The Murder of Charlie Kirk: How a Tragedy Ignited a Political Crisis in the USA.

According to Vox: Millions of Americans witnessed the murder.

On Wednesday, amidst the usual social media posts — boring memes, political propaganda, and celebrity gossip — a video surfaced showing a young man speaking into a microphone, then recoiling from a gunshot to the neck.

This shocking video circulated for a long time, attracting attention as sensationalists profited from the horrific human susceptibility to violence. It was a dreadful moment, heightened by the identity of the victim — conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk.

Kirk expressed ideas that many disliked. However, over the years of his commentary, he gained the affection of millions of conservatives. Our brains can't distinguish parasocial relationships from real ones: hearing someone every day makes us feel close to them. So a multitude of Republicans perceived Kirk's death as the loss of a friend.

For liberals, Kirk's murder became a horrific assault on political freedom. He was a well-known defender of conservative speech on college campuses. Now, speaking at a university, he was silenced with a bullet. Such violence not only took Kirk's voice but also frightened others from expressing provocative views publicly, regardless of their ideology.

Thus, Kirk's murder became an assault on the democratic process — on our ability to collectively govern ourselves through the use of reason. It was also disturbing, vile, and ironically dark in the most sinister way.

Discrediting the Right on Political Violence in America

A few hours after Kirk's shooting, the most influential Republicans in the country — from the president to Fox News hosts and billionaires — began calling for authoritarian crackdowns, justifying it with incendiary lies. (Democratic officials unanimously condemned Kirk's murder.)

To assess the absurdity of the right's reaction, consider a few of its aspects:

• The president who incited insurrection four years ago — and honored one of its participants just a month ago — proclaimed that he would expose everyone who "participated" in "political violence."
• He accused the radical left of "demonizing" those they disagree with, as if he himself does not compare his opponents to "snakes" and does not assert that Democrats are "evil people."
• Trump and other Republicans hinted that the left is the sole source of political violence in the USA — just three months after a conservative killed a Democrat in Minnesota. They consciously ignored this fact. In his speech, Trump listed recent acts of political violence without mentioning the numerous attacks on Democratic officials.
• Trump attributed the attempt on his life to the "radical left," despite the lack of evidence that the person attempting to kill him was motivated by a progressive ideology.
• Trump and other conservatives called Kirk a defender of "free speech," jointly calling for government repression against progressive organizations that may have inspired his murderer.

This entire malevolence and irrationality were as threatening as the vengeful promises they justified. The openness of the right's lies demonstrated that truth would not be an obstacle to fulfilling their bloodthirst, as well as using tragedy for partisan ends.

Online Leftist Culture Has Flaws — But So Does the Right

In the lies of the right, there is a grain of truth: in the culture of active online leftists, there are some sick tendencies. Social media algorithms reward provocations and promote status games. This can lead to justifying violence: for instance, expressing satisfaction with the murder of a health insurance executive might attract attention and signal that you care more about the injustice of the medical system than your cautious peers.

While these dynamics are distorted and harmful, there is nothing in leftist culture that is unique and absent in the right. Right-wing extremism has claimed significantly more lives in recent years than the left.

The conservative movement, adhering to Kirk's ideals — free speech and open discussion — must condemn political violence in all its forms and reject the notion that the government should suppress certain ideas to ensure societal safety. But such a movement does not exist.

Modern conservatism is focused on outrage, fear, and the desire to dominate their opponents. Kirk's murder reinforced these authoritarian impulses and provided an opportunity to realize them. This, in turn, further exacerbated our already threatened democratic process.