instead, they’re praying and showing up to vigils by the thousands.
Under enormous pressure, the right is upholding civil society as they mourn the greatest political leader in a generation, who was also a friend to many, all while under assault from the left.
Non-political bystanders have a choice to make – join the conservatives in their empathy and decency, or get caught in the ruin and demise of the country.