"On Wednesday afternoon, Turning Point USA founder and right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. Shortly after, graphic close-up videos of the attack began proliferating on X and TikTok. Like many whose feed it came across, the moment I registered what I was seeing, I wished I hadn't. Hours later, Utah officials confirmed Kirk had died, meaning that everyone who watched the video had essentially just viewed a snuff film."
"It's impossible to ignore the dark ironies inherent to Kirk's killing, considering that mere moments before he was shot he was answering a question about transgender mass shooters in the US, a common fearmongering talking point among MAGA acolytes, or that in 2023 Kirk said that it was "worth it" to have gun deaths every year to preserve the Second Amendment."
Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and right-wing influencer, was shot in the neck during a speaking event at Utah Valley University and later died. Graphic close-up videos of the attack quickly spread on X and TikTok, exposing many viewers to the killing and prompting immediate regret among those who saw it. The shooting carried ironies: Kirk had been answering a question about transgender mass shooters moments before and had previously said in 2023 that it was "worth it" to have gun deaths each year to preserve the Second Amendment. Social media reactions ranged from grim shock to celebratory and satirical responses, while many users struggled with witnessing the exact moment.
Read at Vulture
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]