This post is not about Charlie Kirk.
Instead, it's about those who have taken it upon themselves to avenge his death, so to speak. I'm talking about all of the folks who are issuing violent threat, doxxing people, putting up social media blacklists causing people to get fired for comments which can be construed as celebrating Kirk's death, and targeting groups they claim are celebrating Kirk's death.
I'm talking about people like Vice President J.D. Vance, Rep Nancy Mace, our Family Dollar Fuhrer Stephen Miller, Donald Trump himself, other right-wing Congressional leaders and assorted hysterically unhinged far-right social media influencers. These are the folks who claim that they want to "preserve Charlie Kirk's defense of free speech" by creating a reign of terror against speech.
Don't get me wrong because I understand the anger. A lot of folks got called out for making fun of George Floyd's murder. And some of those comments about Kirk have been distasteful. There can be an argument made about free speech and an opposite one made about the consequences of speech.
But in truth, this situation with Kirk strikes me as opportunistic. With Floyd, people were angry at the barbaric way he died. People on the right came out with all sort vile claims about Floyd after his death. They claimed he was a woman beater and drug user. They, Charlie Kirk including, claimed that all the rage over his death was exaggerated.
But to a lot of people, how Floyd lived his life wasn't the point. It was the vulgar way he died. The image of the Derek Chauvin with his knee callously on Floyd's neck put an enduring image to accompany claims made by Black Americans about police brutality.
In stark contrast, something incredibly distasteful is peeking out behind all the anger against those who have been accused of celebrating Kirk's murder. The threats of retribution, compiled social media blacklists, name calling and finger pointing seems to not be coming from a place of rage about Kirk's death, but a place of veiled disappointment that none of the groups Kirk targeted with his vitriol can be scapegoated for his murder.
No "transgender mass shooter," no "criminally minded Black person," no "savage illegal." When it came to who murdered Kirk, none of the tropes he exploited to dehumanize could be applied. There was no "Charlie Kirk was right about these people and that's why he was murdered" narrative which could be created. The alleged perpetrator, Tyler Robinson, is a 22-year-old white man from a conservative Republican family.
So aside from trying to whitewash all of the vulgar aspects of Kirk's comments and attempting to make Robinson out to be an innocent victim of "leftist indoctrination" (not to mention hanging on to a story about his alleged transgender roommate/lover/or what have you), self-anointed avengers of Charlie Kirk decided to rally around attacking the only folks they can - those who they claim celebrated his murder.
None of these people, as distasteful some of their comments were - had anything to do with Kirk's death, but they serve a purpose. Charlie Kirk's avengers want to create a nationwide revolution around his murder but the very thing they lack is a suitable scapegoat. Regardless of the way he lived, Floyd's death spurred genuine anger about police brutality. Kirk's death is spurring genuine anger too, but it's not in the direction his so-called avengers can exploit. So, until a more suitable scapegoat comes along, the folks accused of celebrating Kirk's death are suitable distractions to channel the crowd rage.
And if a more suitable scapegoat doesn't come along, don't be surprised if Charlie Kirk's 'avengers' attempt to create one.
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