"Assassins and would-be assassins have become a sickeningly common feature of our polarized political landscape, and so have our rituals in the aftermath of the assailants' heinous acts. First come the shock and the bipartisan expressions of regret. Then, almost as instantly, come the debates: Whose side was he on? Just as often as not, the clues come from fragments of the shooter's life on the internet. Deciphering social-media messages, private chat-room records, and Google-search histories, we hunt for ideological bread crumbs."
"Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of the right-wing activist and MAGA ally Charlie Kirk, used bullets that he had engraved with phrases that revealed less about his political affiliations than his fluency in deep internet culture. One bullet said "Hey fascist! Catch!," then included a code for dropping a bomb in the video game Helldivers 2. Another said "If you Read / This, You Are / GAY / lmao," and a third contained an emoticon-laced message drawn from furry subculture. (The symbol is not perverse because of its origins; it's perverse because of how gleefully and literally it was weaponized, not unlike when Nikki Haley wrote "Finish them" on Israeli artillery destined for Gaza.)"
"Spencer Cox, the Republican Governor of Utah, has said that Robinson subscribed to a "Leftist ideology." According to court documents released on Tuesday, Robinson's mother told investigators that he had moved to the left politically in the past year, becoming more "pro-gay and trans-rights oriented." He had also begun to date his roommate, who, in his mother's description, was male at birth and was transitioning."
Assassins and would-be assassins have become common in a polarized political landscape, followed by ritualized shock, bipartisan regret, and immediate debates about motives. Observers seek ideological clues in shooters' social-media posts, chat logs, and search histories. The alleged assassin Tyler Robinson engraved bullets with internet-culture phrases linking gaming, memes, and furry symbols, signaling cultural fluency more than clear partisan allegiance. Authorities report Robinson shifted politically toward pro-LGBTQ views and dated a transitioning roommate; texts quote him saying he killed Charlie Kirk because he 'had enough of his hatred.' The connection between personal grievance and lethal action remains unclear.
Read at The New Yorker
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