Charlie Kirk — A Conspiracy Theory I Bet You Haven’t Thought Of

 

Did you ever see one of those movies where two guys – both kind of strapping men – are self-important know-it-alls and get into a huge fight?  Often, they beat the ever-loving sh_t out of each other.  And then, after the brawl, they respect each other, and say something guy-like: “You wanna get a beer?  I’m buying”

The next thing you know, you are watching a Bromance.

This is not limited to men, either.  There are similar movies where super-tough and strong women do the same thing. They have a brawl, and then they bond.

I am calling this: A Brawl and a Beer.

What does this have to do with the title of this article?  Read on and you will see.….

On 9/11, I always send something around to my law firm.  This year, I sent this, which was actually optimistic and intended to be uplifting:

“Do you remember 9/11?

I remember it well, and I am sure everyone else does too.

It was a terrible and horrible day that changed just about everything for NYC, the US, and even the world.

But what was good about it was that for quite some time afterwards, we were all Americans — united.

Today, as we see just about every issue become politicized and polarized, it is good to remember that all of us Americans pulling together is eminently possible.

All we need is the right spark for that to happen — and I am guessing it is on the horizon somehow, even though we can’t see it.  Yes, I have some optimism here.

I pray that when the spark comes, it is a good spark that brings us together and not a bad one, as happened now almost 25 years ago.

So that is my reflection for today.”

At the time I wrote it, I didn’t realize that Charlie Kirk’s death could very well be that spark.  There are a bunch of reasons, but I will highlight just one, using (and hopefully not misusing) my math major in college, from the depths of time.

So I tried to find out the percentage of this country that has what we might think of as extremist views, but the concept of extremism is too vague, so I will guess it is like 5% and certainly less than 10%.  I admit this is an (optimistic) leap of faith that I guess is a prayer that I hope is correct.  This might be me taking some mathematical liberties, but I suspect I am pretty right anyway.

That means that out of the 340 million people who live here, about 323,000,000 are not extremists.  This means that they are forced to hear every single day from the media the frenzy of extreme – and negative – points of view, but they don’t necessarily espouse such views.

But 5% is about 17,000,000 people, and this is still a lot of people.  And it is so easy for the media – every single day — to find a nice (awful) rant of Hate Speech from one of these people to tell us all about.  I mean, even good people rant now and then, but the extremes rant constantly and are egged on by others of the same ilk.

And I can speak for myself – and just about everyone I know – that I am sick of this crap.  Sick of it!  I don’t like it one bit.  Reading the paper is like a depressing penance as the extreme crap is vomited up every morning.  Indeed, more and more good people that I know tell me that they have simply stopped reading newspapers and other media sources, as it is too depressing and miserable.

So I am thinking that we in the middle are tired enough of it that we are, in the words of that movie Network, if you remember that phrase they yelled out the windows: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take this any more.”

Maybe it is time for extremism to just go out of vogue and for those of us in the (Messy Middle?) to have our moment?

I pause for a moment here, as you might be reading this and thinking I am out of touch or off base, but think about this for a moment:

• I am not an extremist spouting Hate Speech.

• I don’t personally know a single person who is doing this.

• I bet if you are reading this, you aren’t doing this yourself.

• And I wonder, do you know anyone in your circle of friends and acquaintances who is doing this, except maybe a kooky outlier or two?

Could it be that the theory that the country is full of crazy hateful people is the biggest conspiracy theory ever, fed by the media’s eagerness to find extremes and tell us about them, as I have outlined above?

As an aside, there are an unknown number of ‘bots’ and bad actors outside the U.S. that are actively promulgating this stuff to see if they can cause the U.S. to destroy itself from within.  So whatever bad stuff you are hearing, some percentage of it is completely made up.

Let me repeat that thought….

Could it be that the theory that the country is full of crazy people is the biggest conspiracy theory ever?

And if so, wouldn’t unmasking that conspiracy as the essence of Fake News be a good thing, and maybe even a great thing – that maybe most of us are just good people who aren’t at all into Hate Speech and divisiveness?  And maybe – just maybe – Charlie Kirk’s death could be the spark that unmasks this conspiracy.

Definitely, maybe.

…

Now, for some conclusions, requests, and suggestions.

My family was discussing what we could do about all of this, and unfortunately, I cannot wave a wand and change the world, but this article and my daily actions are me doing my part.

First – I ask the Media – for once act against their perceived interests, and instead of promulgating all the awful rants from the Bad Guys, put forth the moderating, statesmanlike, and honorable statements from people who are sick of all the back and forth insanity.  There are a lot of people like that around, and amidst all the negative frenzy, there have been some class acts too.

You know, Mr. and Ms. Media, you might be shocked at how bored your reader base is with reading the same thing day after day.  I know that after I see the same shite every day, even when I agree with it, I start to just skim, or not even read the articles, as I just get bored.  Some sanity from the Middle might just be a refreshing change of pace.

Second – for all of us persons, regarding your personal interactions – don’t be scared to ask the crazy guy shouting or otherwise disseminating Hate Speech to tone it down.  When he realizes that not everyone is on his side, maybe he will be a little less vituperative.

Third – go ahead and debunk this conspiracy theory of pervasive bad people all over the place, and start being more forward that you are not buying that there are so many others in this country who are bad people.  If enough of us work to debunk this conspiracy theory, maybe it will start to go away.

Fourth – if someone on the left is assassinated politically and you lean right, this is your big chance to make super clear to everyone that you are ardently against this and totally opposed and horrified, and certainly don’t say things like ‘he had it coming’ and vociferously call out those who do.  Finally, if you want to be a class act this is your chance to give sincere condolences to those who are both grieving and probably angry.

And, yes, if someone on the right is assassinated and you lean left, you should do the same thing.  These horrible moments can bring out the best or the worst in us and I advocate the best.

Fifth– remember what I said at the beginning of this article about having A Brawl and a Beer.  Well, do just that.  Don’t avoid talking about difficult subjects with those who disagree with you.  When you and your friend or relative are on opposite ends of a tough issue, have it out – verbally and not violently, of course – and then after your mutual fury dies down, consider what you have in common.  Maybe you are both:

• Mothers

• Fathers

• Single parents

• Lost a child or close relative

• Kids

• Christians, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Atheists

• Poor or Rich

• Supporters of the same charity

• In a similar industry

• Have a common enemy

• Have common friends

• Have similar health issues

• Have babies, children, grandchildren

This list could be a long one, couldn’t it…

And maybe you might find that you have more in common than you think.  As my wife tells me, I should look for the good in people.  Just because you are at odds politically doesn’t mean you can’t be buddies, just like those guys and gals in the movies do.

So, as I end this, I will elect not to wade into the political quagmire of Charlie Kirk’s views.  But I will take my hat off to someone who was willing to have open debates where parties with strong disagreements mix it up honestly and strongly.  He will be remembered for this quote, which resonates with me:

“When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilizations stop talking, civil war ensues … What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have a reasonable disagreement where violence is not an option.”

So have vigorous, strong, vociferous debates – hopefully with open minds – but after the debate, at the end, let’s have: A Brawl and a Beer.

And who knows – maybe Charlie Kirk’s passing can be the spark that unites us after all.

Who’s with me!!!