Cancel culture and having a sense of proportion

We are all fallen, sinful people. Every single person in the history of the universe has said something stupid or ignorant or offensive, only to later wish he or she could take it back.

The attempted assassination of President Donald Trump was a terrible thing. Had he been murdered less than four months before Election Day, it would have thrown the entire country into chaos with the potential for violence and loss of life on a large scale. We should be thankful we avoided that outcome. Given the stakes involved, and because of basic human decency, celebrating the shooter and wishing he had not missed is a depraved and perverted thing to do.

But while that speech is indeed awful, conservatives need to calm down. Does it really help our cause to target a random nobody for destruction, ruin his life, put his family in danger, cause his friends and colleagues to be harassed and threatened, get him fired from his job and make him potentially unemployable because he made a stupid remark on social media in the heat of the moment? Do you not think that is a disproportionate reaction to a stupid comment or post? Have we lost all sense of proportion?

We need to take a step back and have a little humility and self-reflection. We are all fallen, sinful people. Every single person in the history of the universe has said something stupid or ignorant or offensive, only to later wish he or she could take it back. Sometimes, the regret is instantaneous. Sometimes, it takes a while to realize why it was wrong. Forget about social media: Would we want something we said in anger or an inappropriate joke broadcast across the entire world? Can any of us really claim to not live in a glass house?

It is especially important to have humility, because of the nature of social media pitchfork mobs. When people seek "revenge" on the "bad person" for his speech, what they are really doing is proclaiming their own righteousness. They feel like they are "doing something" by standing up for what is right, or standing up for "victims" by holding people "accountable." But what what they are really doing is being vindictive and self-righteous. You are not making the world a better place by trying to ruin someone's life for an offensive social media post. You are making it worse.

Conservatives claim to oppose "cancel culture." Do we really believe that, or is it just a convenient thing to say when the ideas we hold are subject to censorship or retaliation? What would we say if it was a friend or a loved one who was subjected to this treatment - even if we vehemently disagreed with what that person said?

Some say that we need to "fight fire with fire." No, we do not. Attacking a random nobody and ruining his life only encourages more retaliation and scalp-collecting in response. Targeting a random nobody for destruction is not "fighting fire with fire." It is vengeful and petty, and conservatives need to be better than that. "Fighting fire with fire" does not sway votes to your chosen candidates, at the top or bottom of the ballot. It does not change minds on public policy. It only makes people more bitter and resentful.

We need to be better people. We need to have a sense of proportion. We need to be humble. The way we get "revenge" is not to "fight fire with fire." The way we get "revenge" on people who say depraved things is to be better than they are. This does not mean we cannot disagree with or condemn that speech, but no election has ever been won, no bad legislation has ever been stopped, and no good legislation has ever been passed by targeting a random nobody and ruining his life. Take a step back and focus on making the world a better place, not getting petty revenge on the social media target of the moment.