Recently, America was shocked when news broke of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, Mr. Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Shock rapidly turned into something worse as online comments celebrating his death surfaced. In a time where public figures have been stirring up controversy, online reactions revealed as much about the commenters as it did about Mr. Kirk.
On September 10th, Mr. Kirk was shot at the Utah Valley University while speaking at an event. He was struck in the neck and rushed to the hospital in critical condition where he later passed away. The alleged suspect was arrested 33 hours later, and is now facing multiple charges that include aggravated murder.
“It was honestly shocking to find out that where and how he was shot. I was surprised because this wasn’t something that I ever expected to happen,” shared junior Maria Nordholz.
Earlier this week Vice President JD Vance stated: “There’s no civility in the celebration of political assassination.” Instead of reflecting on the facts on Mr. Kirk’s death, some online commenters mocked and celebrated it, leading Vice President Vance to feel compelled to utter the above statement. This is not only playing out online as businesses have been forced to respond, taking action on employee misconduct online. For example, Nasdaq fired an employee due to their insensitive post about Mr. Kirk, further emphasizing their zero tolerance towards violence and violent comments. Many online were quick to judge companies, quoting the First Amendment, but this rebuttal overlooks the fact that private employers can fire workers for public statements their employer deem as harmful. Though the first amendment protects against government censorship, not how employers choose to discipline their employees. Many of the statements made on line could be seen as hypocritical since those making them claim to stand for nonviolence but they are now celebrating a killing.
“Just scrolling through social media I’ve seen many hateful comments about the situation that honestly made me realize how many have such deep hate that clouds their common reasoning,” shared junior Camila Echevveri.
Those who are celebrating death reflect the deeper issue in today’s society, the loss of empathy and compassion. This problem isn’t unique to this situation as online hate is frequently manifested when someone disagrees with an opinion. Disagreeing with someone’s views should open the door to respectful debate, not violence or the silencing of a voice. What has happened in the aftermath of Mr. Kirk’s tragic demise should serve as a wake-up call that shows how dehumanization reduces individuals to a label or enemy rather than a person.
Regardless of political beliefs, celebrating the brutal death of an individual crosses a moral line. Typing out a comment such as, “it was deserved because he said etc..” or “good riddance” won’t change what happened but only deepen the division. Ultimately, society needs to build space for respectful discussion without having to the fear death for sharing controversial viewpoints. Violence should never be condoned and the moment it becomes a celebration, a piece of humanity is lost as well.
If there is one silver lining to all of this, particularly for supporters of Mr. Kirk, since his death his organization, Turning Point USA, has received well over 30,000 requests to open chapters at high schools and colleges across the U.S. It seems in seeking to quiet his voice, the shooter amplified it instead.
