Devaluing human life turns hashtags and de-platforming to bullets and bombs.
The August 27, 2025 mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis is revolting for many reasons. The victims were largely children in the midst of praying. The shooter had written a hate-filled manifesto and, chillingly, scrawled his hatred directly onto his weapons. He wanted everyone to know not only what he had done, but why.
While mental illness played a role, political and social agendas were the fuel, making this atrocity the latest expression of what some are now calling an “assassination culture”—a disturbing “level-up” of cancel culture. Where cancel culture sought to erase voices and reputations through social pressure in the digital arena, assassination culture seeks to eradicate adversaries through violence in the physical world.
We’ve already seen this trend take root. … Keep reading [Redirects to the Colson Center’s Breakpoint, where this article was originally published on 9/4/25]
