In the immediate aftermath the tragedy in Butler County, Pennsylvania, two things were certain. First, conspiracies would immediately be created to garner attention and clicks. And second, politicians and activists would use the situation to advance their agendas – even if the facts didn’t support what they were trying to sell.
A situation as serious as an assassination attempt creates an exceptional opportunity for bad actors to spread misinformation. Social media usually gets blamed for this, but that is unfair. Conspiracy theories proliferate because the American people have lost faith in their societal institutions. Gallup consistently shows that roughly two-thirds of Americans distrust the media. And according to Pew, just 22% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” or “most of the time.” When we can’t trust these institutions to keep us informed, it’s entirely reasonable to expect other dubious sources to fill in the gaps.
Americans would do well to remember that even if their politicians regularly lie to them, there’s no reason to suspect that a random Twitter account is any more honest with you. Your desire to learn the truth does not mean you should allow bad actors to fill you with lies – even if they are lies you want to believe.
In situations such as this, do your best to ignore those who try to exploit the tragedy – even if you agree with their goals. For example, at Accuracy in Media we detest DEI, but there’s no current reason to believe that DEI in the Secret Service had anything to do with this. In fact, despite all of the initial blame the Secret Service received for the past week, it remains unclear whether the agency or local law enforcement have a greater level of culpability than any federal agency. The details associated with how the Secret Service operates are so complex – and justifiably private – that we may never know exactly why things unfolded in the manner that they did. They may have done an exceptional job or a horrible job, but that will remain unknown.
That’s not to say it’s unreasonable for people to offer preventive solutions to a tragedy. For example, even if I oppose their agenda, I understand why gun control activists view every school shooting as an opportunity to grab guns. They’re not acting from a position of opportunism. Instead, they’re trying to prevent what we all perceive to be a legitimate tragedy. It’s just that I don’t think their proposed solutions are either moral or effective.
In addition, the left has certainly been using incredibly dangerous rhetoric towards Trump. But as Americans we should believe in individual responsibility. Biden's Twitter account didn't try to kill Trump; the shooter did. We have very little information about the shooter at this time, so it’s incredibly premature to guess his motivations. It’s fair to use political rhetoric and radical ideologies when describing the motivations of the Family Research Council shooter as well as the shooter at the congressional baseball game. Sometimes, though, a crazy person acts for reasons that can’t be assigned a political motive.
And yes, we all know that the media handled the Gabby Giffords shooting strikingly differently from both this shooting and the shooting at the congressional baseball game. After the Giffords tragedy, many news outlets assigned blame to any Republican who ever said a mean thing about a Democrat. But never stoop to the level of the bad actors in the media.
If there's something positive that can come from the shooting, it’s an opportunity for both sides to de-escalate the rhetoric. Not every election is “the most important election ever.” If you lose, this won't be the last time you ever get to vote. And while the rhetoric has created a dangerous environment, the shooter is the one responsible for his actions.
Making this change will require leadership. And as is often the case, do not expect leadership to come from Washington. Politicians are generally followers rather than leaders. They follow the polls, follow the money, and follow the activists. As long as the use of inflammatory rhetoric works, politicians will continue using it. As such, the American people need to offer leadership. If a politician is using end-of-days rhetoric regarding their opponent, don’t take the bait. If your like-minded friends are taking the bait, reach out to them. Be the leader they deserve.
