I keep hearing the word “radicalized.” Radicalization here, radicalization there. It is happening across the country and across the spectrum.

No one person, one party, or one policy is solely to blame. Some groups pour more gasoline on the fire than others, but the truth is that the fire spreads because the environment is flammable. Leaders, platforms, educators, and everyday people all play a role. We all have a hand in this.

When I saw the headline about Charlie Kirk being shot and killed while speaking in Utah, I stopped cold. Whatever you think of his politics, a man was murdered in front of a crowd for speaking. That should alarm all of us.

Then came news from Colorado. A sixteen year old student at Evergreen High School shot two classmates before turning the gun on himself. Investigators later said he had been influenced by extremist content online.

And in Minneapolis, a gunman opened fire at a Catholic school, killing two children and wounding many others. Families, classmates, and an entire community are left grieving.

These are very different kinds of violence, but they all remind us that our civic temperature is rising in ways we cannot afford to ignore.

What heats us up

Radicalization is not a switch. It is a process.

It often begins with grievances, real or perceived. It deepens with the hunger for belonging and recognition. It grows when people latch onto simple stories that divide the world into heroes and enemies. And it spreads through networks that reward outrage.

The internet accelerates all of this. Moral and emotional words travel farther than calm arguments. Dehumanizing language makes violence feel more acceptable. Once we start calling people animals or traitors, the step toward hostility gets shorter.

What cools us down

Cleaner language. We can argue about policy without stripping away someone’s humanity. Disagreeing with a person does not make them evil, or a Nazi, or a fascist.

Smarter contact. Research shows prejudice falls when people from different groups meet under the right conditions: equal status, shared goals, cooperation, and community support. That can happen in schools, workplaces, or civic projects.

Human conversations. Ten minutes of curious, respectful dialogue changes more minds than ten thousand angry posts.

Friction and accuracy nudges. Slow down before sharing. Fact check. Ask yourself, is this true? The evidence is clear that these small pauses reduce the spread of falsehoods and hostility.

Real exits. People pulled toward extremist networks need a way back. Mentors, jobs, and support matter more than bans alone.

The choice in front of us

The American project was never about sanding down our differences. It was about keeping the peace while we argued like hell.

Charlie Kirk’s death, the Colorado school shooting, the Minneapolis tragedy. Different events, different motives, but together they warn us that the temperature is rising.

We do not have to accept that. We know how to cool it down. Cleaner language. Smarter contact. Human conversations. Friction and accuracy nudges. Real exits.

None of this is flashy. None of it will go viral. But together, it is the thermostat we need.

Because the goal is not to make everyone moderate. The goal is to make America safe enough to argue, loudly, fiercely, and without fear.

That is the heat worth keeping

Levi Swanson is a Clymer resident.