Isabela Casahuga Lemgruber, who went viral for a demonic speech mocking and celebrating Charlie Kirk's assassination and hurling a thinly-veiled death threat at Turning Point USA speaker Christian Collins, has apologized. I say we should accept it and move on. Maybe it was sincere, though it probably was not. However, continuing to pile on is not helpful. She has learned her lesson.
We should not miss the opportunity this presents for all of us to learn a lesson and examine our own thoughts and behavior. I know I say "go outside and touch grass" a lot, but her vile speech is a perfect example of why everyone needs to go outside touch grass. In Casahuga Lemgruber's bubble, both in her circle of friends and whatever online communities she follows, she probably thought she would get nothing but praise and that Kirk is so universally hated that she would be a heroine. It probably did not even occur to her that the backlash would be so widespread, or that she would go viral nationwide.
People on both sides get into their little bubbles and think everyone agrees with their most extreme views and vile so-called "jokes." They see nothing but affirmation of their own views while they shut out opposing voices and heterodox opinions. They are then shocked that there is an opposing view, or they are shocked that that the opposing view is far more widely held than they thought. When you go viral for saying or doing something truly depraved, you get a moment of clarity.
One thing I have not seen addressed much, due to the outrage over celebrating Kirk's murder and the veiled death threat at Collins, was her casually laughing about taking a "Plan B" on the way to the speech. Thirty years ago, President Clinton said he wanted abortion to be "safe, legal and rare." Abortion was something that was tragic, but it was necessary for women to have access to it. We are so deep into the culture of death that killing your own child is something to laugh about in order to "trigger" conservatives. As vile as her remarks about Kirk were, gloating about killing your own child is worse. We should not overlook this.
This controversy also illustrates why empathy is important. Obviously, I do not mean toxic empathy that sacrifices innocent people to predators, but real empathy that keeps you from cruel sadism. If she empathized with the people who were grieving the murder, with Kirk's widow and his children, or with his co-workers, she would have had second thoughts about celebrating a man's death. If she had empathy for Collins, she would not have casually joked right to his face about him being brutally murdered. But far too many people do not see their ideological opponents as people worthy of love or respect, much less consider their families.
So get out of your bubble. Read and listen to people with different viewpoints. Put your phone or tablet down, close your laptop, or get up and walk away from your computer. Think about how you would feel if someone you admired was publicly murdered and how you would feel if someone mocked that murder. Think about how you would feel if it was your own father or mother who was violently stolen from you were one year old, so you would have no memory of him or her. Broaden your horizons and expand your mind. And above all else, go outside and touch grass.
The need to go outside and touch grass
Get out of your bubble. Read and listen to people with different viewpoints.
