longer.blue

It makes me sad to think of a family now without a husband and father, and of so many innocent people witnessing such an awful act of violence. Charlie Kirk didn’t deserve to die the way he did, and his assassination is ominous for the future. But I won’t pretend the man wasn’t a vile piece of shit, or tell people not to feel a sense of relief that he’s gone. I’m not going to start policing how others react—especially when I don’t see conservatives flying flags at half-staff for Palestinians killed by policies Kirk defended, or showing compassion when trans people are dehumanized, or when victims of political violence and school shootings are brushed aside. I have empathy for Kirk, and I wouldn’t wish this end on anyone. But let’s not ignore that he played a significant role in building the machine that led to his own death. Ceding the narrative to the right now will only make things worse. This shouldn’t have happened. But it did. And the people celebrating aren’t the problem—the problem is the world that allowed this to happen.