Jim VandeHei: Break the fever
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writes:
Break the fever. Or it might break us.
Why it matters: The gruesome killing of Charlie Kirk, on top of the killings or assassination attempts of so many others, gives 340 million of us Americans a chance to reflect — and act.
- Reflect with sadness — and disgust — on senseless violence. Every time. Without pause or caveat.
- And act to prevent murderers — and the small, but loud idiots who applaud — from wholly defining our politics.
Do we let a few crazies define the 44 million registered Democrats? Or a few lunatics define 37 million registered Republicans? Do we let all of this define us?
- It need not. Here are six ways we can help break that fever:
1. Wake up. This is getting worse — and dangerous. Presidents, congressional leaders and lawmakers, cultural leaders like Kirk, state officials and ordinary Americans are getting shot at and gunned down at an alarming rate. Within minutes, small but loud groups of heartless people justify or even cheer it, and their soulless views are amplified by both sides. Within seconds, your social media feed feels like the apocalypse.
2. Stay grounded. You must realize — and tell others — that the idiot who makes an idiotic comment on MSNBC or X is just that: an isolated idiot. They're not voicing what an entire party or ideology feels or believes. They're getting attention because it's so ludicrous. But the more people "like" it in rage, the more it's pushed to the top of your social media feed. Again, within seconds, you think the world has lost its mind when most of it is grieving.
- It wasn't long ago that the wackiest people could be found at the end of a bar, pounding whiskey, howling nonsense. You didn't hear it because it was one person in one bar in one town. Now, that person pops off, other drunks "like" it, and he seems like the most popular guy at the bar. Yet he's still just a howling drunk. That's social media, folks.
3. Tone it down. Don't let the nuts or algorithms suck you into making matters worse. Don't share this stuff. Don't stare at this stuff. Your brain and heart grow twisted or cold when you do. It's OK to just be sad or mad in silence.
4. Shut it off. I know it's hard. But social media is pure evil in these moments. It's not just the awfulness getting amplified. Every clown with a handle is suddenly a forensic expert or coroner. The amount of misinformation is staggering and soul-sapping. Put down your phone. Go outside. Say a prayer.
5. Open up. We won't solve this by drifting deeper into our bubbles. It's easy to hate a faceless party or person. But you'll discover complexity, heart and struggle if you engage the vast majority of people out of curiosity, not judgment. Find someone you disagree with and simply ask: Can we have a calm, nonjudgmental chat about life? This might seem corny. Give it a try.
6. Love. I'm not a self-help guru or cheeseball. In fact, I'm a ruthlessly pragmatic introvert who happens to run a media company. I share many of your worries and worst fears. But the only antidote to division and despair is hope and repair. It starts with each of us. Watch your words. Hug someone. Help someone.
The big picture: Most people are good and peaceful. But a few bad ones can hurl our nation into true chaos. A series of small choices by each of us will write this ending.
➡️ A short story about Charlie to give you hope: Axios is hardly MAGA's comfort food. But we've marveled at the calm, clinical exchanges we've enjoyed with many MAGA leaders, including Kirk. He was responsive and respectful, even when we wrote things he didn't like or agree with.
- The same is true of some of the most controversial voices on the left. People can hold views you question, dispute or even abhor. They're still people.
➡️ A second short story about Congress to give you hope. Hours after Kirk was killed, I joined my wife, Autumn, for a reception honoring parents who adopt or foster children. Autumn is the newest board member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). You want hope? Listen to parents who take in forgotten kids.
- You want hope in politics? Turns out, the largest bipartisan, bicameral caucus in Congress, 135 lawmakers strong, is the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. You won't read that on X or see it on cable.
👉 Give Jim a piece of your mind: [email protected].
