In the aftermath of the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, news outlets and social media exploded with voices detailing the rise of political violence in America and debating how the country should respond to his death. People on both ends of the political spectrum mourned not only the death of Kirk, but the end of peace in America as we know it – a fear further amplified by other recent political attacks, such as the murder of two Minnesota state lawmakers in June or the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in July 2024.
These instances, however, do not necessarily mark a rise in political violence, which has always existed in America, from the Revolution to the Civil Rights Era. What’s new is not the political aggression itself, but rather, the way social media transforms these incidents into symbols of nationwide division by blaming political parties’ ideologies and attacking their morality.
Just hours after Kirk’s killing, users on X began blaming the rhetoric of the radical left for the tragedy. They claimed that the Left’s ideologies encouraged the hate that motivated Kirk’s killer, despite the confirmation that Tyler Robinson, the suspected killer of Kirk, was nonpartisan, having not voted in the past two general elections.
Meanwhile, some Democrats on TikTok and X have refused to honor Kirk’s memory, calling him out for being “a genocide apologist, anti-immigrants, anti-abortion, anti-women’s rights, anti-anything human rights” and more.
Instead of using Kirk’s assassination as an opportunity to unite the nation, both the Left and Right are experiencing an increase in political polarization. The posts on X and TikTok comments demonstrate the hate from which political violence stems.
Yet, a future of increased political violence is not likely. The data recorded by the Director of the Polarization Research Lab, Sean Westwood, shows that less than two percent of Americans believe political murder is acceptable. Westwood believes that the real issue America faces is the misperception of the other party’s opinions.
“My data also shows that Americans estimate nearly a third of their political opponents support partisan murder. This belief that one is facing a vast, murderous faction — rather than a few isolated extremists — creates a phantom enemy that makes the country feel far more dangerous than it actually is,” he said.
Westwood’s concerns are justified by the obvious attacks by individuals on the opposite party’s morality instead of political opinions.
Rather than disagreeing with the ideologies of the left, one X user rejected the left as a political affiliation completely.
“[The left is] a death cult, h—bent on the destruction of America and humanity itself…Once you realize we are fighting literal evil, you can never unsee it.”
Democrats on the left are not the only individuals facing resentment; the right has also been portrayed as vile online.
“The right isn’t confused. They aren’t misinformed. They’re committed to being cruel—and pretending they’re the real victims,” another X user said.
It’s nearly impossible to scroll through social media without witnessing the hate expressed through the whirlwind of hostile political debates online. Americans must end this cycle of political resentment by refusing to partake in arguments about political parties’ morals and focus more on the shared values of all Americans. The right of freedom of speech has been the backbone of American society from the beginning; Americans must be cautious that its use does not lead to a permanent split in the nation.
