The Charlie Kirk Thread

altmin said:
I routinely would use a paint can opener to pull open exit doors from the bottom that had no outdoor handles (usually theaters on campus that I was working in productions on at odd hours). Once climbed the corner of Swain Hall to a balcony so I could get in a window to open the building for a larger crowd when the outdoors were locked when they shouldn't be. When there is a will, there is usually a simple way.
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Man, I was such a square in college (well still am, I guess).
 
rodoheel said:
I don't think anyone here underestimates Kirk's power, influence, and reach. He was obviously one of the leading MAGA figures, and was very close with several members of the Trump organization. He would not have risen to where he got without being intelligent and charismatic.

But I have to roll my eyes at this line: "Kirk wasn't a right wing provocateur; instead, he was famous for showing up on campuses with a smile and politely engaging with liberals in a friendly manner." Kirk's fame and career were built on antagonizing "angry liberals" so that he could create clips of them that triggered conservatives over how "crazy" and "extreme" liberals are. He was one of the earliest adopters and best employers of the modern, algorithm-friendly "ragebaiting" culture. He was much more intelligent and urbane than, say, Chaya Raichik, who employs a much cruder and more vicious version of the formula, and a much more serious political operative as a result, but his entire career and schtick were built on dividing people, not bringing them together. And of course, he devoted most of his time and energy over the last 8-9 years to supporting Donald Trump's authoritarian movement, while fully endorsing the worst of Trump's falsehoods, like CO-19 conspiracy theories, the 2020 election "Big Lie" and the J6 assault on the Capitol.

So, while his death is tragic, the reality is that Kirk had a major role in creating the current superheated political culture and rhetoric that many on the right are now blaming for his death. He should not have been killed, and his death will definitely be a negative thing for the country, but the reality is that he rose to fame, fortune, and power through making us all a little angrier at each other.
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In other words, it’s all fun and games until the proverbial rabbit grabs the gun.

Kirk should be mourned for the fact that he is a young life needlessly and senselessly extinguished far too soon, and for leaving behind young children. At the same time, he should be criticized for platforming abhorrent views, and for ultimately playing an unwitting role in his own demise by purposefully making a living out of inflaming and dividing Americans.
 
BlueSmoke said:
Have a hunch the Trump neutering of the FBI is going to become the story on this. I believe the local FBI Agent in charge (of that area) was canned a few weeks back. Not to mention many experienced FBI agents were transferred from domestic terrorism to the immigration problem.
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Doubt it.

MAGA’s response if the shooter isn’t identified will be “Deep State…..derp…Deep State.”
 
Never miss an opportunity to blame Trump for something...

JB Pritzker condemns political violence after Charlie Kirk's death, says Trump's rhetoric 'often foments it'​


Illinois Gov JB Pritzker argued Trump 'often foments' political violence through his rhetoric and Jan 6 pardons

www.foxnews.com

JB Pritzker condemns political violence after Charlie Kirk's death, says Trump's rhetoric 'often foments it'

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk while criticizing President Donald Trump's rhetoric for "fomenting" political violence.
www.foxnews.com www.foxnews.com
 
I simply made a statement of fact. I'm not saying 9/10 compares to 9/11 but I am saying it's very impactful to conservative Gen Zers. Many on this board are now just discovering the power and influence of Kirk for the under 30 crowd. Gen Z have no personal reference or connection to 9/11 (unless their family was directly impacted) so it might as well be Pearl Harbor or Lincoln's assassination.
 
Ramrouser said:
For many young folks on the Right, 9/10 will be their 9/11.

I think many of you here (understandably since Kirk wasn't in your social media feed) grossly underestimate the power, influence and reach of Charlie Kirk. He mobilized the youth on college campuses and on social media and I would argue, played a huge role in Trump winning the under 30 vote (particularly among young men). Kirk wasn't a right wing provocateur; instead, he was famous for showing up on campuses with a smile and politely engaging with liberals in a friendly manner. Kirk also played a role in the return of young men to church which has been quantified. There was/is no one equivalent on the Left.

Kirk will be hard/impossible to replace.
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Season 18 Omg GIF by America's Got Talent
 
superrific said:
I grow weary of the hand-wringing on the left. Everyone who claims to be nauseated about Kirk's death -- are you serious? He's a dead terrorist. He was one of the people most responsible for GOP's embrace of hate politics. For him to be killed by hate politics -- if that's what happened -- just means he lived to see the fruit of his labors. It's true that political violence is terrible. But Kirk was an advocate for political violence. He was a net negative for society. He was a man of limited ability who managed to climb to preposterous heights simply by peddling hate, fear, and violence with little sophistication, giving it to his fans raw and unadulterated.

Stop saying, I hate it that he was killed. He was killed by his own hand. I don't care.
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ouch

I endorse the immortal words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall :

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

Once we condone the murder of people who embrace hate politics, then we are lost in a wasteland.
 
Ramrouser said:
Ezra (who's Jewish) conveniently "forgot" to list:

The two Jewish individuals killed outside the Israeli embassy in DC - killed by the "free, free Palestine" guy;

The flame throwing guy who attacked the elderly Jewish protestors in Colorado who were asking that the hostages be released; and

The numerous Tesla terrorists who firebombed Tesla dealerships.
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Tesla "terrorists" vs murderers? GTFO.
 
Ramrouser said:
Ezra (who's Jewish) conveniently "forgot" to list:

The two Jewish individuals killed outside the Israeli embassy in DC - killed by the "free, free Palestine" guy;

The flame throwing guy who attacked the elderly Jewish protestors in Colorado who were asking that the hostages be released; and

The numerous Tesla terrorists who firebombed Tesla dealerships.
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The numerous immigrants who have either died in ICE custody, were killed during their "apprehension" or that have died in an El Salvadoran prison without a trial or hearing.
 
heelinhell said:
ouch

I endorse the immortal words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall :

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

Once we condone the murder of people who embrace hate politics, then we are lost in a wasteland.
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I'm not saying we should condone it. Arrest the person who shot him and throw the book at him. But we don't have to act as if it's a terrible thing that a terrible man was killed by his own terrible ideology.
 
By the way, @Ramrouser, when Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul was beaten within an inch of his life by a crazy right-wing guy who was looking for Nancy Pelosi, this is how Charlie Kirk reacted: by claiming that any connection between the attack and right-wing rhetoric was absurd and saying that a "Patriot" should bail the attacker out.

www.rollingstone.com

Charlie Kirk Says a 'Patriot' Should Bail Out Alleged Paul Pelosi Attacker

Charlie Kirk wants a "patriot" to bail the man who allegedly beat Paul Pelosi with a hammer out of jail.
www.rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com

Yeah, this is the saintly "non-provocateur" you were describing.
 
Tar1978Heel said:
And yet democrat politicians that demand gun control walk around with a armed detail all the time…
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Well yeah because guns are everywhere in this country. Just because I’m pro gun control doesn’t mean that I live in a bubble where there are no guns.

I was simply pointing out the irony of someone who speaks out in support of zero gun restrictions feeling the need to wear a vest because guns are everywhere. He doesn’t feel safe in public because we allow anyone who wants a gun the ability to have one yet he still argued for that
 
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