Clare Rowe: We need more voices like Charlie Kirk’s in a cancel-culture world
Charlie Kirk argued contentious topics with respect and passion, argues Clare Rowe. She says children need more role models like the assassinated activist. Do you agree?
The shocking death of Charlie Kirk has left a hole in public life and, more importantly, in the kind of role models our young people so desperately need.
There is something both shocking and deeply ironic about the fact that a man who devoted his public life to respectful debate and listening to opposing views was silenced by someone who could not extend that same tolerance back.
Agree with him or not, Kirk stood out for one reason: he was willing to talk to anyone. He didn’t flinch from opposing views. He didn’t shout people down. He reached out across the divide, not hiding behind a keyboard but sitting across from his opponents, listening to what they believed, and asking why.
And then, calmly, articulately, and with conviction, he explained what he believed. He never softened his principles to please the crowd but he also never dehumanised those who opposed him. In an age where even mild disagreement can trigger a mob, that is an act of rare courage.
The truth is that the Western world is tearing itself apart. We are splintering into angry tribes, unable to tolerate difference. Civil discourse has collapsed into shouting matches and increasingly violence, social media pile-ons, and ideological purity tests. And make no mistake Australia is not immune. We see it daily in our politics, our schools, our workplaces, even our homes.
Our kids are growing up watching adults cancel, mock and vilify each other, instead of talking to one another. They are learning that disagreement is dangerous, that curiosity is betrayal, and that listening to the “other side” makes you disloyal to your own.
And it’s not just our children who could do with a role model like this - our politicians could too. Australians are yearning for leaders who will take a stand, prosecute their position with clarity and courage, even when it’s unpopular, and fight for what they truly believe in.
History shows where a lack of dialogue leads to extremism, resentment, and violence. As Kirk said, when people stop talking, bad things happen.
Kirk modelled something we are fast losing: civil discourse rooted in curiosity. He showed that strength isn’t found in shutting people out, but in hearing them out. He proved that you can stand firm in your beliefs without scorning those who disagree.
This matters for our children. They need to see that it’s possible to disagree passionately, to argue vehemently for your values and to mount intelligent arguments to defend your position. They need to learn that conviction and kindness can coexist and that debate doesn’t have to be war.
Perhaps this could be Charlie Kirk’s greatest accomplishment: not just what he stood for in life, but what his death might inspire. A literal turning point where we say enough. Enough of the polarisation, enough of the contempt, enough of treating our ideological opponents as enemies to destroy rather than humans to understand.
Our fractured culture won’t heal through more shouting. It will heal when we raise a generation unafraid of hard conversations, who can walk into ideological crossfire with courage, reason and respect.
That’s the kind of example Charlie Kirk gave. And that’s the kind of example our kids deserve.
We don’t just need more voices.
We need more voices like Charlie Kirk.
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Originally published as Clare Rowe: We need more voices like Charlie Kirk’s in a cancel-culture world
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