Your essay has helped relieve some of my grief. I was not a follower of Charlie Kirk. I knew who he was but I was profoundly effected by his assassination. Now I understand why. I suppose if the same essay had been written by a political partisan it would not have had the same impact on me. I don't know. I just know that the open exchange of ideas, even those I disagree with, is the foundation of freedom. Keep writing so that I know freedom lives.
It’s actually really awesome to see that so many people had the same grief bc we all have the same love of discourse and debate and critical thought. I felt really alone the day he died and couldn’t understand my own grief… but so many people have been saying the same thing.. it feels hopeful to know we have each other out there ❤️. The bullet hit us all.
A phenomenal essay, Wink! 👏👏👏 This is what Free Black Thought is all about! Charlie Kirk was no angel. He sometimes said things he should not have and could be obnoxious, divisive and needlessly inflammatory. I also disagreed with him on many issues, abortion, gun control, gay marriage, affirmative action, education, unions, immigration, etc. But all that said he was whatever his faults a good man. He stood for civil debate, free exchange of ideas, free speech, and American patriotism. I loved him for that. He was also a good father to his wife and two children. He didn’t deserve to get shot down like a mad dog.
May his memory be a blessing! They won’t silence what he stood for. That’s not going to happen! Ben Shapiro and Milo Yiannopolis are going to be touring college campuses again because of this. I don’t like either of those guys but I’ll applaud them for that. Wink you did a wonderful job on this incredible essay! The assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers shook the boomer generation as Charlie Kirk’s shakes ours now. Contrary to what you’ve heard, Charlie was not a racist, sexist, antisemite, homophobe, or transphobe. He was a loving, inclusive person. Don’t let the leftist propaganda fool you. Nor was Charlie a white supremacist. That’s absolutely laughable! Also, no Israel didn’t kill Charlie.
You want to see a real white supremacist? Look at someone like D.C. Stephenson, George Lincoln Rockwell, David Duke, Richard Spencer, Bob Jones, or Adolf Hitler. You know who was actually racist, sexist, antisemitic, and homophobic? Karl Marx who is a hero to these leftists. So were many other top socialist thinkers. Ha! Funny that! 😉 Che Guevara despised blacks, Mexicans and gay people too by the way. Fidel Castro locked up blacks and mulattos disproportionately in his gulags and held some of the longest suffering female political prisoners in history. The USSR was a hotbed of racism, sexism, xenophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, and ableism.
Read Karl Marx’s journals and correspondence you’ll see all sorts of nasty, derogatory statements on blacks, Jews, Slavs, the Chinese, and Mexicans. You’ll find no such bigotry, in any of Charlie’s speeches or public statements. Charlie loved everyone! Communists did not, plain and simple! Charlie was no Pitchfork Ben Tillman or James K. Vardman that’s for darn sure. Also, Charlie was totally peaceful while his opponents were violent, unhinged and aggressive. Charlie had more in common with the Hippies or the Civil Rights Movement than he did the KKK or the White League. But Antifa ironically, uses many of their same tactics and preaches the same hateful rhetoric just aimed at different targets. Oddly enough, I think Charlie’s enemies and the segregationists of the Jim Crow South would’ve found they had a lot in common.
Your last sentence reminded me of the Horseshoe Theory. As people travel further to the extreme ends, we hear different language but the messaging is the same, and so that line bends into a horseshoe. Those extreme ends tend to have more in common than they do differences.
I thought that the other day! The mark of the extremist on both sides is a pretty simply metric- they are united in genuine Jew-hatred, although both also share an unhealthy desire to exert violent force and coercion over others.
However, I dislike many of the labels on the graphics of the horseshoe theory. Here in Europe we make a distinction between social democracy (with it's generous social safety nets) and socialism. The former is working well in Sweden, the latter was abandoned by Sweden decades ago.
I live in the UK. Since Charlie Kirk's murder, a Labour MP's office has been firebombed because she is listed as a 'Friend of Israel'.
I haven't looked very closely at any graphics. I just really like how the Horseshoe Theory can be applied to so many issues, like gender identity, racism, and (yes) attitudes towards Jews. Growing up in Canada, the messaging around WWII was that the Nazi's were an anomaly, and most Germans were not aware of what was going on. How wrong that was!! I'm quite disgusted at how some of our 'intellectuals' and politicians are downplaying the attacks against Jewish Canadians, and have actually parroted pro-Hamas messaging. And they've all been from the Progressive Left.
The Right's Jew-hatred is mainly online and rhetorical, and currently seems to be fixated on conspiracy theories, and their role in American geopolitical involvement. Sure, AIPAC is a powerful lobby, but there are far, far more powerful lobbies in America, and the main problem with America's foreign policy has to do with Washington's Foreign Policy Establishment's institutional views, with any Jewish involvement purely incidental. They believe America's decline is inevitable, and the only way to slow the process is by demonstrating America's economic and military might on the world stage.
