“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." -Thomas Jefferson [1]
I distinctly remember the shock and the horror I felt as the news flashed with the sudden murder of political activist Charlie Kirk. Never before has a tragic event affected me quite as much as this has. America has had a noticeably heavy heart since that tragic event. Not only was Charlie Kirk a loving father and devoted husband, he was also a leader to the up and coming generation and a star on the stage of civil discourse in the United States. His assassination raises the fear of whether or not freedom of speech is actually protected in our nation.
Civil discourse and the pursuit of truth are vital in our country; without them, democracy is threatened. In reference to Jefferson's quote, hostility should not exist to fearmonger people and stifle voices. Instead, we should aim to get rid of “tyranny over the mind of man,” which has most recently surfaced as attempts to shut down civil discourse and freedom of speech.
Liberation of the mind, rather, is learning from others and building bridges as we freely speak. Civil discourse has been curtailed recently through violence and heavy-handed government involvement, leading to censorship. In exploring these events, we learn more about the root cause of such actions and what we can do to remedy freedom of speech infringements.
Freedom of speech is the ability to express opinions without the government "abridging" your capacity to [2]. Civil discourse is the freedom of speech applied. In exercising freedom of speech, we can express our opinions and discuss with others.
As Americans, in addition to freedom of speech, we also have the right to life, as quoted in one of our founding documents [3]. Murder and any attempt thereof are wrong. As soon as violent means are used to silence others, fear keeps people from speaking up. Charlie Kirk sought to engage others in open discussion about what is true, what is right, and what is wrong. He committed no crime, yet because of what he said, he was murdered.
In America, individuals should not fear speaking out because of threatened violence. We should live in an America where, as the Founders intended, we can learn by hearing the other side, not silencing the other side. It could only lead to chaos if it became free game to kill your philosophical opponent.
In addition to violence, people can be silenced by censorship. An example of this is the very recent involvement of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in pressuring ABC Network to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air in response to brash comments about Charlie Kirk’s death. Do I think Jimmy Kimmel is untalented? Yes. Do I think his comments on air were untrue and insensitive? Yes. Does ABC Network have every right to fire him if they dislike his work? Yes. However, if government institutions are pressuring a news agency to fire someone because of their beliefs, it becomes unlawful and morally wrong. The government cannot dictate what we can say. This is a violation of our First Amendment rights and dampens civil discourse
So, what is a remedy to escalating violence and censorship? Jordan Peterson articulates this very well in his interview with a talk show host. When the host asked why his right to freedom of speech should trump a trans person's right not to be offended, he replied that one must risk being offensive and being offended in a society to say anything at all. With her logic, she could offend him with her question, leaving her at fault. In other words, if what he says is “hate speech,” anything can be labeled “hate speech” based on anyone’s opposing perception [5].
The risk of being offended and realizing that we cannot label speech as “politically incorrect” or “hate speech” to justify political violence or censorship takes humility. Charlie was a great example of that. For instance, Charlie sat down with Gavin Newsom, the Democratic Governor of California, someone he blatantly disagreed with, and had a civil conversation [6].
Personally, as a Californian who has many grievances with Governor Newsom and his leadership, I was initially shocked that Charlie would even entertain someone I viewed as so politically backward. Looking back, my thought process was wrong. I did not have enough humility to listen to what Governor Newsom had to say. Charlie had the humility to engage and civilly discuss with his opponents. He took Jefferson’s mantra to heart, having discourse so he and those involved could come to a firmer idea of the truth. He tried to bridge gaps and rid society of tyranny over the mind of man.
In the words of Charlie Kirk, “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 [7].” Let us keep humanity together, fight for the liberation of the mind rather than tyranny over the mind, and encourage civil discourse.
