The Turning Point
- Gabe Moore
- 19 hours ago
- 6 min read
December 7, 1941.
November 22, 1963.
September 11, 2001.
That list of dates should raise a myriad of emotions in any group of people who know their American history. The initial, knee-jerk reaction is probably a melancholy one, and that reaction is more than appropriate considering the tragedies synonymous with these dates.
On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan, killing more than 2,000 people and launching America into the rapids of World War II.
On November 22, 1963, 35th United States President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, in an incident that has remained a major topic of debate ever since its occurrence, with conspiracy theories and speculation being as numerous as lines in the sand.
On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists, prompting the United States to launch a global War on Terrorism that would drag on for much of the next two decades and claim numerous more lives.
But the melancholy reaction won’t be the only one. It will probably be first and will probably be most prominent, but it will slowly change. It’ll loosen its cold grip, slowly warming up and putting something like pride into the hearts of so many of us Americans.
Because, in each of those instances, the tragedy was followed by a show of strength. The devastating attack against Pearl Harbor was transformed into one of the most unifying events in all of human history. As a result of it, the United States of America had no choice but to thrust itself into World War II and confront the rapidly swelling current of evil in Germany, Italy and Japan.
John F. Kennedy’s assassination immediately triggered his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, to declare a National Day of Mourning on the following Monday, November 25. The best regards of the entire nation were cast upon the Kennedy family, and for weeks a country grieved for the fallen president.
Following September 11, 2001, Americans came together in droves to remember and honor every employee or government worker killed inside the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, and every firefighter and first responder who sacrificed themselves to save other lives. American flags flew on nearly every corner, the nation vowing to find strength and unity in a time of unimaginable tragedy.
These dates all represent key moments, major bumps in the road, turning points, if you will, in American history. Dates like this come about on rare occasions. Often, enough time passes between them for a new generation to arise and wonder whether they even really happened. It’s only once another such event occurs that the new generation begins to grasp what happened.
For Generation Z, that event happened this fall. On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, was assassinated on the campus of Utah Valley State University while conducting a forum with UVSU students, as he did at each campus that he visited. His killer was caught a few days later; the hoopla of the coming trial and the media coverage that will surround it has yet to truly take hold but will be earth-shattering when it does.
Mr. Kirk’s assassination has a handful of things in common with these other events: A prominent American voice was killed, leading to a massive fallout and a number of extreme reactions from all over the world. The government certainly reacted in a similar way as in the past events. President Trump posthumously awarded Mr. Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on what would have been Mr. Kirk’s 32nd Birthday. (1 ) Congress also approved a measure in Charlie Kirk’s honor, just a week after his death. (2)
Those two things can certainly share many sentiments with the J.F.K. assassination, the spark that ignited U.S. involvement in the second World War, and the aftermath of September 11. Where things really begin to differ, however, is in the wide range of reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death. In all these past turning points, the vast majority of Americans have been able to set aside their differences and call a tragedy a tragedy. Now, obviously, this fact isn’t all-encompassing; many conspiracy theories about 9/11 have remained prominent, and several high-profile figures were criticized for refusing to condemn the Kennedy assassination. Civil Rights activist Malcolm X famously referred to it as “chickens coming home to roost.” (3)
But those reactions were, in large part, the exception instead of the rule, a few blips on the radar screen, a few small bumps in the road, whatever your preferred cliche. The same could not be said about the death of Charlie Kirk. Rather than condemning his death, many went out of their way to celebrate it and were subsequently punished for their behavior. (4)
Rather than unifying, as it had in the past, the country seemed more divided than ever in the wake of Mr. Kirk’s death. The vile comments that ensued from both sides of the political aisle in the wake of the assassination could charitably be described as revolting. The political finger-pointing, long a staple of American politics, reached truly disheartening new lows. The right blamed the rhetoric of the left, the left blamed the rhetoric of the right, and seemingly lost in all of the absurd back-and-forth was the fact that a husband, a son, a brother, and a father of two young children lost his life.
The question this author would like to ask is a simple one:
What happened to humanity?
In all the prior incidents described, America was able to (for the most part) push aside partisanship and political weaponry, fold up the pointing finger, turn down the boiling of the proverbial pot and agree on the fact that a tragedy was a tragedy. Instead of being revered and mourned, Mr. Kirk was posthumously both weaponized and demonized.
The question, of course, is why. What has caused us as society to fall so far down into this gutter? Why are we now at a point where we can no longer agree that someone being murdered in cold blood is just plain wrong, regardless of your opinions of that person and their beliefs?
The answer is all around us. It lies in the news feeds we watch, the stories we read, the things we see on social media. Every single piece of rhetoric we come across is designed to further stoke the ever-burning flames of division. It picks at our brain, reels us in, grabs us and shakes us, forces information down our throat until we start to swallow. After so much exposure that kind of thing, it’s human nature to start to believe. If only the other side would just change their ways, if only the other side were not so inflexible, if only those fascists, communist, etc. would just shut up and go away.
It can’t be long before it slides out of control. Eventually, we forget that those on the other side are our friends, our neighbors, our fellow PTA members, our fellow students, our teachers, and most of all, human beings. They, just like us, are trying to find their way through this maze we call life. The fact that they are taking a different route than we are shouldn’t define our relationship with them.
Mr. Kirk was known to say during his debates on college campuses that his reason for doing what he did was because he believed our country was headed for Civil War. He believed that the prevention of such a conflict could be achieved only by allowing for discussion and debate with those we disagree with.
“The only way we heal our divide,”
he said once,
“Is by talking to people we disagree with.” (5)
Charlie Kirk was right. Even if you didn’t agree with anything else he ever said, the words above are one truth you cannot deny. If you, like me, are a member of Generation Z and believe that change is necessary, and that Mr. Kirk was correct in stating that we are furthering our own demise with the constant political discourse in our country, join me in trying to further the healing he spoke of. Reach out to someone across the aisle. Make yourself available to discuss anything with anyone in a civil manner. Focus on commonalities and not on differences. Be human.
Mr. Kirk’s death, as stated previously, will be a turning point in our country, perhaps the most impactful turning point of an entire generation. It will be up to Generation Z to decide which way we turn. Will we turn ourselves closer to the Civil War Charlie Kirk believed our country to be moving toward? Or, will we, like previous generations, find strength and unity as the result of tragedy?
Charlie Kirk died believing that unity could be found. We will see if he was correct.
1) Weissert, Will. “Trump Honors Charlie Kirk with Presidential Medal of Freedom on What Would Be His 32nd Birthday.” AP News, AP News, 14 Oct. 2025, apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-presidential-medal-of-freedom-f895a361c5c1d2663cacd64082bb5ed7.
2) Cappelletti, Joey. “House Approves Resolution Honoring Charlie Kirk with Dozens of Democrats Opposed.” AP News, AP News, 19 Sept. 2025, apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-congress-democrats-d081cf80ff514310f307590ff1d75f04.
3) History.com Editors. “The Assassination of Malcolm X.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Dec. 2021, www.history.com/articles/malcolm-x-assassination.
4) Herzlich, Taylor. “US Companies Fire Pilots, Teachers, Health Care Workers for Mocking Charlie Kirk’s Assassination.” New York Post, New York Post, 15 Sept. 2025, nypost.com/2025/09/15/business/us-companies-fire-pilots-teachers-health-care-workers-for-mocking-char lie-kirks-assassination/.
