Jesse Welles

No violence is good violence

By Sarah Delehanty

Graphic by Catarina Koehler

Now more than ever, we want artists to make a statement. Some artists have caught on to this desire and have taken up a cause or two, such as fighting gun violence or raising awareness about climate change. Jesse Welles, a TikTok creator and music artist, has taken on just about every challenge we face as Americans and as human beings. 

Songs written by Welles like “War Isn’t Murder,” “Cancer” and “The List” shed light on a variety of relevant issues today — from the conflict between Israel and Palestine to industries poisoning our bodies to the Epstein list. 

Now more than ever before, it’s hard to get people to listen or to grab their attention. When we’ve been bombarded by endless tragedies on CNN and FOX, on Tiktok or on Instagram, it becomes harder and harder to be impacted by them. By informing the public under the guise of a catchy tune that won’t take more than 30 seconds of your scrolling time, Welles has managed to cut through that numbness and reach a much wider audience than other informants. 

As Welles grew in popularity, many popular singers and activists, such as the iconic singers Joan Baez and John Fogerty, began collaborating with him in his journey to inform the public through song. However, despite this support from thousands of people across the globe, Welles is no stranger to controversy. 

After the death of the conservative political activist, Charlie Kirk, Welles wrote a song condemning the violence that took his life. Many of his fans were outraged by the track, unfollowing him on social media and posting their own anti-Jesse videos. I don’t think this song is a Jesse problem though; I think the deeper problem lies within his listeners. Jesse doesn’t praise Kirk or demonize him — all he says in his song is that nobody deserves to die like Charlie Kirk did. This song is not about left or right, it’s about what’s right and what’s wrong. It's a plea for the end of political violence and gun violence before more lives are taken.

That one song captures Welles’ main cause perfectly: no violence is good violence. That’s what’s so beautiful about his music and what he stands for. He refuses to be a part of the ongoing left versus right battle that consumes so much of America’s people today. He doesn’t see people through the lens of politics — he sees people for exactly that: people, deserving of life without fear of violence.