Victor Davis Hanson: Kirk Assassination is a Turning Point for Western Civilization
“Something is happening in the United States and, I think, worldwide too.”
Conservative scholar Victor Davis Hanson has put out a new video addressing the murder of Charlie Kirk, which also looks at the big picture, a Hanson specialty.
He suggests that Kirk’s assassination represents a turning point for Western Civilization, citing the feelings of many that the world has changed and that people have reached their limit with the radical left.
Partial transcript via the Daily Signal:
Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. Something is happening in the United States and, I think, worldwide too. It’s almost as if there were fuel and the death of Charlie Kirk ignited it.
It’s not a George Floyd movement at all, or moment. We’ve talked about that. It’s very different. It’s building up frustration. It’s not a top-down DEI mandate. It’s a grassroots kind of collective shrug throughout Western civilization. And I guess it could be characterized as enough is enough.
We’re witnessing large-scale demonstrations in Ireland, Great Britain. The government of France has fallen, and French President Emmanuel Macron will have to appoint a new prime minister. There is unrest in the Netherlands.
We used to think, during the Cold War, that Eastern Europe was supposedly backward, politically, under the Soviet sway, economically stagnant. But since the Cold War, and especially lately, the Eastern Europeans seem the most sensible of all Westerners. They believe in tradition. They believe in borders. They believe in legal-only immigration. They believe in fossil fuel development. And they have strong militaries because they’ve experienced Soviet aggression and German aggression in the past. And yet, they also are having a reinforcing moment.
What is this moment? We’re seeing it in the United States with thousands of people commemorating the death of Charlie Kirk. There’s no tolerance for the usual left-wing, socialist craziness, the abhorrent, violent smears of conservatives who’ve died. And you don’t see major bureaucrats, or generals, or Hollywood figures—increasingly, they’re not coming out and rejoicing because they feel that they’re going to get a big pushback.
This is not violent. It’s just a collective shrug.
Watch the whole thing below:
It definitely feels as though something has shifted. Even typically non-political people seem to have woken up to the reality of the world we live in and everyone but the radical left seems determined to change things. We don’t have to live this way.
Featured image via YouTube.
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Comments
The turning point for Western civilization is indeed at hand. Kirk’s assassination has clearly pointed out what the Orcs have planned for us.
Which way will it go?
As Tolkien noted, it is time for the Men of the West to stand.
Which direction will it go however?
If it goes in the Candace/Tucker direction all it means is Jews will be attacked a little but harder by the DEI complex.
They’re already letting Carlson speak at Indiana in place of Charlie. If it goes the Tucker/Candace way, Jews will be more than a little attacked, a lot more. You can watch the highlights from your couch until they come for you.
I agree
Elevate the man who thinks Mustache Man is unfairly targeted by the establishment today and you will get massive anti-Semitism tomorrow.
The Cult of Tucker is out of control. Tucker’s last campus hit involved a massive socialist speech that is TO THE LEFT OF BERNIE SANDERS without even touching his Jewish question.
His World War Two revision is unforgivable, and no we would not tolerate the left doing and I know that BECAUSE WE DID NOT TOLERATE WHEN THE LEFT DID IT.
I am so old I remember way back in 2019 when our nations finest moment was sacrosanct.
An America hating socialist who hates Jews, who thinks the Atom Bomb (you know America saving millions of Japanese let alone American, and non-Japanese Asian lives by forcing a surrender without an invasion of Japan) is an unpardonable crime in the same way the left thinks slavery is an unpardonable crime by America……
Could we be honest and stop using the American flag if we go in that direction? If you like mustache man (the one who encouraged the Japanese to attack the United States, while declaring war on the United States when it happened) you do not love America. And no if you wish we had fought by Hitler’s side against Stalin you are on Hitler’s side.
The left let a very close equivalent to Tucker (Al Sharpton et al) flourish in their party and look at the shape it is in 30 years later.
Hanson’s comments are spot on (as usual) although I wonder if the word “shrug” is the best word as I associate it with Ayn Rand, and in that context it means to give up and walk away, leaving the mess to the instigators to wallow in. That is clearly not what is happening right now. “Oh, well… Who is John Galt?” is not today’s rallying cry.
That said, I cannot reconcile the comments of the supremely vulgar Jasmine Crockett (not that she’s the only one) with those of Ericka Kirk last night.
Perhaps the reason I can’t is that they cannot be reconciled.
Voting won’t work, but shunning will.
Segregation is the only solution.
I’m going to say something unkind. Am I the only one who thinks VDH is overrated?
I know he’s a right wing pundit’s darling, but he’s literally a master of the obvious saying absolutely nothing new on each video and proclaiming the most obvious of statements. How he got the reputation of deep thinker is a mystery.
On one hand you have Andy Ngo, Katie Daviscourt, Cam Higby and Honey Badger putting their lives on the line and taking bear spray to the face and doing deep research on what’s going on (and totally undervalued by the right wing), then you have these armchair quarterbacks pontificating what’s been going on with no value add what-so-ever (Ben Shapiro, VDH and many others).
VDH does for the world what Nora Dmitrova Clinton does for LI.
