Dangerous Words Leading to Violence – Is it Really Both Sides?

Spoiler alert: It’s not.

Leftists on social and mainstream media and the usual politicians are trying very hard to make a case that both sides are causing violence with their rhetoric. It makes it seem more equitable- like nobody’s Hitler-talk set the stage for Charlie Kirk to be gunned down in cold blood with an accusation of “fascist” etched into one of the bullets.

It’s a spin for the win. Maintaining the charade of innocence on the Democratic side.

It’s not to say that conservatives aren’t throwing their share of barbs at liberals. In recent years, President Joe Biden has become widely referred to as “Sleepy Joe,” a name used by many podcasters, broadcasters, and on social media. “Let’s Go, Brandon” was an unkind euphemism chanted, emblazoned on flags and T-shirts. Probably the master of nicknames is Trump himself, who called his previous opponent “Crooked Hillary” and had a plethora of creative tags for all who sought his downfall. Sure, not the nicest things to say.

During his first term, our President began calling the mainstream media “fake news,” which has stuck – and is an accurate assessment from where I sit. During the last election cycle and before that, the media’s treatment of a worldwide pandemic, a summer of riots, and January 6th uncovered the truth about media spin, blatant bias, and, well, its underlying foundation of fakeness.

Still, none of these caused our side to flood the streets, burn down businesses, or fight law enforcement. Even the most right-leaning, pickup truck-driving, flag-waving patriots didn’t rob Target, Best Buy, and Walgreens to make a point. The fact is, though we have plenty of guns – so many– on our side of the aisle, and were outraged by the actions of the previous administration, we didn’t plot assassinations or plant bombs. We lived with four years of truly harmful policies and government overreach, and we didn’t take up arms.

Yet, Democrats and their media allies still claim Republicans are the violent ones.

“But…Jan 6th ?!”

It’s their go-to proof that the Right is violent.

It’s their most important and most impotent card to play.

By now, most, especially in the media, know that there’s a lot more to that fateful day than the spin. Though they still do their best to hide facts from the American people.

Nearly 50% of Republicans report that they own guns – compared to almost 20% of Democrats. So, how come the side with the most guns allegedly tried to take over the government unarmed?

Worst. Rioters. Ever. The only lives lost were those of an unarmed protester, Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, shot in the face, despite not attacking anyone, and three other Trump supporters who died due to medical emergencies. Most of the middle-aged individuals who walked through the Capitol that day appeared like a tour group rather than violent protesters. Afterward, interviews revealed that many who were arrested and even served time had been unaware of the gravity of what was happening. That is not to excuse the smaller number of those who were violent, or outside agitators who may have tried to stir things up.

So, we’ll put the January 6th in the Right’s column.

Political Violence from the Left

Now, contrast January 6th with this (not exhaustive) list from the Left:

• Riots All Summer of 2020, $1-2 billion in property damage, with more than 25 killed, thousands of civilians injured, and more than 2000 injuries among law enforcement. Carried out by BLM, Antifa, and others.
• Attempted Assassination, Butler, Pennsylvania – Trump was wounded in the ear by a rooftop shooter.
• Attempted Assassination, West Palm Beach, Florida – Shooter discovered on Trump’s golf course while the President was playing.
• Covenant School Shooting – 6 deaths, three adults and three children. Transgender shooter.
• Pregnancy Resource Center Attacks, of 2022-23, included arson, firebombing, vandalism, and threats against staff. Political violence from pro-abortion activists.
• Congressional Baseball Practice Shooting – four injured, most seriously, the US House Majority Whip, Steve Scalise. Shooter is a left-wing activist and a supporter of Bernie Sanders.
• Annunciation Catholic School Shooting – 2 children killed, 18 people wounded. Transgender shooter whose rifle magazine read “Kill Donald Trump.”
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh Assassination Attempt – A man plotted to kill Justice Kavanaugh but was caught before the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Protesters surrounded and threatened several of the justices’ homes, and President Biden refused to uphold the laws against parading and intimidating judges.
• ICE Agent Attacks – ICE agents were violently attacked and doxed by leftist activists, sanctioned by local and state governments in some cases.
• Tesla Dealerships and Owners Attacked – Vandalism, firebombing, and violence against owners of Teslas, by liberals opposed to the Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk’s work to root out government waste and fraud.
• Charlie Kirk Assassination – Early evidence reveals that the alleged murderer was motivated by political disagreement with Charlie’s views.

There may be a few other incidents that could be attributed to right-leaning individuals, and probably many more from the Left. Even so, it’s not even close to comparable.

