Nearly every American knows that there were assassination attempts on Trump. We also all know about Charlie Kirk.

And no one likes that this is what the political environment has become.

Far fewer people are aware that the CDC was shot up this summer or that Melissa Hortman was killed in their home.

Moreover despite the attackers in the Trump assassinations coming from the right it's still perceived as "left wing violence"

This has a lot to do with asymmetric news coverage, and a concentrated and very focused campaign by the right to pin all political violence on the left, even the shots that are coming from inside their own house.

Now it shouldn't be hard to figure out why most of the violence is coming from the right. Unstable, egotistical murderous people are found in all political communities, but which community is more likely to put a gun in these people's hands?

If guns are easier to get, more available it becomes more likely that someone will be shot.

Right on Right crime is real. We should talk about it more.

I've been thinking about how thankless public service can be. As a moderate Democrat Melissa Hortman's career had more impact than a dozen Kirks.There was no rush to make her into a martyr from Democrats because, well, that seems, well, crass. Shouldn't healing for her family and community come first?

But maybe we need to say the names more often. We need to raise the question of the puzzle of self-inflicted violence on the right more often.

What is going on with this political movement that it keeps turning on itself in such destructive ways?

Write a think piece about it. Have a little panel. It's a conundrum. '

I will try to be less flip for a moment.

When Utah Governor republican Spencer Cox found out who Charlie Kirk's killer was he made a comments that astonished me:

Cox had prayed that Kirk’s assassin “wouldn’t be one of us.”

At first, I was mad at him for even saying this, but I think his moment of introspection was sincere. What might he realize if he knew this were a pattern?

I will try to be less flip for a moment.

When Utah Governor republican Spencer Cox found out who Charlie Kirk's killer was he made a comments that astonished me:

Cox had prayed that Kirk’s assassin “wouldn’t be one of us.”

At first, I was mad at him for even saying this, but I think his moment of introspection was sincere. What might he realize if he knew this were a pattern?

Because these are the kind of young men the right are raising. Men with very few robust emotional tools to cope with their expectations not being met. Men (and yeah yeah some women) who are more likely to turn to violence.

I'm talking more about men because I think that models of masculinity are important. Powerfully compassionate men who are secure in who they are have far less need for violence.

When masculinity is brittle we all get cut.

I guess some of these men see themselves in our president who is very open about being a deeply petty childlike person. Who brags about how he doesn't wish his opponents "well."

He brags about this to try to paint anyone who aspires to have better values as fake. And it kind of works on too many people.

A friend of mine said "Is there something wrong with me? I felt nothing when I saw that video of Kirk being shot."

The desire for the people who have hurt you to be hurt is a very normal *reaction.* Being fed up and disgusted is normal. But,violence lasts forever. The ugly satisfaction of vengeance is fleeting and debases our souls.

Violence won't bring Nex Benedict back to life.

You aren't like Trump if you feel nothing for the bastards. Don't fall for that.

A friend of mine said "Is there something wrong with me? I felt nothing when I saw that video of Kirk being shot."

The desire for the people who have hurt you to be hurt is a very normal *reaction.* Being fed up and disgusted is normal. But,violence lasts forever. The ugly satisfaction of vengeance is fleeting and debases our souls.

Violence won't bring Nex Benedict back to life.

You aren't like Trump if you feel nothing for the bastards. Don't fall for that.

@futurebird As a trans person, I..don't think i've ever heard a cis person (I presume your cis) say Nex Benedict's name, and getting to that point meant something, thank you.

Part of this propaganda, this mass program of trauma is challenging everyone to process these bonkers emotions.

To inflict guilt.

I am guilt free. Because, *I* don't want *anyone* to be shot ever again.

Not in a war, not in a fishing boat, not waiting for food, not by the state, not on the streets, not on a golf course, not in a house not with a mouse and not in a little tent trying to "debate."

And maybe that is radical, but it is not all that complicated.

I think the "no one should be shot" value is still very popular.

It's popular enough that if in media some deaths are more important than others it can reshape how people see the political landscape.

Even on the right I don't really think "just shoot them" is a common value of *ordinary* people. But we keep seeing this push to introduce it. Like Brian Kilmeade saying to just kill homeless people. And the way Trump dares anyone to question bombing fishing boats.

All he says is "maybe the boat had drugs in it" and that's supposed to make killing everyone in it OK.

It's obviously not OK. Even if they were the worst drug dealers with the most drugs ever.

But if you question that violence and you're "soft on crime."

Forgetting about how this whole thing is soft of basic value for human life. Treating people we don't know like rounding errors.

Do you feel nothing when you see the video of the boat exploding in flames?

Nearly every American knows that there were assassination attempts on Trump. We also all know about Charlie Kirk.

And no one likes that this is what the political environment has become.

Far fewer people are aware that the CDC was shot up this summer or that Melissa Hortman was killed in their home.

Moreover despite the attackers in the Trump assassinations coming from the right it's still perceived as "left wing violence"

@futurebird I just read an article in the Atlantic claiming that "terrorist" violence perpetrated by the left has just outpaced that on the right. They defined terrorism as "attacks or plots by a nonstate actor attempting to achieve a political end and exert a psychological influence on a broad population". Instances of assaulting police officers inflated the left-wing numbers.

But so many people will just see the headline.

Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/09/charlie-kirk-left-wing-terrorism/684323/