{shortcode-1decb72bc96e1c0bf54cdf453748aa89b94b2dfb}

The tragic murder of prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university has ignited conversations about polarization, political violence, and discourse on college campuses.

Sadly, this type of noxious political violence has become all-too-familiar in the last few years. Our country has borne witness to violence affecting both sides of the political aisle. Besides Kirk’s brazen murder, we all recall U.S. President Donald Trump’s survived assassination attempt that befell him during his campaign. Across the aisle, two of Minnesota’s Democrat state representatives fell victim to a targeted shooting.

Situating Kirk’s savage murder in the context of other high-profile acts of political violence divorces the event from the college campus and makes clear what such events — including the assassination of Kirk — are really about. This isn’t a story of universities. Instead, it’s about two other deep-rooted issues: gun violence and internet radicalization.

In Kirk’s case, the suspect was far from a typical college student, completing just one semester of a traditional, four-year college schedule back in 2021 before dropping out to pursue a technical apprenticeship program. On the contrary, he was an internet troll who decorated his violence with motifs of meme culture. If discourse is at fault, it’s of the internet — not campus — ilk. The problem is not college curricula or campus culture, but instead a lack of support for isolated individuals who find homes in dangerous online communities.

Moreover, at the time of writing, it is not yet clear that this shooter had a consistent, intelligible ideology motivating his actions. What we do know is that on the same day that Kirk was a victim of gun violence, two Colorado high school students were too.

When things are all-the-more polarized, we must return to the simple fact that guns care neither for the identity of their wielder nor their target. In many ways, the tragedy of Kirk’s death has touched more corners of our polarized political spectrum than the devastating nearly-daily din of mass shootings and school shootings have. We hope that this tragedy can be a moment of reflection and a force for change.

Salient, too, is the location of the shooting. In a world where political violence is a real threat, Kirk’s shooting underscores the vulnerability of college campuses. Outside of the horror of Kirk’s death itself, Students seeking to engage in spirited debate witnessed a murder instead. Sensible gun reform and help for the troubled individuals who often carry out such attacks — coupled with campus safety measures — are essential.

As young Americans, we are exposed to a deluge of violence and inhumanity every day — from social media, domestic, and world affairs alike. Politics arrive in our feeds as constant scrolls of spectacle. Outrage has become the currency of attention, breeding barbarity and polarization. We all must resist reproducing or inhabiting the modern world’s online radicalization — in our communities at Harvard, at home, and beyond.

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

Have a suggestion, question, or concern for The Crimson Editorial Board? Click here.