The Marketplace of Ideas

The marketplace of ideas is a metaphor to promote freedom of expression, implying that the truth and best ideas will come out. There can be a “competition” between the different view points, such as a debate to allow people to express themselves and opinions. But what happens when political violence is undermining trust?

A key example of the Marketplace of Ideas is Turning Point USA, founded by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery in 2012. Turning Point USA is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. His conservative convictions are centered on faith, family, the sanctity of marriage, pro-life values, patriotism, justice, and individual freedom. While he is not for the democratic viewpoints, he is happy to hear other viewpoints. He allows citizens to come up and have a friendly debate in an attempt to change his mind and prove a point.

One of the most recent examples of trying to restrict the Marketplace of Ideas is the assassination of Charlie Kirk, at the Utah Valley University on September 10th 2025. Imagine having to hate someone's opinion so much that you feel the need to pull the trigger. If a viewpoint was truly correct, morally and factually, you won't need a gun that argument would survive the debate. No amount of gun laws can even fix this, if there's a will then there's a way. Although, when your reality is so twisted and warped violence will be the only way you can win.

Charlie was shot from a rooftop while debating a student on gun laws. How ironic. He was a loving husband, father of two, man of God, as well as president of Turning Point USA. He in no way deserved what happened to him, as should nobody.

The response to this tragedy has resulted in unity. A unity so strong there might just be changed norms for speech, for how we debate, and for how we see one another.

How has expressing your views in a friendly demeanor somehow turned into something someone should be killed for, and what's even worse is that some people are happy and celebrating this extremely shifting event.

As an American citizen all I can hope for is that the marketplace of ideas did not perish with Charlie kirk. There are so many countries where you are killed for your beliefs. America was not supposed to be one of them. Nor were any of the others, may god be with these countries. You may have silenced one voice but you woke a whole generation and we will not stay silent. As Charlie Kirk said it best “free speech is the last best hope we have in western society”