Liberals should thank Charlie Kirk.
Kirk—a far-right political activist who has become a well-known and well-loved political figure for young people—is doing hard work, getting right-leaning students out to events and showing the rest of the students who they really are.
I went to Illinois State University’s campus on Tuesday, April 8th, to watch Kirk speak as a part of his “American Comeback” tour.
This event didn’t sway my beliefs at all; I still identify with the left, heavily.
But I do think I, and various liberals, owe Kirk a “thank you.”
He gathered countless conservative ISU students, many liberal ISU students, and some outside viewers who differed in political opinions.
I thank him because his event properly showed me just how many conservative students there are. It showed me what liberal students are up against, and it is scarier than it looks.
I thought there would be more Kirk haters than there were supporters, and I was proven extremely wrong.
When I arrived at the event, I saw an alarming amount of “Make America Great Again” hats and various white “47” hats.
I was the odd one out in a sea of Trump hats, and it wasn’t a great feeling.
I didn’t have time to make a sign protesting Kirk’s event, but I was hoping there would be people protesting.
When I arrived, there was one person at the entrance holding a poster of the trans flag, and in the crowd, there were a couple of signs that bashed Kirk.
Some of these signs were vulgar, and some of them were powerful, but I was appalled at the lack of them.
After observing the crowd and continuously shaking my head, a roar of cheers erupted from the crowd. Kirk had come out and was ready to speak with students.
Kirk’s events are structured so students who disagree with his views come up and debate him. I was excited to hear from students who have similar views to mine, debating Kirk, and hopefully getting some good points in. But that isn’t what happened.
The speaker they used was awful. I couldn’t hear Kirk or the person debating him for the first hour and a half.
I was angry, but the reason I stayed was because of the crowd.
The people around me were complaining and had the exact same thoughts I did: “Why didn’t they bring better speakers, and why isn’t Kirk on a stage?”
The people in the first five rows could see Kirk, but the people farther back couldn’t see him at all.
But the people around me were praising Kirk. Hearing their comments and watching their actions was fascinating.
Dozens of videos were taken, and many of them were posted on social media bragging about the fact that they were seeing Kirk live.
People were calling their friends, seeing where they were, and urging them to come. I saw those same people texting their parents, bragging about where they were and who they were seeing.
People were actually excited for Kirk to be on their campus, and my mind was boggled. To me, Kirk is a bigoted man who constantly spews hate. I was not excited to see him.
I was curious to see what he had to say, how he had to say it, and how the crowd reacted to it. The crowd around me was excited.
In the end, going to Kirk’s event was incredibly informational. I learned that the left has a long journey to trek; minds need to change, communication needs to improve, and protests must continue. Getting the word out is all that we can do as American citizens.
Democratic politicians have even more to do; they are the ones that the American people look to, but they aren’t doing the outreach we need.
The right is finding people that young men and women can relate to. Far-right activists like Kirk are communicating their rhetoric in ways that these people can easily digest and believe.
The left must follow suit to counter their rhetoric.
Kirk and his fellow far-right cronies have challenged the left; all we have to do now is counter.
Leftist activists you can support:
Dean Withers
A 20-year-old liberal social media influencer. Withers has debated Kirk, Ben Shapiro, and many other far-right influencers. Withers is active on many social media platforms but rose to fame after going viral on TikTok. Withers is currently headlining a tour with other leftist content creators to counter Kirk’s tour.
Follow:
TikTok: @itsdeaann
Instagram: @deanwithrs
X: @itsdeaann
Tour Information: https://www.unfuckamericatour.com/
Andra Berghoff
Andra is a younger woman who educates TikTok users about far-right media. She makes her views known while also supplying facts. Political commentary seems to be her niche, but she also makes videos about what is happening in pop culture.
Follow:
TikTok: @hopeyoufindyourdad
Instagram: @andraberghoff
X: @hopeufindurdad
ImJustZander
Zander is a TikTok creator who educates viewers about what is happening in politics. Zander highlights large news events that have happened or are currently going on and tells viewers what happens next and how it affects them.
Follow:
TikTok: @ImJustZander
Instagram: @_imjustzander
X: @ImJustZander
