Shaping American Minds

By Sofia Manina

September 18, 2025

We live in a world that celebrates personal truth but forgets universal truth. In one of my classes, we talked about whether murder is still considered a universal moral. But now in today’s society, we seem to justify murder for a bunch of different circumstances, to name a few examples, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Brian Thompson, and the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump. From the majority of people on the left they seem to change their moral standings on murder when it comes to each person. While I know some of the people on the left can agree that you should never kill someone for their beliefs or what they do, that’s not the case for most. They decided Luigi Mangione was a saint for murdering the CEO of United Healthcare, that the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk was a hero, and that Thomas Mathew Crooks shouldn’t have missed when it came to the attempt on Trump’s life. But when it comes to George Floyd’s death, they were rioting in the streets as a reaction to the way he was killed, it makes you wonder why this specific death would inspire global outrage and mass protests, but not the other figures. These examples are not only disturbing, but they are also revealing, as they show that people are justifying murder based on their political alignment. This isn’t just hypocrisy at this point; it is a collapse of moral reasoning. So what does that say about the values we claim to uphold? I have heard that the left is the party of peace, love, and acceptance, but that doesn’t sound like any of that to me. When we celebrate violence against our opponents and mourn it for our allies, we’ve abandoned the very idea of objective morality. Which is why, as a society, we need to all come back together as human beings and put politics aside when it comes to our morality. If morality shifts based on who’s involved, it’s no longer morality, it’s tribalism. And tribalism doesn’t build justice. It builds division, vengeance, and chaos. Our human dignity should not be determined by our political party; how has it come to this as a society? This is why we need objective morality, because without it, we are not disagreeing, we are unraveling. We’re being conditioned to overlook the evil of murder when it doesn’t fit the preferred political storyline—and that should disturb all of us. I am not writing this to attack anyone, but to show that a change needs to be made. As a young person, I don’t want to inherit a world that is full of hate for each other just because of a difference in beliefs. As a student, a believer, and someone who wants to lead with integrity. I refuse to play the game of selective outrage.  I believe murder is wrong, but I also believe justice must carry weight. That is why I do support the death penalty in cases where due process is honored and the crime demands it. Not because I celebrate death, but because I believe in accountability. What I reject is the glorification of murder based on political convenience. When we excuse violence because it targets someone we disagree with, we’ve lost our moral compass. Justice isn’t about who we like—it’s about what’s right. And if we want to rebuild a culture of dignity, we have to stop bending morality to fit our politics. Let’s be the ones who lead with love, not tribalism. Because morality isn’t a trend. It’s a foundation. And it’s time we rebuild.