On today’s show, host Allen Ruff is joined by friend of the program, Henry Giroux, who reflects on the state of US politics in the aftermath of the murder of Charlie Kirk. Earlier this month, Giroux wrote an article arguing that Kirk’s assassination is “a symptom of a national political culture in crisis.” This is a crisis of democracy, culture, politics, and social responsibility. 

Giroux says that Kirk’s murder is a terrible thing, and it is symptomatic of fascism. As the president and other elected officials mourn his death and even celebrate it, they’re also at work institutionalizing violence at every level of society.

Giroux and Ruff also discuss the role of corporate and legacy media in stoking the flames of political violence at a moment that Giroux calls “the death rattle of democracy.” It’s particularly alarming that the Trump administration is working to erase the history of Black resistance and the history of slavery. This form of scholasticide is ushering in a resurgence of the Confederacy.

Giroux concludes by reminding listeners that hope is a way to imagine a democracy that actually works for everyone.

Henry Giroux is an internationally renowned writer and cultural critic who has authored or co-authored over 65 books. He is McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest and the Paulo Freire Distinguished Scholar in Critical Pedagogy.

Featured image: illustration of Henry Giroux by Jared Rodriguez / Truthout via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

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