Charlie Kirk’s assassination: the canary in the coal mine
Charlie Kirk’s assassination in Utah wasn’t an isolated event — it was the latest chapter in a long and bloody story about the collapse of political discourse in America. The shooter, Tyler James Robinson, is now facing the death penalty (Reuters). But this isn’t just about one gunman or one ideology.
From Oklahoma City (FBI) to Emanuel AME (DOJ), from Tree of Life (DOJ) to January 6 (DOJ), from Paul Pelosi’s hammer assault (DOJ) to the Minnesota shootings of Rep. Melissa Hortman (DOJ), our history is littered with attacks tied to grievance and division.
“This isn’t left versus right. It’s systems versus citizens — algorithms, ad models, and foreign actors profiting off our division.”
How we got here: outrage as a business model
We are living inside an outrage economy. Social media platforms don’t make money when we agree; they profit when we rage. MIT researchers found that false news spreads faster and farther than truth because it’s more novel and emotional (MIT).
Add to this an advertising model that rewards click-based headlines, and you’ve got a journalism industry that often yells louder rather than explaining deeper. The result? Facts lose. Fury wins.
“Resilience isn’t just personal grit on a ski slope or BJJ mat — it’s national grit in the public square.”
The foreign hand: disinformation as a weapon
This isn’t just us doing this to ourselves. Russia, China, and Iran have all invested heavily in information warfare campaigns targeting Americans — and they’re very effective. The Mueller Report documented Russia’s large-scale 2016 interference, and peer-reviewed research shows millions of Americans were exposed to Russian IRA posts (Nature). After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Politico and AP reported that Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state media amplified false narratives to exploit the chaos.
“Earlier in my career, I regularly bid on defense contracts tied to counterterrorism and disinformation. I’ve seen the architecture up close — these aren’t random trolls, they’re nation-state campaigns engineered to destabilize us.”
The Blind Ambition™ Framework for Civic Repair
Choose Your Response
Stop feeding the outrage machine. Pause. Verify facts before you share. Add context if you must repost. Try to unite instead of divide — let’s not become the Divided States of America.
Tell Yourself the Right Stories
Replace “they’re monsters” with “they’re people shaped by different experiences, bad information and worse incentives.” Empathy isn’t agreement — it’s accuracy.
Visualize Your Greatness
Imagine a public square where disagreement sharpens ideas instead of shattering communities.
Get Comfortable with Discomfort
Seek out opposing views and listen for five uninterrupted minutes. Like BJJ, discomfort builds capability.
Take Advantage of Your Disadvantages
The system is rigged for rage. Use that pressure to innovate new incentives and better platforms.
Solutions that actually move the needle
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Pay for trustworthy news. Subscriptions reduce the incentive for clickbait. If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.
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Redesign algorithms. Reward constructive debate; penalize sensationalism.
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Penalize inorganic amplification. Rapid takedowns of botnets; clear labels on state media.
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Teach digital literacy. Media hygiene should be a civic skill.
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Force cross-exposure. Mix high-quality counter-arguments into feeds.
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Bring people into rooms again. Town halls, debates, interfaith dialogues. Humans de-escalate when face-to-face.
“The outrage economy is a rigged fight. Stop feeding it. Start building something better.”
Closing Call
Our adversaries don’t need tanks at our borders when they can light fires inside our feeds. Every attack — from Oklahoma City to Charleston to Minnesota to Charlie Kirk — is proof of how fragile we’ve allowed our civic culture to become. We all need to do our part in reshaping the trajectory of our democracy — and it starts today with me and you.
