opinions

Right-wing culture-warrior Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Wednesday, September 10. He was shot by a sniper in broad daylight on the campus of a Utah university. Even before the shooter was captured, I pretty much knew the basics: the guy would be a white male, he would be under 30, he would be politically conservative and very online, and he would be really, really into guns and “gun culture.” That’s exactly who it turned out to be: Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old alt-right, cisgender groyper. The shooter was to the far-right politically of Charlie Kirk, and it’s looking a lot like this was less of a referendum on right/left/center politics and more of an internecine dispute within a far-right extremist philosophy. And in case anyone is wondering, Tyler Robinson’s father turned him in and Robinson’s grandma told the press that the whole family is MAGA through and through.

Once Robinson’s politics became known and the motive has now moved into “oh, so one Nazi killed another Nazi” territory, obviously, many in MAGA World are no longer interested in politicizing every single thing about this murder. What’s crazy is that the “cancel culture is bad” people are now demanding that everyone should be canceled for not worshiping their martyr.

Following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk this week, educators across the country have found themselves facing swift termination or potential discipline after allegedly sharing opinions on social media about the killing.

At least a dozen faculty and staff, from school board officials to classroom teachers, have been met with fallout over insensitive posts about Kirk’s death. In at least two instances, universities fired staff members entirely for posts deemed inappropriate. Many other educators have been suspended or are under investigation, and the number is likely to grow as conservative online influencers share screenshots.

At East Tennessee State University, two faculty members have been placed on administrative leave pending further review, school spokesperson Jess Vodden said. Complaints sent to the university included screenshots of Facebook comments, according to copies the school shared with NBC News, that one faculty member allegedly made in response to Kirk’s death, including “you reap what you sow.” Another allegedly wrote, “This isn’t a tragedy. It’s a victory.”

Vodden said the university had received “numerous complaints” about the posts. “Because this is a personnel issue, we cannot offer further comment at this time,” she said.

Middle Tennessee State University fired a staff member, according to a statement shared Wednesday by President Sidney McPhee. State officials are weighing in as well, with the Florida Department of Education sending a memo to school district superintendents Thursday, threatening investigation and disciplinary action against educators who have commented on Kirk’s death in a manner it deems inappropriate.

“It has been brought to my attention that some Florida educators have posted despicable comments on social media regarding the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk,” said the memo, signed by Florida education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas. “I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior.”

Oklahoma’s state superintendent, Ryan Walters, similarly promised to investigate teachers making incendiary comments on social media about Kirk’s death, and he confirmed his department is investigating one middle school educator called out on X.

[From NBC News]

Again, these are teachers talking sh-t on social media, not in a classroom (although I think it’s perfectly reasonable for, like, high school teachers to talk about it in a classroom setting as a teachable moment). Unless their accounts are attached to their schools, the schools have no business firing anyone for “talking sh-t” about someone who had never been elected to anything?

Additionally, the State Department wants to review the legal status of any immigrant “praising, rationalizing, or making light” of Kirk’s death. This is truly insane. It’s like that possibly apocryphal story about a Norwegian tourist being refused entry into the US because he had a “fat Vance” meme on his phone. We’re really through the looking glass.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.