The Left and the Media’s Hypnotic Effect

During a time when Americans are split on many issues, there’s no genuine attempt to debate hot-button topics, as Charlie liked to do. Instead, the argument is stifled before it has a chance to begin with conversation-ending easy verdicts. If you want a closed border, you are racist. If you’re against high crime, then you are a gun-lover who doesn’t care about others. If you think Israel should be allowed to defend itself, you don’t care about Palestinian babies. If you believe in traditional marriage, you are a homophobe. You get the idea. Pretty much any policy in need of discussion has an insulting name designed to shut down conversation.

Trump has been called a Nazi, a dictator, fascist, and Hitler – probably hundreds if not thousands of times. It makes one wonder if they actually know who Hitler was and what he did. Because objectively, nothing Trump is doing even remotely resembles the genocidal despot. Charlie Kirk has been called similar names, along with Elon Musk and probably most members of the Trump cabinet. These charges lack any notion of accuracy, receipts, and frankly, creativity.

But when you hear them over and over and over again, for some, it starts to ring true – despite lacking evidence.

Greg Gutfeld, host of Gutfeld! and The Five on Fox News described it as a sort of hypnotism of the masses. “I do believe there is causation from news to outcome. If you subtract the media’s influence, this wouldn’t have happened. I think you can say the same for Scalise, Trump’s near assassinations, Tesla owners attacked, ICE agents attacked, Jewish students attacked, Riley Gaines cornered on a campus. Causation.

“Calling people evil bigots and Nazis does put targets on their backs. And this is why you’re seeing on social media so many people celebrating, even if you’re not even looking for it. It’s there. And I don’t call them evil. I call them hypnotized. They were brainwashed. And the way you brainwash somebody is through repetition, ‘Nazi, Nazi, Nazi, fascist, fascist, fascist. That’s how you brainwash.”¹

A Turning Point in America?

I’ve been surprised, have you?

Seeing leftists dance with glee, trample, or pour paint on Charlie Kirk memorials isn’t a shock to me at this point. However, the fact that many of them faced repercussions did catch me off guard.

The social outrage against those who publicly celebrated the tragedy of Charlie’s death seems to indicate a new commonsense shift toward decency in our culture. Is it possible?

It almost feels like sanity is attempting a comeback, with these ghoulish words and behaviors going out of style to all but the “hypnotized.”

Across the nation, workers, including teachers, doctors, school board members, airline workers, sports organizations, legal firms, and even Nasdaq employees, have lost their positions because of things said or posted after the killing. In their defense, the Left and media have not only tolerated, but promoted the use of words like “nazis,” “Hitler,” “fascist, and “racist” against all who dare disagree with them. Hyperbolic and untrue in almost every case, these sentiments were parroted routinely since around 2020, with virtually no backlash. So, how could they know that times have changed?

Even some in the media have taken heat. MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd led the pack by blaming Charlie for his own death on the day he was shot, which led to his departure from that network. Now, Jimmy Kimmel appears to be done.

His failing show had descended into low ratings and even lower comedic value. It’s pretty much been a mediocre I-hate-Trump-fest ever since 47 took office, complete with tears upon news of the Trump/Vance win.

This week, though, Jimmy outdid himself. He claimed that the obviously left-leaning murderer of Charlie Kirk was MAGA and that the Right was trying to hide that fact. This is after it was well known that the killer was anything but MAGA.

It’s worth noting that we support free speech, but this is ultimately an employer’s decision. ABC faced backlash from advertisers over Kimmel’s on-air lie and made the decision to suspend him. It’s not unprecedented. Remember Gina Carano, who starred in The Mandalorian and was fired over a social media post? How about Rosanne Barr, who lost her starring role in her hit show? Businesses like Disney (which owns ABC) will make decisions they feel are in their best financial interests.

Truth Trumps Lies

Will we see a turn from the extreme and inciting language of the Left? You may not want to hold your breath. It would be nice to think that Charlie’s passing would usher in a new wave of civility and conversation. It may. Time will tell.

Let’s lead by doing our part to engage in debate and dialogue. Right now, around the world, people are watching video after video of Charlie Kirk’s engaging, thoughtful, and friendly interactions with those who disagreed with his worldview. Some in those clips were convinced – others were not. Still, we can hope and pray that those who are experiencing the impact of his work after he’s gone will consider the way of peaceful engagement rather than violence.

For now, we must continue to stand for what’s right as we consider our choice of words. Proverbs 18:21 says it well, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Podcast Note: In-N-Out Burger began as a burger stand in California in 1948 and has since become so much more than a fast-food establishment. President and owner of In-N-Out Burger, Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, sat down with us this week. An outspoken Christian and mother of four, Lynsi shares her story and the importance of integrity in business today.

¹ Greg Gutfeld, from The Five, September 11th, 2025

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