Goodreads Debate Guild discussion

debate⠀/dɪˈbeɪt/
noun
1.⠀⠀formal discussion on a particular matter in a public meeting or legislative assembly,
⠀⠀⠀ in which opposing arguments are put forward and which usually ends with a vote.
2.⠀⠀an argument about a particular subject, especially one in which many people are
⠀⠀⠀ involved.

verb
1.⠀⠀argue about (a subject), especially in a formal manner.
2.⠀⠀consider a possible course of action in one’s mind before reaching a decision.

SOURCE, OXFORD LEARNER’S DICTIONARY
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionarie...


This is the Current Events topic. This topic will be updates of current events,
primarily in relation to the United States, where both moderators live. We feel that
we could be doing a better job of staying up to date on current events, and we want
you all to remain informed as well.

debate⠀/dɪˈbeɪt/
noun
1.⠀⠀formal discussion on a particular matter in a public meeting or legislative assembly,
⠀⠀⠀ in which opposing arguments are put forward and which usually ends with a vote.
2.⠀⠀an argument about a particular subject, especially one in which many people are
⠀⠀⠀ involved.

verb
1.⠀⠀argue about (a subject), especially in a formal manner.
2.⠀⠀consider a possible course of action in one’s mind before reaching a decision.

SOURCE, OXFORD LEARNER’S DICTIONARY
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionarie...


These are the facts of the death of Charlie Kirk.

On September 10th, right wing podcaster Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Utah Valley University’s campus. Since then, there has been a lot of misinformation circling the news about the people and ideologies behind this man’s death. We are hoping to share some of the known facts with you today to halt the spread of that misinformation, which has the power to be very harmful to vulnerable communities.

Charlie Kirk was alleged to have been killed by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who was registered to vote as unaffiliated and appears to have not voted in the 2022 or 2024 elections. This means that despite what many conservative politicians have been saying, the death of Charlie Kirk is not tied to the Democratic party in any way. Tyler Robinson is a white, cis, (presumably) straight man, and the transgender community had absolutely nothing to do with this man’s death. He has not yet been tried or proven guilty of this crime, but the current state of the investigation is pointing his direction.

The response to Kirk’s death has been overwhelming, with conservatives across the country coming out to talk about the tragedy and to point fingers towards the groups they would like to hold responsible. This is not the first death resulting from gun violence in America this year, and it’s not even the first politically motivated death. In June, a Minnesota Democratic legislator and her husband were killed in their home. The assassination of an actual politician went almost completely unaddressed while Kirk’s murder is receiving the level of outrage they also deserved. On the same day as Kirk’s passing, there was a shooting at a Colorado high school, with two children injured and hospitalized. Like the many, many other school shootings this year, it went unaddressed by the same politicians who seem to care so much about the passing of Charlie Kirk.

There have been 161 incidents of gun violence on K-12 school grounds already this year, with 148 fatal or wounded victims. From a separate source, there have been at least 29 deaths from gun violence at schools this year alone. Gun violence is not an isolated issue in the United States, and conservative podcasters are not the primary target for it. The death of Charlie Kirk is a side effect of a larger issue we are faced with in this country, and that is gun control. Instead of pointing blame at people that have zero history of violence, politicians should be looking at what they can actually do to minimize gun violence and save the lives of so many children in our country.

Sources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/charlie-...
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0...
https://www.cpr.org/2025/09/11/what-w...
https://k12ssdb.org/all-shootings
https://abcnews.go.com/US/lives-lost-...

debate⠀/dɪˈbeɪt/
noun
1.⠀⠀formal discussion on a particular matter in a public meeting or legislative assembly,
⠀⠀⠀ in which opposing arguments are put forward and which usually ends with a vote.
2.⠀⠀an argument about a particular subject, especially one in which many people are
⠀⠀⠀ involved.

verb
1.⠀⠀argue about (a subject), especially in a formal manner.
2.⠀⠀consider a possible course of action in one’s mind before reaching a decision.

SOURCE, OXFORD LEARNER’S DICTIONARY
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionarie...


This section is leaning more into the moral ground and feelings on his death.

There are many differing feelings, reactions, and opinions surrounding this death.
Some mourn, some celebrate. Regardless of personal viewpoints, he was known for
spreading hateful rhetoric and making statements that suggested his acceptance of
gun-related deaths so long as gun rights were protected. Nobody deserves to die as
a result of gun violence, but Kirk’s stance on said violence downplayed the severity
of this issue in the United States and therefore leads to a lessened sense of
sympathy for his death.

While it’s rarely ever okay to celebrate the death of anyone, it is also natural for that
to be the case when a dangerous figure in our country can no longer cause the harm
that he once was. There should be no reason to call anyone “sick” or “cruel” for
celebrating it, nor should anyone be shamed for showing sympathy towards the
family.

Everything being said, America as a whole seems to mourn the passing of Charlie
Kirk. Meanwhile, Gaza is being destroyed and thousands upon thousands are dying
over there, deportations are ripping families apart, and entire lives are being brutally
erased without a single thought. We pour our hearts out for one white conservative
man in the United States while millions of marginalized, innocent people are
destroyed just for their personal existences. Because of where they happen to live,
the color of their skin, who they love, how they identify.

The imbalance of who we choose to grieve for is incredibly noticeable and quite
obscene. It’s a sick hierarchy of who is worthy of sympathy, of mourning, all because
they have privilege and happen to be louder than the small community of people
just trying to live their lives in peace.

Some reports are saying that Kirk’s wife and children were present at the event. This is
unclear to be true or false as of us writing this post. The misinformation surrounding their
presence at the event is running rampant, so we thought we’d address it.