When humanity disappoints
We can process and move forward together.
Over the past week, it has been far too easy to find people — especially young people on college campuses — celebrating the assassination of a controversial speaker. Still others say they’re “torn” or “unsure” how to feel, as though somehow it isn’t obvious.
Yes, activists routinely seek out extremists to pretend they represent mainstream thought within a group, and people saying crazy things get outsized attention. But in this case, the thinking is widespread. More on how we can know that, ahead.
Take the incoming president of the Oxford Union, a site that’s supposed to be all about the importance of democratic debate. (A site where I once debated.) George Abaraonye openly celebrated, writing, “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f–king go” and “Charlie Kirk got shot loool.” Apparently just lol (“laughing out loud”) was not enough to convey the extent of his joy. This is a guy who had met and debated Kirk.
Of course, as soon as his comments were exposed and he realized there was a possibility of actual consequences (though extremely unlikely at Oxford these days), Abaraonye tried to undo it. He claimed that he had “reacted impulsively” and that the comments did not “reflect my values.”
Leave it to the BBC to help him by rushing to invert the narrative, headlining that Abaraonye is being “racially abused” for his posts. In the BBC’s world, someone like Abaraonye must always be portrayed as a victim, immediately. Note to him, the BBC, and the rest of the media: A person’s “impulsive” responses to an assassination reflect their actual values. (If you’d like to let the BBC know how you feel, here’s how.)
Hypocrisy and a lack of basic ethics have been on full display. On the far right, people who downplayed and mocked the attack on Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and attempted attack on Pelosi herself, are suddenly decrying political violence. (Kirk was among those who played up a repugnant conspiracy theory that that attack was not real.) Trump, who pardoned even the most violent January 6 insurrectionists, is now claiming the moral authority of a man allegedly opposed to political violence. Reasons for disappointment, anger, and frustration are all around us, on both ends of our political spectrum.
Meanwhile, in Hollywood…
Hopefully you don’t care about the Emmys any more than I do. But given that they took place last night, it’s worth noting that recipient Hannah Einbinder, radicalized by nonsensical anti-Israel propaganda, clearly has no clue that nations all over the world are by definition “ethno-nationalist.” That includes all Arab nations and the one that Hamas and other Palestinian leaders are demanding.
And actor Javier Bardem made a false claim “genocide,” citing a debunked group of alleged “scholars” that literally anyone can join for $30. (How did he hear about this group? Most likely, the disastrous “mainstream” media, which treated this group as legit.)
If what you’ve seen over the past week has shaken your faith in humanity, I don’t blame you. For this week’s episode of They Stand Corrected (coming Wednesday), I’ve been looking into support for political violence and the widespread media failures in covering homicides in general. On both fronts, the reality is even worse than I previously realized. I’ll share facts and figures with you.
But there are ways to move forward. Everything I’ve seen since launching They Stand Corrected shows me that there are really are many of us who stand for truth and justice. Our voices have been drowned out by news agencies focused on profiting from partisanship.
Here, we come together around truth. We explore what’s known and unknown, totally outside of opinions, perspectives, and narratives. I work to provide facts and give you the sources, so you can see them for yourself and tell me if I get anything wrong. Everyone who has joined this community shows me that we can come together.
Let’s grow this community, Spread the word. I’m hard at work on this week’s episode, and will “see” you then.
JL