Well said at the end - I didn’t agree with almost anything this guy was about, but still no one should die so brutally and unexpectedly in front of their kids like that. Hopefully they get the persons involved and the true M.O. on why they did this - until then the speculation/accusations/responses from each has America on the brink.
I am not a a young man so Kirk was not part of my life. I still find his assassination disgusting. We should be able to say almost anything without fear of being killed. I was on the debate team in college and had to argue the affirmative and the negative in different rounds. That is what argument is. Kirk was not afraid to argue. Good that Tara interviewed him. Well written column.
Very well said at the end. No one should be celebrating this. Yesterday it happened to Charlie. Tomorrow it could happen to someone we love or to us. Gun safety and regulation is needed, mental health is needed. These are good places to start. But at the end of the day we MUST LOOSEN THE KNOTS OF PASSION that have gripped us or we will all choke together.
Many moons ago, I did an internship at a psychiatric hospital. It has long since closed — shuttered due to the idea that such places were too expensive for society and no longer needed. The patients were released and all of us working there were haunted by that then and still are now. We’re awash in easy access guns and the ticking bombs these long gone hospitals once helped.
"What angers me now is the reaction to his death—the chorus on the left sneering 'he had it coming' and the voices on the right, some close to Trump, calling it rocket fuel for destroying their enemies. Both sides pouring gasoline on an already raging fire."
Every day in this country about 128 people die from gun violence. All of them leave family and friends bereft and grief-stricken. Yesterday, Charlie Kirk was one more gun fatality. There were 127 others.
If, when we all were young, we could be acknowledged , allowed to be heard and feel safe, for the pain we feel from the verbal, emotional violence causes without being shamed, perhaps we would not live in a world with physical violence. Accountability for the hurt we cause helps. However, that’s something many of us still have to learn. And, that journey requires mercy and grace. We are not born haters. We learn to hate. We can unlearn hate. Charlie wanting the files released gave me hope for his future evolution into being able to have the capacity for vulnerability. Feeling our feelings causes empathy.
As always, very well said Tara. And I applaud you for being so objective even though he targeted your demographic. I fear that instead of everyone taking a step a step back and toningnit down a bit, this, like you said, will add fuel to the fire from both sides. And the past thing this fire needs is more fuel.
I’ve watched several videos of Kirk’s over the last few years.
He capitalized on the divisive cultural, populist, hate-filled rhetoric of Trump from behind the veil of Christianity. Not very Christ-like but a consistent behavior for a MAGA performance artist.
Tara, thanks for your sharing your personal point of view as a young successful woman in our society - having paved your own path for your life - not the one that would have been prescribed by the “other” side. For me, as a grandmother of 10 beautiful kids, my eyes were opened wide as I heard of the murder of Charlie Kirk. Why? Because as a die hard liberal minded, news junkie, activist democratic woman, I was sickened not only by his cold blooded killing BUT by my complete lack of knowledge about his power and influence on our young men (and women). I had no idea….how blind I was…….who is his counterpart on our side? I wonder. I am learning know about his enormous power within the trump regime. Teaches me know to pay MUCH more attention to influencers on the right who have captivated audiences with their agendas - how can we fight them if we don’t understand what they are preaching??? His agenda of FREEDOM while condemning those who don’t fit his narrative has been chilling for this seventy something. Although we don’t yet know why he was shot - could have been a personal vendetta - but the current regime and GOP seem to have jumped to their own conclusions already - which are probably wrong, spinning this moment into another damning tragedy.
That is insightful information Tara regarding a lost generation of young men who for various reasons have lost the social skills andd self-confidence to even begin to attract the attention of young females. I can see how Kirk could manipulate these young men into projecting this self-hate onto females and attacking the whole 'woke movement".
I'm not celebrating his death, but I don't mourn the loss either. That is not to say that I do not feel sorry for his widow, their children and his family for their loss.
There was very, very little I could agree with him on. As far as I was concerned, he had his views, I had mine and I really didn't appreciate his 65+ year old bullshit thinking. He was definitely born in the wrong time.
I am a true believer in "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword" and Charlie loved to wield his sword a lot.
Charlie was a provocateur who was always begging for a fight. Just watch videos of his college tours. He was always dying to prove to everyone that he was smarter than everyone else and most of the time he was. But there were also times when he would get his ass handed to him by someone truly smarter, more articulate and quicker thinking that would absolutely eat him alive.
What I fear now the most though is that the assassin is another right wing kook like the kid that took a shot at Trump in Butler. That could send some of the cult into a real tailspin all over again.
Well said at the end - I didn’t agree with almost anything this guy was about, but still no one should die so brutally and unexpectedly in front of their kids like that. Hopefully they get the persons involved and the true M.O. on why they did this - until then the speculation/accusations/responses from each has America on the brink.
