Charlie Kirk is dead. His alleged killer remains silent. The leftist narrative, first used to explain his unfortunate death, quickly collapsed once the suspect was found. We can only now say with certainty that Charlie died for his opinions. Messed up as some of those views were, skewed, abrasive even, his decision to be too loud and too brash about them ultimately did him in.
The very core of our humanity, the one thing that sets us apart is our ability to not only think but reason and communicate. We form opinions, defend them and challenge those we do not agree with because that is how we are wired. That someone can be killed simply for being human enough to hold an opinion should worry us all because humanity exists and continues to thrive on the strength of our intellectualism.
The tragedy of such actions, unfortunately, goes way beyond the victim. While I admire the bravado displayed by Kirk’s widow and supporters about keeping his voice alive, the truth is that many more voices were silenced with that one shot. So many people will now think twice about risking their lives just to make public their opinions, however noble. So many more will shut out great ideas afraid it may cost them their lives.
I dread a muzzled society where people move around like zombies too afraid to speak their minds. A society where artists are scared to live their dreams, opinion shapers worry their message may offend the wrong audience, a people so scared to live their vibrant expressive selves because someone may take offence enough to silence them permanently.
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On the other hand, even as we defend the right to think and speak freely, Kirk’s death also forces us to acknowledge the profound effect our words and opinions can have on others. We are not honest if we paint him solely as a martyr for free expression without acknowledging the harm his rhetoric caused. His sweeping generalisation on matters race and religion, his dismissal of historic injustices and his unwillingness to accept that other perspectives counted left so many people deeply hurt. And their pain mattered too.
That Kirk’s supporters feel anyone who isn’t as wounded as they are by his death is evil and should be ‘cancelled’ is the height of hypocrisy. The folly of self-righteousness is that it blinds us to our own faults while spotlighting those of everyone else. It convinces us that anyone who does not think like us, or in this case, does not mourn like us, is wrong.
The irony is impossible to miss. The very people who for years dismissed critics, urging them to grow thicker skin or stay out of the public space if the heat was too much are now the ones cancelling people and demanding for their firing for not mourning the ‘right’ way. Suddenly, the indifference of other people to their grief is treated as criminal. The voices that defended Kirk for speaking up are the very same ones now silencing those who refuse to go with their prescribed tone of sorrow over his death. Such contradictions.
But we can be better than that. A mature society allows for space to differ and deeply reflect on everyday events that ultimately shape us. It is possible to mourn Kirk’s life, senselessly cut short, while also acknowledging that his words left scars on others.
It is okay to feel hurt that others seem indifferent to our grief, without becoming so vindictive as to want to destroy their careers and lives over it. An opinion is not right simply because it soothes our egos and aligns to the ideals we cherish. It is the right opinion when it is informed, thoughtful and expressed with respect especially when it touches on the core beliefs of others.
Kirk’s death reminds us of the immense power in our ability to think and communicate but also the heavy responsibility that comes with this amazing gift. When we silence some while idolising others, we weaponise the very essence of our humanity instead of using it to bring us together.
Ms Wekesa is a development communication consultant
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By Faith Wekesa