It's complete horseshit on both counts. I live in the UK and our decline has been far more marked than the US since 2008, as has most of the rest of Europe (with the exception of Sweden with their ample hydro and Poland). Most people don't realise how important fracking was to American resurgence. Cheap and abundant energy really is key to a prosperous economy. Contrary to standard narratives, natural gas was actually a key factor in reversing American carbon emissions. Globally, a full switch from coal to gas would cut carbon emissions from electricity by 20%. Leaks are a factor, but they only reverse around 10-20% of the gain, which is accounted for in the figures.
I agree about the propaganda. Although I was initially torn and conflicted, and still abhor the tragic brutality of war, the fact that I spent a lot of time listening to military experts on the subject probably negated the effects of the propaganda. I've always been a bit of an armchair historian, and military history is one of the key areas of my amateur interest.
We have the same problem in the UK. Attacks on Jewish British people have skyrocketed.
Freedom of thought and speech is fundamental to human existence. Without freedom of thought we are doomed to ignorance. I don’t agree with Charlie Kirk, but I watched him do his thing on YouTube and was impressed with his ability to make his point. He would use his detractors lack of free thought against them, over and over again. It was interesting to watch.
Beautifully written. We cannot let the hateful extremes (from either end) stop us from talking to each other. And, I do love that line from Charlie, “When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence, that’s when civil war happens, because you start to think the other side is so evil and they lose their humanity.”
Thank you for this beautiful essay, Dr Twyman. Sometimes I feel scared about how divided we became as a nation. If G-d forbid we are attacked tomorrow, will we even be able to stand up and defend ourselves as one country, putting aside the differences? The two parties were not meant to be each other's enemies. in one country
So well said. Thank you for writing & sharing. May we all honor Charlie’s memory and the ideals he lived & died for by standing resolute and strong to continue speaking out for our values with equal vigor and conviction and curiosity for others.
Your essay has helped relieve some of my grief. I was not a follower of Charlie Kirk. I knew who he was but I was profoundly effected by his assassination. Now I understand why. I suppose if the same essay had been written by a political partisan it would not have had the same impact on me. I don't know. I just know that the open exchange of ideas, even those I disagree with, is the foundation of freedom. Keep writing so that I know freedom lives.
It’s actually really awesome to see that so many people had the same grief bc we all have the same love of discourse and debate and critical thought. I felt really alone the day he died and couldn’t understand my own grief… but so many people have been saying the same thing.. it feels hopeful to know we have each other out there ❤️. The bullet hit us all.
The ability to disagree without being disagreeable. Yes!!👏
A phenomenal essay, Wink! 👏👏👏 This is what Free Black Thought is all about! Charlie Kirk was no angel. He sometimes said things he should not have and could be obnoxious, divisive and needlessly inflammatory. I also disagreed with him on many issues, abortion, gun control, gay marriage, affirmative action, education, unions, immigration, etc. But all that said he was whatever his faults a good man. He stood for civil debate, free exchange of ideas, free speech, and American patriotism. I loved him for that. He was also a good father to his wife and two children. He didn’t deserve to get shot down like a mad dog.
May his memory be a blessing! They won’t silence what he stood for. That’s not going to happen! Ben Shapiro and Milo Yiannopolis are going to be touring college campuses again because of this. I don’t like either of those guys but I’ll applaud them for that. Wink you did a wonderful job on this incredible essay! The assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers shook the boomer generation as Charlie Kirk’s shakes ours now. Contrary to what you’ve heard, Charlie was not a racist, sexist, antisemite, homophobe, or transphobe. He was a loving, inclusive person. Don’t let the leftist propaganda fool you. Nor was Charlie a white supremacist. That’s absolutely laughable! Also, no Israel didn’t kill Charlie.
You want to see a real white supremacist? Look at someone like D.C. Stephenson, George Lincoln Rockwell, David Duke, Richard Spencer, Bob Jones, or Adolf Hitler. You know who was actually racist, sexist, antisemitic, and homophobic? Karl Marx who is a hero to these leftists. So were many other top socialist thinkers. Ha! Funny that! 😉 Che Guevara despised blacks, Mexicans and gay people too by the way. Fidel Castro locked up blacks and mulattos disproportionately in his gulags and held some of the longest suffering female political prisoners in history. The USSR was a hotbed of racism, sexism, xenophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, and ableism.