I am not a a young man so Kirk was not part of my life. I still find his assassination disgusting. We should be able to say almost anything without fear of being killed. I was on the debate team in college and had to argue the affirmative and the negative in different rounds. That is what argument is. Kirk was not afraid to argue. Good that Tara interviewed him. Well written column.
thank you
Very well said at the end. No one should be celebrating this. Yesterday it happened to Charlie. Tomorrow it could happen to someone we love or to us. Gun safety and regulation is needed, mental health is needed. These are good places to start. But at the end of the day we MUST LOOSEN THE KNOTS OF PASSION that have gripped us or we will all choke together.
thank you, I agree.
Many moons ago, I did an internship at a psychiatric hospital. It has long since closed — shuttered due to the idea that such places were too expensive for society and no longer needed. The patients were released and all of us working there were haunted by that then and still are now. We’re awash in easy access guns and the ticking bombs these long gone hospitals once helped.
wow, that is shocking and so sad.
"What angers me now is the reaction to his death—the chorus on the left sneering 'he had it coming' and the voices on the right, some close to Trump, calling it rocket fuel for destroying their enemies. Both sides pouring gasoline on an already raging fire."
That sums it up perfectly for me.
thank you
Every day in this country about 128 people die from gun violence. All of them leave family and friends bereft and grief-stricken. Yesterday, Charlie Kirk was one more gun fatality. There were 127 others.
If, when we all were young, we could be acknowledged , allowed to be heard and feel safe, for the pain we feel from the verbal, emotional violence causes without being shamed, perhaps we would not live in a world with physical violence. Accountability for the hurt we cause helps. However, that’s something many of us still have to learn. And, that journey requires mercy and grace. We are not born haters. We learn to hate. We can unlearn hate. Charlie wanting the files released gave me hope for his future evolution into being able to have the capacity for vulnerability. Feeling our feelings causes empathy.
Outstanding and important commentary makes me glad that I support you
thank you, I appreciate that
Well written and the end is everything, and hopefully we heal from this.
me too.
So well described and concluded
thank you
As always, very well said Tara. And I applaud you for being so objective even though he targeted your demographic. I fear that instead of everyone taking a step a step back and toningnit down a bit, this, like you said, will add fuel to the fire from both sides. And the past thing this fire needs is more fuel.
Thanks
Wow. Great analysis and terrific read 👍
I’ve watched several videos of Kirk’s over the last few years.
He capitalized on the divisive cultural, populist, hate-filled rhetoric of Trump from behind the veil of Christianity. Not very Christ-like but a consistent behavior for a MAGA performance artist.
Tara, thanks for your sharing your personal point of view as a young successful woman in our society - having paved your own path for your life - not the one that would have been prescribed by the “other” side. For me, as a grandmother of 10 beautiful kids, my eyes were opened wide as I heard of the murder of Charlie Kirk. Why? Because as a die hard liberal minded, news junkie, activist democratic woman, I was sickened not only by his cold blooded killing BUT by my complete lack of knowledge about his power and influence on our young men (and women). I had no idea….how blind I was…….who is his counterpart on our side? I wonder. I am learning know about his enormous power within the trump regime. Teaches me know to pay MUCH more attention to influencers on the right who have captivated audiences with their agendas - how can we fight them if we don’t understand what they are preaching??? His agenda of FREEDOM while condemning those who don’t fit his narrative has been chilling for this seventy something. Although we don’t yet know why he was shot - could have been a personal vendetta - but the current regime and GOP seem to have jumped to their own conclusions already - which are probably wrong, spinning this moment into another damning tragedy.
I totally agree! As a boomer I've dismissed "influencers" power over younger generations. Time to keep up or be left behind.
they have so much power!
That is insightful information Tara regarding a lost generation of young men who for various reasons have lost the social skills andd self-confidence to even begin to attract the attention of young females. I can see how Kirk could manipulate these young men into projecting this self-hate onto females and attacking the whole 'woke movement".
I'm not celebrating his death, but I don't mourn the loss either. That is not to say that I do not feel sorry for his widow, their children and his family for their loss.
There was very, very little I could agree with him on. As far as I was concerned, he had his views, I had mine and I really didn't appreciate his 65+ year old bullshit thinking. He was definitely born in the wrong time.
I am a true believer in "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword" and Charlie loved to wield his sword a lot.
Charlie was a provocateur who was always begging for a fight. Just watch videos of his college tours. He was always dying to prove to everyone that he was smarter than everyone else and most of the time he was. But there were also times when he would get his ass handed to him by someone truly smarter, more articulate and quicker thinking that would absolutely eat him alive.
What I fear now the most though is that the assassin is another right wing kook like the kid that took a shot at Trump in Butler. That could send some of the cult into a real tailspin all over again.