When elites work to exclude certain viewpoints, when they brand voices as too extreme to be heard, they create the conditions for violence

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It’s hard not to be somewhat dissatisfied with the reactions to the assassination of American political commentator Charlie Kirk.

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In official circles, the response has been predictable: disgust, horror and condemnation. Politicians across the spectrum insist that no one should be killed simply for expressing a point of view. These are necessary gestures, affirmations of what ought to be normal in a democratic society.

Yet the minute you peek into the online world of TikTok or Reddit, you find a very different mood. There, the algorithms eagerly feed the darker instincts of human tribalism: gleeful posts celebrating Kirk’s death, claims that he is burning in hell, even thanks offered to the bullet that ended his life.

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It is important not to get too caught up in the carnage that froths to the surface of our political stew. But it is also important not to confuse thoughts and feelings with something more meaningful. Expressions of sympathy are welcome, but they are not the same as grappling honestly with the underlying issues.

In Canada especially, there is a jarring irony.........

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