@futurebird I knew about him because my 14yr old Australian child told me about him.

My impression is because Kirk was relatively young (31), he was more of a known entity to younger people.

e.g. my child follows progressive commentators on TikTok and Kirk's views were discussed there.

#uspol

@wonkothesane @futurebird this is potentially dangerous: we don't want the takeaway for young men to be, "if you live like a nazi, then people will remember you fondly when you die."

Normal people don't know who Charlie Kirk is. My mom, dad, husband, neighbor are very confused why it's such a big deal.

Which is good to remember. He's never done anything notable. Didn't run for office, didn't break a big story, didn't write an important book.

So, for a lot of people this is all very confusing.

@futurebird I had to go look him up. I have heard of Turning Point. I have mixed feelings, it's obviously tragic to see anyone killed in this way but when someone devotes themselves to hate ...it's hard to shed tears.

@troberts

A lot of far right online people were recently VERY mad at him for covering for Epstein among other things.

For left wing online types he was a reliable punching bag, more embarrassing than threatening.

For people who have felt the sweet caress of grass on their feet? They are all saying Who???

Normal people don't know who Charlie Kirk is. My mom, dad, husband, neighbor are very confused why it's such a big deal.

Which is good to remember. He's never done anything notable. Didn't run for office, didn't break a big story, didn't write an important book.

So, for a lot of people this is all very confusing.

@futurebird look up "Horst Wessel" and Charlie Kirk will make a lot more sense.

@jbrownesq

I think it's very possible this attack was coming from one of the people who used to like him, angry because of the Epstein cover up. That's where *violent* rhetoric about this guy was coming from most recently.

@jbrownesq

Some of his fans had a para-social relationship with him. He's always been propped up by right wing big money, while trying to "reach out to the youth" and trying to seem "anti-establishment"

The cognitive dissonance of a recent statement he made "I will trust my friends in the government" (on Epstein) caused many of his fans to attack him. They were VERY mad.

So, that's what I suspect. Of course I could be wrong.

@futurebird @jbrownesq And Russia, don't forget Russia.

Normal people don't know who Charlie Kirk is. My mom, dad, husband, neighbor are very confused why it's such a big deal.

Which is good to remember. He's never done anything notable. Didn't run for office, didn't break a big story, didn't write an important book.

So, for a lot of people this is all very confusing.

@futurebird well, im surrounded by people who are not normal.

Normal people don't know who Charlie Kirk is. My mom, dad, husband, neighbor are very confused why it's such a big deal.

Which is good to remember. He's never done anything notable. Didn't run for office, didn't break a big story, didn't write an important book.

So, for a lot of people this is all very confusing.

@futurebird

To me that was the scary part.

He had an organization larger than the young republicans indoctrinating students destine for places of power more important than trades or labor in terms of politics.

And no normal person has really heard about him.

He was part of a pipeline warning kids that "the crazy liberals will cut off your genitals and make you pray to Stalin!" And then he offered them a "safe space" from a boogey man who didn't exist.

Like so much of this regimes network, he was just another nobody with a suspiciously funded org making sure educated people got the right indoctrination before going off to be political staffers or lawyers or whatever.

He is amongst the modern embodiment of the banality of evil.

@jbrownesq

I think it's very possible this attack was coming from one of the people who used to like him, angry because of the Epstein cover up. That's where *violent* rhetoric about this guy was coming from most recently.

Normal people don't know who Charlie Kirk is. My mom, dad, husband, neighbor are very confused why it's such a big deal.

Which is good to remember. He's never done anything notable. Didn't run for office, didn't break a big story, didn't write an important book.

So, for a lot of people this is all very confusing.

@futurebird He got grown ass people to wear nothing but diapers. Notable.

@JamesWidman @wonkothesane

I don't think this will stay in the news all that long. Unless they find the shooter and they are some kind of person the right wing can villainize.

That is possible but given the pattern of these types of shootings I think it's a little unlikely. But we shall see.

@futurebird @JamesWidman @wonkothesane It doesn't matter who the shooter is. They'll tell the stories they want to tell anyway.

@futurebird Sure. But the fascist state is already moving to lionize him and make it sound like he was their Best Boy. This is Horst Wessel shit.