Read Karl Marx’s journals and correspondence you’ll see all sorts of nasty, derogatory statements on blacks, Jews, Slavs, the Chinese, and Mexicans. You’ll find no such bigotry, in any of Charlie’s speeches or public statements. Charlie loved everyone! Communists did not, plain and simple! Charlie was no Pitchfork Ben Tillman or James K. Vardman that’s for darn sure. Also, Charlie was totally peaceful while his opponents were violent, unhinged and aggressive. Charlie had more in common with the Hippies or the Civil Rights Movement than he did the KKK or the White League. But Antifa ironically, uses many of their same tactics and preaches the same hateful rhetoric just aimed at different targets. Oddly enough, I think Charlie’s enemies and the segregationists of the Jim Crow South would’ve found they had a lot in common.
Your last sentence reminded me of the Horseshoe Theory. As people travel further to the extreme ends, we hear different language but the messaging is the same, and so that line bends into a horseshoe. Those extreme ends tend to have more in common than they do differences.
I thought that the other day! The mark of the extremist on both sides is a pretty simply metric- they are united in genuine Jew-hatred, although both also share an unhealthy desire to exert violent force and coercion over others.
However, I dislike many of the labels on the graphics of the horseshoe theory. Here in Europe we make a distinction between social democracy (with it's generous social safety nets) and socialism. The former is working well in Sweden, the latter was abandoned by Sweden decades ago.
I live in the UK. Since Charlie Kirk's murder, a Labour MP's office has been firebombed because she is listed as a 'Friend of Israel'.
I haven't looked very closely at any graphics. I just really like how the Horseshoe Theory can be applied to so many issues, like gender identity, racism, and (yes) attitudes towards Jews. Growing up in Canada, the messaging around WWII was that the Nazi's were an anomaly, and most Germans were not aware of what was going on. How wrong that was!! I'm quite disgusted at how some of our 'intellectuals' and politicians are downplaying the attacks against Jewish Canadians, and have actually parroted pro-Hamas messaging. And they've all been from the Progressive Left.
The Right's Jew-hatred is mainly online and rhetorical, and currently seems to be fixated on conspiracy theories, and their role in American geopolitical involvement. Sure, AIPAC is a powerful lobby, but there are far, far more powerful lobbies in America, and the main problem with America's foreign policy has to do with Washington's Foreign Policy Establishment's institutional views, with any Jewish involvement purely incidental. They believe America's decline is inevitable, and the only way to slow the process is by demonstrating America's economic and military might on the world stage.
It's complete horseshit on both counts. I live in the UK and our decline has been far more marked than the US since 2008, as has most of the rest of Europe (with the exception of Sweden with their ample hydro and Poland). Most people don't realise how important fracking was to American resurgence. Cheap and abundant energy really is key to a prosperous economy. Contrary to standard narratives, natural gas was actually a key factor in reversing American carbon emissions. Globally, a full switch from coal to gas would cut carbon emissions from electricity by 20%. Leaks are a factor, but they only reverse around 10-20% of the gain, which is accounted for in the figures.
I agree about the propaganda. Although I was initially torn and conflicted, and still abhor the tragic brutality of war, the fact that I spent a lot of time listening to military experts on the subject probably negated the effects of the propaganda. I've always been a bit of an armchair historian, and military history is one of the key areas of my amateur interest.
We have the same problem in the UK. Attacks on Jewish British people have skyrocketed.
Thank you for expressing this so eloquently. How can we live with one another without free dialogue? Such a heavy burden of grief right now 💔
Grateful to have come upon this today. Encouraged and emboldened. Thank you.
Freedom of thought and speech is fundamental to human existence. Without freedom of thought we are doomed to ignorance. I don’t agree with Charlie Kirk, but I watched him do his thing on YouTube and was impressed with his ability to make his point. He would use his detractors lack of free thought against them, over and over again. It was interesting to watch.
Your essay brought tears to my eyes and calmed my incipient rage.
Beautifully written. We cannot let the hateful extremes (from either end) stop us from talking to each other. And, I do love that line from Charlie, “When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence, that’s when civil war happens, because you start to think the other side is so evil and they lose their humanity.”
As a Catholic, I realize this is not a theological post - yet my immediate response upon finishing it was a quiet "Amen."
Thank you for this beautiful essay, Dr Twyman. Sometimes I feel scared about how divided we became as a nation. If G-d forbid we are attacked tomorrow, will we even be able to stand up and defend ourselves as one country, putting aside the differences? The two parties were not meant to be each other's enemies. in one country
This was thoughtful and insightful.
Agreed.
Amen.
It needed saying. Thank you for saying it so well.
So well said. Thank you for writing & sharing. May we all honor Charlie’s memory and the ideals he lived & died for by standing resolute and strong to continue speaking out for our values with equal vigor and conviction and curiosity for others.
Important to say all these things. Thank you.