It seems like we are going to argue over the assassination of Kirk for years to come. It’s hard for me to bite my tongue, I have to admit. And listen, I’m not trying to fight people, mostly because I know it’s futile, but how can I not say anything?
I was watching some of the highlights of Kirk’s funeral. I saw Kirk’s wife tell the world that she forgave Charlie’s killer, something I didn’t expect, but I thought it was a positive shift in the rhetoric. Certainly not something most people would say or do, and I give her credit for that. But that said, she might have been the only one who did any kind of healing.
One of the worst human beings in history decided a funeral was the perfect place to do his impression of early Nazi Germany propaganda. Stephen Miller might as well have translated the original German in a speech that was supposed to, and I think I need to remind everyone, be about mourning the loss of a life.
The comments under the video say more than I can. I truly fear for the future of the country, especially because his words were met with applause and not silence, as they should have been.
And yet, I don’t know when we will be able to have an honest conversation about who Charlie Kirk truly was. When I’ve tried to bring up the fact that his message was morally bankrupt, I get lumped in with the people who celebrated his murder. Those things are not mutually exclusive, but for those mentally captured by tribalism, they are.
The necessary conversation—the one that requires nuance and critical thought—is simply not happening. “How could it happen?” they probably say. “The other side is the enemy,” they shout to the winds. They clap when Trump says he hates his enemies, not realizing Trump’s enemies are anyone who disagrees with him. That’s the only qualifier.
I was telling my wife last night, as I was watching some of the footage of Kirk’s funeral and right before I recorded the little vlog I’m sharing today: if we were still in the States right now, I think I would be packing my bags.
You know… live to fight another day, kind of thing.
MenO