America is caught in a cold civil war.
In recent weeks, many political commentators have pointed out that Charlie Kirk’s death marked the beginning of a civil war. Kirk’s violent death is akin to the violent outburst at Fort Sumter in 1861. Both of the horrific events revealed that the country has been divided to the point of bloodshed.
However, in the month following the incident, battle lines haven’t been drawn through the crack of musketfire but through the icy split of the culture.
The way we argue in the public sphere has changed a lot since the mid-1800s. There are no duels, but there is cancel culture, a way of dealing with problems through indirect confrontation and doxxing. Peoples’ property and livelihoods are threatened in the modern era through a form of violence that relies on libel and defamation. It’s only escalated since Kirk’s assassination, as influencers like Benny Johnson have had their entire families lives threatened over their political opinions.
This violence has allowed for the culture to be split into two distinct categories. This line no longer neatly describes the two political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans of the late 1980s who had the capacity to respectfully disagree. Instead, the line is a gorge that has sliced the country in two. The line is irreconcilable because it is rooted in two different ideologies. The first ideology loves America, loves its Christian principles and loves the founding documents that produced 250 years of liberty. The second ideology wants to demolish America in favor of globalism, and wants to rewrite the founding documents so that they can pick and choose the virtues that suit them. The first ideology is a product of the Gospel. The second ideology is a new age, cosmopolitan thought experiment.
This split has always existed, but it has now become such a distinguishing feature of American life that it has impacted the traditional Superbowl Halftime Show. Earlier this month, the NFL announced that the Halftime Show would be headlined by Bad Bunny. For those who may not know, Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican, Spanish speaking, trap rapper who has openly criticized the Trump administration’s policies. He even went so far as to skip the US on his upcoming tour as a way to protest ICE deportations.
Turning Point, Kirk’s organization, responded by announcing that they would be hosting an alternative halftime show. Their broadcast is going to focus on “faith, family, and freedom,” and has been advertised as an homage to Americana.
In the past, the NFL focused on bringing in musical acts like Tom Petty, Prince, and Paul McCartney who could bring the country together in a multigenerational love for good music and great showmanship. The NFL now decided to give a platform to an artist who has global appeal and is entirely detached from the US. On the other hand, Turning Point has promised to platform musicians whose values celebrate the US.
The NFL is seeking to expand their influence across borders and continents, while Turning Point is seeking to appease the people of this nation.
Music and sports are not the only weapons in this cold civil war. It has also cropped up in movies, television, and restaurants. Movies like Top Gun: Maverick, which promoted strength and American excellence, broke box office records, while pro-LGBT movies like Disney’s Lightyear turned into some of the biggest box office flops of the century. Late night television shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” suffered weak ratings as their jokes relentlessly lambast conservatives. Restaurants like Steak ‘n’ Shake have exploded in popularity as they chose to cook with beef tallow instead of seed oils, aligning themselves with RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
Violence is still a huge problem in this country, as radical liberal terrorism has become a growing problem. However, this is not (yet) a full-scale hot war, but a cold one. It is being fought in classrooms and movie theaters, in parks and bars, and on Spotify and streaming services. It crests in online battles in ideology, where one flag celebrates freedom and the other celebrates pride. It has changed people’s habits in subtle ways, but it is beneath the surface of our daily lives, stewing.
A line no longer runs between the north and the south, but between those on Bluesky and those on X.
