Charlie Kirk and Political Violence

Not right.

A man who incites hate, even through their words, tends to attract that hate. I believe this. I always have. Someone was recently fired for saying something similar on the platform they had. Some would argue that it's blaming the victim. I wouldn't call it that. Words of any sort are created to bring about a reaction, including these I'm writing now. Your words matter.

That doesn't make Charlie Kirk's death right, and his death– his murder should not be celebrated, even if he was the type of person who brought out the worst in others through his words and through his actions. We should all be appalled by his assassination. No one should die by their words, no one should be murdered for exercising their First Amendment rights, even if the words are despicable, no matter how venomous they are. Even if they ask for hate out of their supporters, even if they attract that hate.

Charlie Kirk's murder is wrong. All forms of political violence are wrong. Besides assassination, so is kidnapping people and sending them to concentration camps, as well as sending troops to bully cities. Contributing to a genocide is wrong. Those are also forms of political violence. They are all wrong. Those who practice these forms of political violence are wrong.

However, just like his murder shouldn't be celebrated, Charlie Kirk should not be celebrated either. Charlie Kirk, the person he molded himself to be, should not be celebrated. That person was hateful, who spread misinformation for his own benefit. He intentionally molded himself as so. He was not practicing politics "the right way." as some would like to suggest. Hate and misinformation, just like his murder, is wrong. That hate and misinformation should not be celebrated either.

These are a few examples of that hate and misinformation:

• Calling the Civil Rights Act of 1965" a mistake. Kirk's argument being that it brought about a "permanent" bureaucracy meant to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Spreading lies about murder victim George Floyd– Kirk called Floyd a "scumbag" and repeated debunked falsehoods which include that Floyd died because of a fentanyl overdose and was "illegally counterfeiting currency," and that he once "put a gun to a pregnant woman's stomach."
• Spread misinformation about voter fraud regarding the 2020 election.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kirk frequently shared dangerous conspiracy theories, including alleged cover ups and even introducing Trump to the phrase "China Virus." Kirk also compared pandemic vaccine requirements to apartheid.
• In an Instagram post, Kirk made reference to the "great replacement" conspiracy theory where he suggested that undocumented immigrants are coming to the U.S. to replace white Americans. This theory has been widely debunked.
• Kirk once said through his podcast during an anti-black diatribe "If I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like, 'Boy, I hope he's qualified.'"

Let's not pretend otherwise– and yet, the media does, for fear of this current administration's backlash, for fear of its MAGA fan-base's backlash. For a call for even more violence those who call it are appalled by.

Through that fan-base and administration, Kirk is mourned and people ask for vengeance on his behalf. They mourn a man who could sell himself well, who can sell his hate to those who share the same hate, who could sell that hate to those confused enough to believe in that hate. They mourn for a man who would use that confusion to exploit them for his own benefit. They ask for vengeance for his spilled blood.

These same people seem to forget to mourn for those who lost their lives through the same type of violence literally moments later. They forget to mourn for those who lost their lives before Kirk, but who also happen to have died the same way and too soon. They forget to mourn those who tried to flee only to be killed mercilessly by our government for no real reason.

There is no outrage or asking of vengeance for the existence of a multi-billion dollar industry created on the spilled blood of children.

What about the other recent political murders? Who mourns them? Where are their calls for vengeance? What about their "thoughts and prayers"– where are those?

Where is their flags at half staff? Where are their medals? Where are the kind words from the President on behalf of their murders? On behalf of the loved ones they leave behind? This is otherwise stolen valor.

Do you know why they strongly mourn for Kirk over the other victims of violence? It's because they see himself in his death, how he died. What it could be if they were murdered the same way. For doing the same thing. That's why they're appalled. That's also why they treat him like a war hero - flags half at mast, undeserved valor, statues, the works. It's because they would like that too when they're gone, rather than be remembered for something else, for the person they might actually be. Vanity, plain and simple.

