An Open Letter to Influencers of Public Discourse
In the Wake of Ideological Violence and the Assassination of Charlie Kirk
A Call To Those Who Shape Narrative
How you speak about “the other” matters – especially when you likely hold influence over those who are navigating a crisis of meaning-making, often while feeling isolated and disconnected.
Young people are longing for a worldview that offers identity, congruence, and meaning. They want something substantial – directional, reliable, coherent, and rooted in communal ethos or ideological kinship.
Please hold this responsibility with reverence and urgency.
We are witnessing an uptick in ideologically and politically motivated violence – what feels like tribal warfare, where disagreement is perceived as existential threat.
The Temperature of the Zeitgeist
Young people want something to devote themselves to. Do not offer them hatred as a form of purpose.
Model conviction without contempt. Hold strong opinions – but resist the seductive ease of dehumanizing rhetoric. Do not cloak disdain as intellectual or virtuous rigor. Do not make “the other” sound like a dangerous enemy that must be eradicated for society to flourish.
Pause Before You Denounce
Again – pause before making deeply polarizing denunciations that target entire groups of people that you do not belong to. The casual, prevalent dehumanizing rhetoric of “the other” is not good for your soul – or for the collective soul of our country or our world.
Be concerned with truth.
And just as much – be concerned with humanizing those you disagree with. Attack ideas, not people. Bring nuance back into style. Being pro something does not mean being anti-someone.
Do not promote rallying around shared hatred. Instead, promote rallying around shared values. Encourage allying according to virtues not vengeance.
For Listeners and Subscribers
Be mindfully responsive to what you listen to. Are your news or social media sources serving nuance-deficient stories? Are you getting a well-rounded take – or just one side that feels overly certain and incurious?
Just like we need a well-rounded and balanced diet, we need a balanced media intake.
And remember: Online discussions should not replace in-person conversations with a variety of people and perspectives.
Let This Be a Call For Reflective Action
To those who shape public discourse: Your words and ideas are not neutral, nor inconsequential.
In the wake of this tragic violence, make space for reflection and accountability – especially when you hold influence. Speak with conviction and passion, yes. But never at the cost of dehumanizing “the other”, or advancing a narrative that serves to deepen and intensify the “us vs. them” divide.
We need your high level of self and social awareness. We need influencers to lead with critical reflection and discourse that honors the complexity of our collective human family.
Let your influence be a bridge, in such a time as this – and not a weapon. The next generation is listening.
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