DISCOURSE: Stop the name-calling

We must stop calling each other inflammatory, politically charged names. 

Over the past decade, some labels have become weapons in public discourse: communist, misogynist, fascist, racist, Jew-hater, Zionist, liar, homophobe, transphobe, white supremacist, Christian nationalist, anti-Semite, evangelical, socialist, antiracist, populist, anti-immigrant, woke, Nazi, Hitler, alt-right, far-left, far-right, extremist, deplorable, climate-change denier, white privileged — the list goes on and on. 

The most common — and perhaps most damaging — label today is one word: hater. It has become the shortcut for shutting down any disagreement. If you can call someone a hater, you no longer have to defend your own opinion. You claim the moral high ground, attack the person rather than their argument, and end the discussion. You win — without ever engaging — and people with opposing views choose silence.

This brings us to Charlie Kirk. Tragically, he paid the ultimate price for the caustic, false labels unfairly attributed to him as a human being. His life is a reminder of the very real harm that comes from reducing people to caricatures instead of seeing them as complex individuals. 

Few people exemplified courage more than he did, putting himself in front of college students — many of whom disliked him — to give them the chance to challenge him and “prove him wrong.” He debated with a sharp mind and remarkable intelligence, admitting when he didn’t know enough to speak on a topic and standing firm when he did. His opponents often nitpicked every word, eager to catch him in a mistake and brand him a liar, but Charlie remained committed to open conversation.

One only needs to look at how he lived to see him as a man of integrity. He exemplified what he encouraged young men to do. “Stop going out partying, get married, have children, and start building a legacy for yourself.” Personally I didn’t agree with every opinion he espoused, but that’s to be expected. What stood out was his willingness to have the hard conversations and to keep showing up, no matter how hostile the environment might be. 

The best way to honor his memory is to do better ourselves: Refuse to engage in destructive name-calling, listen before judging, and debate ideas rather than labeling people.

CYNTHIA MARLETTE

Coeur d’Alene