Charlie Kirk’s death should horrify every American. The assassination of a political figure—even a polarizing one—crosses a line no free republic can tolerate. Yet the reactions to his killing expose a deeper problem in our culture: selective outrage. When extremism erupts on the right, the media and political class roar with condemnation. When extremism comes from the left, they whisper—or worse, excuse.
When Violence Targets Conservatives
After Kirk’s killing, headlines quickly framed the story as part of a “general problem of political violence.” Fair enough. But compare that to 2017, when a left-wing gunman tried to massacre Republican lawmakers at a congressional baseball practice, gravely wounding Rep. Steve Scalise. That story disappeared from the national “domestic extremism” conversation almost overnight.
In 2022, a man armed with weapons traveled across the country intending to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home. He later pleaded guilty. Yet many political leaders and newsrooms treated it as a sidebar, not a cultural alarm. Imagine if the target had been Justice Sotomayor.
The “Mostly Peaceful” Narrative
When America’s cities burned in 2020, a national news chyron summarized riots in front of flaming cars as “fiery but mostly peaceful.” Seattle’s CHAZ/CHOP takeover was sold as a quirky “summer of love”—until people ended up dead. Those euphemisms insulated activists who caused billions in damage. Had MAGA hats been on those rioters, the words would have been “insurrection.”
Double Standards on Speech
Universities routinely shout down conservative speakers. When swimmer Riley Gaines was mobbed and struck after a campus event, administrators boasted they had handled it “well.” Meanwhile, presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT told Congress that calls for genocide against Jews could be “context-dependent.” The backlash forced one resignation—but only after donors revolted. Would they have answered the same if the threats targeted any other group?
The Law as a Weapon
Even enforcement has been uneven. Federal prosecutors have aggressively applied the FACE Act against pro-life activists, while left-wing assaults on crisis pregnancy centers went under-prosecuted. In 2025, DOJ scaled back FACE prosecutions, implicitly acknowledging the imbalance.
Why It Matters
When elites condemn only one side, they tacitly greenlight the other. They teach radicals which threats are tolerated. They incentivize more violence, more harassment, more division. That is not justice—it is selective enforcement of morality and law.
Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was sharp, mocking, and often over the line. But in America, words are answered with words—not with bullets. If we continue to excuse left-wing extremism while spotlighting only the right, we guarantee more martyrs, more polarization, and more bloodshed.
The principle must be clear and universal:
- Political violence is always evil—no exceptions.
- Harassment of judges or private citizens is always wrong—no matter the cause.
- Free speech is either protected or it isn’t—no “context” carve-outs.
- Media must describe violence consistently—no euphemisms for favored mobs.
If America cannot find one standard for extremism, then Charlie Kirk will not be the last political figure cut down. And the republic itself may not survive the hypocrisy.
Discover more from RIPTIDE
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
