Charlie Kirk: Free Speech Superhero, No Mic Drop

The bullet rang out and the handsome young hero fell. The crowd screamed and scattered. It’s the scene out of a movie, but this time the hero stayed down. We knew Charlie Kirk was gone before the official death announcement. The injury was too severe. Still, we prayed for the superhero blockbuster triumphant ending. Superman rising up out of the rubble. But alas, the evil villain won this battle. The movie ends on a cliffhanger. The lights come up in the theater. We are left in shock. Now we await the sequel.

So what comes next? If, as Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” where does the plot lead us as a society? Is this the “turning point” by which we head towards healing our nation, or will all of the Arkham inmates be incited to follow this radicalized joker’s lead? Which character are you in this war for the survival of our Republic? Sound too much like Marvel or Star Wars? After 9/11/01, enlistment in our military went up. It has gone up again since 47 took office. Historically, Americans have a strong sense of duty and many outlets available in which to serve.

Charlie Kirk chose to serve our nation with his voice. With thoughts and ideas. And most of all, with his Faith. Maybe more accurately, his service chose him. It’s easy to look at him as a man who opened pathways for dialogue solely on social issues, but he built his life on Jesus, and all of his values and opinions were formed upon that Rock. One good example was when he spoke to two sisters who were born via IVF. He expressed his fully-formed thoughts on that issue, according to his Christian faith. He didn’t insist that everyone should agree with his stance. He never did.

Like President Trump, Kirk left room for other people’s opinions. Also like Trump, he loved people. Trump rarely makes a public appearance where he doesn’t call someone else to come forward to speak. It’s why his campaign rallies often ran so long. Trump’s strength is that he shares the spotlight and welcomes other opinions. His televised cabinet meetings run for over 2 hours, because everyone gets to share. His inner circle says he takes opinions from all sides, then forms his best plan. Facilitated by technology, Trump is the most transparent President in world history. Kirk shared some of those same qualities, 50 years Trump’s junior.

Charlie Kirk conducted a master class in Free Speech, digging beneath the headlines and tropes. His “Prove Me Wrong” banners challenged college students and others to compose their arguments and verbally joust. He left room for the debaters to be ‘wrong’ and to continue rolling the facts around in their minds. Maybe it led to some changes in opinions. Maybe some people at least explored facets they hadn’t previously considered. That’s how we grow. That’s not to say Charlie’s knowledge was unlimited. His exchange with a man from South Africa, concerning race relations, is a good example. Charlie admitted to being uneducated on their political system, and related how their social issues appeared to him, from what information he had been able to glean. I’ll bet Charlie went home that night and did further research.

One thing I appreciated about Charlie’s demeanor when he was debating with the public, was that he would set the microphone down on the stand in front of him when the other party was speaking. That conveys: “Say your piece, I’m not going to interrupt you.” In this political climate, we have people trying to scream down the opposite side, or — worst yet — sing those inane protest songs at people. You know, those awful, rehashed 60’s protest songs with Trump’s name inserted. Charlie’s act of giving someone the grace to simply be heard is a priceless gesture of mutual respect. “I might not agree with you, but I’m not going to cancel you. I’m setting down the mic, because I’m interested in hearing your views.”

We use the term “Mic Drop” when we’ve made a strong point that ends further discussion. When Charlie was shot, he was holding his microphone to respond. Without going into graphic detail, his hand did not drop the mic. We should now look at Charlie’s mic as a torch of Free Speech that is being passed. Now that his voice has been silenced, we must be very careful to not let this violent act stop us from continuing to engage in civil discourse. We don’t all have the talent or stomach to do what Charlie did. It was his life’s calling, and he was one of the best at it.

Well done, Charlie Kirk. Thank you, Super Man. We’ll take it from here.

-Blackfoot