Though written constitutions may be violated in moments of passion or delusion, yet they furnish a text to which those who are watchful may again rally and recall the people; they fix for the people the principles of their political creed.
—THOMAS JEFFERSON
I’m not sure if that was pro VDH or a dig no Nora.
Think of the English Lit prof who, despite spending his lecture time on elevated topics of philosophy, takes care to address the spelling and grammar in his students’ assignments as well as their philosophical offerings. You don’t get to be lax on the basics because you think you’ve now moved past them. Rigor promotes rationality.
Ben Shapiro routinely goes to college campuses and has confirmed claims he was going to stop are untrue.
His most viral moments are college campus moments.
When was the last time Ben went to a college campus?
I know he USED to do it. I was a fan of him then. A million years ago when he was in Seattle- I’d catch him on the KTTH BEFORE he was syndicated. Like Jason Rantz (the best reporter occasionally on Fox you’ve never heard of) does there now, Shapiro would do his homework and be on the cutting edge. Lately Shapiro just cashes checks for saying nothing but the obvious about today’s headline. NOTHING NEW EVER COMES FROM HIS MOUTH in terms of news nor insight.
Ben and VDH are both in the “franchise” part of their careers which involves taking no risks and saying nothing but the exact same talking points again and again. He’s long since transformed from the sharpest prosecutor in the building but with a flame thrower to yet another hack with a template behind a paywall.
Neither comes across as brilliant or inspiring.
Hell – even Ann Coulter still bothers to do research and homework. When you read her columns, agree with her or not, there’s originality and effort. Her content might come from the latest headline OR into the mortar behind the bricks of the wall behind the headline. When you read her content- 7 out of 10 times you’ll see facts and data no one prior has brought forth
Just within the past three days, as a response to the assassination, Shapiro vowed renewed priority to his own appearances on college campuses.
Don’t forget, there were no few instances of Shapiro failing to get permission for such appearances, or actually being disinvited after he had gotten it.
“Am I the only one who thinks VDH is overrated?”
Yes. You are. There is a need for both. Andy Ngo, Cam Higby, and the others do good work by going into the lion’s den, but there is also a need for those who articulate why the left is wrong. Intellectual arguments are needed just as much as boots on the ground.
Like I said… darlings of the rightwing. VDH is soooo awesome that he’s kicking the shit out of a hack writer from Scotland whose schitck is panning woke movies.
VDH YouTube video: 54k views in 3 days.
Critical Drinker Youtube video: 850k in 3 days.
oh wait…
I’m sure you’re going to get near a point somedy, right?
Moron.
Damn near any TikTok titty jiggle dance will beat both of them. So what?
The Left has already won the culture war. It’s not even close. The culture of the West is grossly perverse and it’s not going to recover. The electorate has shifted far Left. The last R before Trump to win the popular vote was Bush in 2004. And Trump only won 31 states. 19 are solid blue. The Democrats ran the worst, most incompetent candidate in 2024 and she only lost by 1.5%. And that’s because Trump pushes turnout. And so far they’ve only dented the Deep State. The national debt continues to run amok.
Demographics are also skewing globalist. Tariffs are a long term bad strategy. With the minimum wage, giant Welfare State (embraced by Trump and the GOP), pushes for expanded health benefits… pressure will be on prices. Over all that looms the enormous national debt. The US will slowly become Europe.
What we are seeing is a blip. So few Americans understand the foundations of the Republic. The Left has a stranglehold on the education system from preschool to universities. The lure of the promise of “free stuff!” is powerful as is the narcissism and accolades that come with virtue signaling.
Americans of European descent are dwindling and many of the women have embraced a Marxist view of society. The family unit is under assault. Marriage is crashing. I have no idea what he thinks will come from this rally, but there aren’t enough committed patriotic Americans to make a difference.
Clearly, your view is that black pills are permanent. If you happen to be wrong, these four years (and perhaps a term or two more for another MAGA) are our last best chance to detox the country from them.
Thanks negative Nancy
Did you mean that reply for me? Because I’m not the negative one here,
Trump’s next three years, plus one or two more of somebody like Vance could quite possibly return this country to social normalcy. However, after living through just four years of “Wreck-It Ralph” Biden, I’m under no illusion about how fast his pals could crater it beyond hope of redemption should they ever get back in charge.
If the left ever regains power…
I certainly am glad I won’t have to live through the horror that is approaching.
Well, I guess we’re doomed then. Everyone into the bunker.
Except that Charlie Kirk’s memorial showed how wrong you are.
I am cautiously optimistic against your pessimism.
1) Woke media is losing
2) The assault on the nuclear family has painted themselves into losing corner (long diatribe but the dummies version is: we make babies, have nuclear familes, they don’t)
3) USAID and a lot of the grifter cash flow is dead.
A lot of work needs to go into killing the rest of the grifter cash flow, but I think the Devil is finally on the run.
One reason I liked Charlie was because of his optimism. And look how much difference his optimism made.
He has become more powerful than he could possibly imagine.
Use some thought, Luke.
When teams of armed young men start showing up and taking action….. Then there’ll be something to awe. It’s all of the uneducated folks across this country who’ll make the big difference.