Conservative intellectuals talk and talk and publish essay after essay proclaiming that the current situation in America is perilous and that there exists a nearly unbridgeable divide between those in the radical wing of the Democratic Party (the “America-haters”) who believe America is irredeemably racist and the rest of us who love America despite its sins.
Yes, we should continue to talk (both to our side and to the many centrist, freedom-loving Democrats), but talk is no longer enough. Charlie Kirk‘s assassination affirms the futility of civil debate. We should know by now that civil debate is fruitless when your opponents want to criminalize debate or even kill you.
What are our options? 1. Publish more essays; 2. Take to the streets, which likely would lead to violence; or 3. Separate into two countries, as some have advised. For the time being, we can dismiss all three options out of hand. This leaves only peaceful protest rallies and vigils.
Protest rallies and vigils would serve two broad purposes. First, to get national Republicans to wake up and start proposing solutions. So far, I am not encouraged because almost all Republicans seem to have gotten the significance of the Kirk assassination exactly backward. Its lesson is not, as most Republicans think, that we need more civil debate; rather, it is that civil discourse is only helpful up to a point. If you are not careful, civil debate can get you killed.
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