This might be a very upsetting post. Some folks might not like what I have to say. But fuck it. I’m going to say it anyway.
All of these Charlie Kirk jokes, the jokes targeting Republicans and conservatives, and even some of the stuff that essentially mirrors the very same behavior people criticize them for, to the point of being downright offensive, is not leftist. It’s not progressive. It’s not woke. And frankly, we shouldn’t be doing it. Not really.
Not if you truly believe in social justice. Not if you truly believe in fairness, equality, and equity. Not if you truly believe in empathy and compassion.
Because here’s the thing: being the same but in reverse isn’t going to accomplish anything.
It’s not going to change minds. It’s not going to help anyone. It’s not going to help you. And it certainly isn’t going to help the people who might otherwise be allies.
You know what it does? It perpetuates systems of hate. It normalizes them. It reinforces the idea that being offensive, demeaning, degrading, and downright cruel is perfectly acceptable as long as you’re doing it to people you disagree with.
And no. Fuck that.
I’m tired of people acting like this is somehow the norm. I’m tired of people thinking that the appropriate response to offensive rhetoric is simply to turn around and direct the same kind of offensive rhetoric at the other side. I’m tired of people acting like it’s perfectly fine to be cruel as long as the target is someone they don’t like.
Shit pisses me the fuck off.
And no, this isn’t me suddenly becoming conservative or Republican. It isn’t me changing my political beliefs or abandoning my values. Quite the opposite, actually.
It pisses me off because I believe our values should mean something. I believe that if we’re going to advocate for a better society, we should actually try to practice the principles we claim to stand for.
And here’s something else people seem to overlook: there is harm in this behavior.
Just because you’re directing it at someone you oppose doesn’t mean there are no consequences. Just because you think someone deserves it doesn’t mean your words suddenly become harmless. And just because you’re on what you consider the morally correct side of an issue doesn’t mean you get a free pass to say and do whatever you want.
There are consequences. There is harm. And that’s precisely what some people don’t seem to understand.
It genuinely seems like quite a number of people have convinced themselves that this kind of behavior is acceptable. That it’s okay to cross certain lines, that it’s okay to be offensive, and that it’s okay to dehumanize people as long as they’re Republicans or conservatives.
But that’s not how this works.
Now, look, I’m not against jokes. I’m not against humor. I’m not saying we can’t criticize conservatives, Republicans, political figures, or their policies. I’m certainly not saying we need to tiptoe around legitimate criticism or pretend that harmful actions aren’t harmful.
Criticism is necessary. Satire is necessary. Political humor can be great.
But there’s a difference between criticizing someone and dehumanizing them.
There’s a difference between making a joke about someone’s political positions and making fun of them for getting shot or killed.
There’s a difference between holding people accountable and wishing death upon them.
And if you’re making jokes about Charlie Kirk dying, celebrating his death, making light of his shooting, or directing that same kind of cruelty toward ordinary Republicans and conservatives, then no, I don’t think that’s cool.
I don’t care which political side you’re on. I don’t care how much you dislike someone. I don’t care how strongly you disagree with their beliefs.
Humanity shouldn’t be conditional on political agreement.
And if we genuinely want a society built around empathy, compassion, fairness, and social justice, then we need to start acting like those principles apply to everyone.
Not just the people we like.
Not just the people who agree with us.
Not just the people we consider worthy of our compassion.
Everyone.
Because if our response to hate is simply to reproduce that same hate against a different group of people, then what exactly are we accomplishing?
We’re not breaking the cycle. We’re continuing it.
And I, for one, want something better than that.