That's why they call for war to the invisible enemy to do this. They're scared of that violence. That's why they call for the same violence against a pretend foe. And that's what political violence is supposed to do, what it is designed for– to suppress that speech. To suppress all speech in general.

The Reaction

The immediate call for violence after the fact is troubling– the call for war from the right to a non-existent enemy, quick retaliation rather than waiting for the facts, waiting for someone to get caught– reactionary.

Most political violence is designed that way– for the reaction. A lot of it has to do with the shock that comes with the violence and then the following recovery as to what has just happened, and then trying to make sense of it. In the case of the right, their reaction was blaming anyone leaning toward the left who they saw as celebrating or just in general, and then following that blame with more violence.

Before we had any facts, there was just a need from the right for that invisible enemy to exist. Why? The argument for that is the same one that holds Kirk on that pedestal. They see their "enemies" as Kirk's enemies as well, the only ones who wish him harm. They want those "enemies" punished because again, that could have been them. Rather than remorse, it's fear and then there's opportunity. Opportunity for distraction and opportunity to punish those "enemies" regardless.

As I was writing this, the suspect to Charlie Kirk's murderer was caught, a man with a conservative and religious background– a man raised around guns his entire life. Some of those calls for vengeance have turned to pleas of "finding Jesus."

Their invisible enemy has turned into a victim that needs their compassion because they see some of themselves in the victim. There is now evidence that the murderer was more like them than like what they would have otherwise wanted.

Nothing to Celebrate

Some are considering this moment a crossroads of sorts. Honestly? I think we already made the decision some time ago. When nothing happened after Sandy Hook. When twenty-six innocent people died– twenty of them children between the ages of 6-7, were murdered in cold blood, and in the same way, through gun violence, and we really didn't do anything to change that. Kirk will not be the last. Again, the same type of violence happened moments later in Colorado. What will change? That the president will use this to harass and bully Universities so they suppress everything but his administration's way of thinking? That is already happening. That the administration will use this to invade cities? That has already been happening. The only prediction I can make is that there will be more gun violence.

I will never celebrate the murder of anyone. I might wish it under my breath in frustration, I might wish it for the sake of wanting to stop the suffering of innocence but I would never celebrate it. If it involves political violence, I want the way the person died or was hurt by to no longer be a thing, not because I'll miss someone like Charlie Kirk, but because I don't think the way he died was right. Because I want that violence to not happen to those I would mourn.

I would never celebrate someone's death, for what it was, or what people want it to be. I would only consider what they left behind. Their mark on the world. And Kirk, unfortunately, left a lot of hate behind.

If Kirk had died of natural causes, he would just be remembered for that hate, but under the circumstances, one has to consider the murder. I feel bad for those who had to witness that murder in person, hell, it's even hard to watch the footage. If you haven't seen it, consider yourself lucky. Imagine witnessing it in person. Death stays with you, even if you don't know the person. Those who witnessed it, it will be part of them for the rest of their lives.

I feel for his children and his wife- who lost someone who hopefully loved them and cared for them. I feel for them as a person who also lost loved ones. I hope they mourn and move on from the legacy of hate their loved one will forever be known for, though that doesn't likely as she has vowed to continue his mission.

I feel for the victims of his hate, for those who had to deal with repercussions and even violence because of that hate. I would make the argument that at least there will be less of this with Kirk's passing, but there, unfortunately, will be someone to take his place. There always is.

I feel sorry for Kirk at his final moments - dishing out the hate he was known for to his last breath and then still being alive enough in those moments to probably realize what was going on. And being alone with people who probably never really liked him as the actual person, rather the persona of hate he created for himself. It's a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone. It's probably as lonely as it sounds. Finally, I feel sorry for Kirk because he will never have the chance to redeem himself. He will always now be the hateful person and a man who was murdered because of that hate, though that's probably what he wanted regardless.

Kirk once made the argument that it's worth having victims of gun violence for the sake of the second amendment. I wonder if he'd still feel that way if he'd knew his fate.