The recent assassination of popular right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has rippled out across the divide, both in the US and here in Canada, where Mr. Kirk also had a devoted following.
At 31, Mr. Kirk was one of the right’s most prominent and polarizing voices in the blogsphere. He built his following by amplifying the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen and by railing against what he characterized as “woke” culture. His comments on race, feminism, LGBTQ and immigration has drawn sharp criticism from the left, sparked both protests and celebration when he visited campuses and made him a lighting rod for both mockery and inspiration.
It also amassed him a considerable fortune, rising to $12 million, and as CEO of Turning Point USA, the non-profit he founded that is aimed at promoting conservative views on campuses, Mr. Kirk’s salary increased from $27,000 in 2016 to more than $407,000 in 2021. Truly a rags to riches success story built on promoting a right-wing agenda.
Small wonder he was the darling of Republicans and the right, being an effective communicator with a backstory to rival Horatio Alger.
Mr. Kirk was also a husband and a father whose grieving wife vows to continue his legacy and whose children are now left without a father. His death is a tragedy that should not be celebrated in any way by anyone.
Initially, the publicly available information suggested that the assassin was a right-wing extremist, even further to the right than Mr. Kirk. Since then, many voices have claimed the shooter was a left-wing extremist and political actors on the right have heaped dog whistle claims about his personal attachments and leanings. (Leading some to suggest a ‘Wag of the Dog’ scenario.) As of this writing the jury hasn’t even been convened to consider the actual evidence or the shooter’s motive. One thing is certain—his actions were among the most extreme.
Violence has no place in a democratic society and should be condemned by all sides of the floor—and never exploited by either side in its aftermath.
It is easy to kid ourselves that such madness is limited to the anarchy unfolding to the south of our borders. But the plain truth is that it isn’t. A brief survey of online comments here on Manitoulin Island will dispel any such illusions. In recent years, the tendency for polarization has been growing in this country but such partisan posturing and rhetoric leaves out some important details in its demonization.
While extremists on both sides of the divide like to paint their opponents as utterly despicable people, at best misguided but at their core wholly evil, and then stoop to character assassination and name-calling instead of reasoned debate to further their argument, the truth of the matter is that both sides of the political spectrum bring important ideas to the table.
Just because we disagree with someone’s point of view does not automatically make them wrong.
Sometimes an idea or concept coming initially from the left is the right policy for our nation to follow. Sometimes it is a policy from the right that plots the best course forward. That gets too often forgotten when engaging in keyboard warrior activities. Too often, consideration of the actual pros and cons of those ideas coming from either side becomes lost in ideological posturing.
That approach does nothing to further our Canadian constitutional values of peace, order and good government. Instead, such polarization is a recipe for chaos, anarchy and, at its extreme, civil war.
We, as Canadians, must, each and every one of us, endeavour to chart a better path.
The murder of Charlie Kirk should not be celebrated. It should be condemned in the strongest possible terms by every decent human being and without qualification.
