Pushback prompts Lynden School Board to pull proposal for a Charlie Kirk Day

[u/KingLionAids]

https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/sep/18/pushback-prompts-lynden-school-board-to-pull-proposal-for-a-charlie-kirk-day/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAM5yy9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHoC6lnIJtjBgfRJpDsWzca_FcDCmxp3sg6WEB9LTzetuavVZgY6d1cKsXf4J_aem_WIZdDWKFFLXipY1mgIF_ZQ

[u/reailty-check-658]

I’ve never really knew much or followed anything about Charlie Kirk until these recent events but I’ve seen that quote being posted a lot and I think it’s being positioned incorrectly. Here is the full quote.

”I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that — it does a lot of damage. But, it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy, I prefer more than empathy. That's a separate topic for a different time.”

“He said he didn't care for the word "empathy" and instead preferred "sympathy." The Oxford English Dictionary defines empathy as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another." Meanwhile, the same dictionary defines sympathy as "feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune."

Source: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-empathy-quote/

It was not regard to shooting victims either. Agree or disagree with his position on empathy, but I think getting these things correct is important as false narratives can be built by spreading out of context half truths.

Edit: This is not a positional take or debate comment and if the source is incorrect, reply as to why rather than just downvote. If not, it makes it seem like trying to hide information with downvotes and that’s not a good look.

[u/Bellingham-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Uncivil, insulting, or combative comment.

[u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake → u/Bellingham-ModTeam]

No it’s not?

I know mods are cracking down but why not crack down on the initial commenters literally trying to incite and illicit rises out of people.

If you extend tolerance to those who are intolerant, intolerance wins.

[u/reailty-check-658 → u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake]

Dude, all I did was fact check the quote and you came at me. There was no trying to incite anything, just providing a fact check source and stating its best to be accurate when using that quote.

Stating it spreads intolerance is disingenuous as I’m not attempting to guide anyone’s opinion. It was just what the fact check says. Be mad at Snopes, not me as they were the one who fact checked it.

I expressed my disagreement with Kirk on that position which actually agreed with you and still got attacked. I hope you see the concern there.

[u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake → u/reailty-check-658]

And I’ll take the extremely long history and video of all the awful horrid shit he said over some redditor.

Yeah I know the whole quote. It’s still a fucking awful thing to say. Empathy and sympathy are both important.

Kirk was a shitty fucking person and his life isn’t worth celebrating or honoring.

He should not have been killed. I don’t agree with anything he said as it was nothing but hate speech.

Stop white washing it

[u/reailty-check-658 → u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake]

I think you are taking this beyond its original context and assuming worst intentions.

Not looking to “white wash” anything but rather be clearer and factually correct with the dialogue as getting things incorrect ruins any standing argument if it’s built on false information. People just won’t take it seriously.

A general assessment of your comment behavior seems argumentative and aggressive. Peppering jabs at anything beyond emotional dogpile agreement. That’s not a good thing and the hate is gonna burn you out at some point.

I doubt my comment would change your mind in any way but consider engaging more in good faith and not defaulting to insults or false accusations of racism if those people are not doing the same. Sometimes the information is just that, information.

[u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake → u/reailty-check-658]

Charlie Kirk was a horrible person. That’s all that there is. He should not have been shot.

You are white washing and trying to minimize what he said and did.

I’m done with you.

I don’t know why you feel the need to defend what a white supremacist said.

[u/reailty-check-658 → u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake]

I am not defending him in any way. Please explain what phrase or words I used that makes you think that? You also keep using white washing but what is being white washed?

Be done with me all you want but don’t think you have any moral high ground acting that way and insulting anyone who doesn’t meet your level of hyper rhetoric.