r/askanything • u/Vert_der_Ferk25 • Sep 02 '26

Political Question Why am I supposed to be impressed with who Charlie Kirk was?

He was a paid professional debater. He went to a college campus, set up a tent and cameras, and engaged with amateurs who had no experience doing what he did. And the right loved him for it. His media team would then cut clips of him scoring points against amateurs, and they would push them out on all their social media feeds.

Isn't this like LeBron James going to a campus and setting up cameras while he played pickup games against kids who, at best, were on the college team but more likely dabbled in basketball, but were no match for the expert? And then what would people think if LeBron's media people cut clips of him dunking on these young amateurs and pushed them out as "highlights"?

"LeBron's TOP 10 Most SAVAGE College TAKEDOWNS šŸ‘€šŸ”„"

"COCKY College Kid gets OWNED By Lebron James! Follow for morešŸ‘‰"

"LeBron James SHUTS DOWN 3 Arrogant College Students Best DUNKS Compilation"

"1 NBA Hall of Famer vs 25 Amateur College Students (Feat. LeBron James) | Surrounded"

Isn't Kirk's legacy just sad?

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68

u/ItsAHogsLife Sep 02 '26

Because itā€™s revisionist history. The right is trying to turn him into a martyr for white nationalism. Are you not impressed?

29

u/Dinglebop_Technician Sep 02 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/1Ou4cr9W0plKzpZ1Qa

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u/Jetengineinthesky Sep 04 '26

BEHOLD...the grieving widowĀ 

0

u/New-Clue-4006 Sep 04 '26

I think she gets a pass. She was in a quiet support role to her husband and in an instant her husband was assassinated on video in front of thousands of people and she more or less inherited a political organization boasting millions of members. She has no fucking clue what she's doing, she never wanted this, but she also feels like she HAS TO keep it going to honor her husband's memory.Ā 

So yeah, it's going to feel unnatural because it is unnatural. She's not a natural leader. She doesn't have a charismatic stage presence. But she's trying anyway, while being forced to very publicly process an incredibly complex grief that few of us can ever appreciate.Ā 

You can disagree with everything Charlie Kirk ever said while still recognizing that Erika does not deserve the hate she's getting

2

u/Jetengineinthesky Sep 04 '26

Oh no, she very much does deserve it.

1

u/No_Blackberry6525 Sep 04 '26

Her gait in this clip disturbs me

1

u/imtheasianlad Sep 04 '26

Well itā€™s a man dressed up as her so that might explain.

1

u/No_Blackberry6525 Sep 04 '26

Ok, itā€™s from that thing. I didnā€™t realize

1

u/adgobad Sep 04 '26

Muppet ass gait

2

u/Amthomas101 Sep 04 '26

I think this is primarily it. After he died and the right was celebrating him so publicly it occurred to me that the right has no Martin Luther King Jr type of figure. Someone who really represented the best of what their perspective had to offer and was assassinated as a result. Mind you, I donā€™t think Charlie Kirk is that AT ALL, but I think conservatives want the world to view him that way.

1

u/generic_vulgar_name Sep 04 '26

what are you even talking about?

ā€œwhite nationalistsā€ didnā€™t even like Charlie Kirk, and his death had nothing to do with anything racial? If anything, the straighter line could be down into making a homophobic point as opposed to a racial one surrounding his death.

1

u/AtlasInt Sep 07 '26

It's reddit. Abandon all hope.

1

u/FernTheHuman389 Sep 04 '26

What the boogeyman

1

u/JudahBrutus Sep 05 '26

That's not true, a lot of people didn't really know who he was or didn't consume a lot of his content but after he died a lot of people started to look into him and realized how great he really was. He would have been a right wing Obama given a few more years, nobody even knew who Obama was at 31 years old...

1

u/Carpenter-Confident Sep 02 '26

Thatā€™s why his murder was so disheartening to me. Why him? Heā€™s a loser; just a podcaster. He had no true political power, just the power of influence. Makes his assassin an even bigger loser.

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u/ItsAHogsLife Sep 02 '26

To be honest, I donā€™t think most people outside of the chronically online even really knew who he was. Especially older Fox News viewers. They saw a young white family man fighting for what he believed in (and what they believe in) via selective clips that made him look good and smart following his death, never seeing the ugly and outright dumb side of his debates. They felt sympathy for his widow and decided to support her.

2

u/ToTooRoo Sep 04 '26

Can you show us any of the ugly and outright dumb side of his debates? Iā€™m new to the topic and cannot find a full length debate

1

u/rhamphol30n Sep 02 '26

I am chronically online and didn't know who he was. I was aware that someone like that existed because of the South Park episode a few days before he was killed.

2

u/Dinglebop_Technician Sep 02 '26

Why him? Heā€™s a loser; just a podcaster.

Charlie Kirk built the largest youth MAGA recruitment machine. He wasn't "just a podcaster". TurningPointUSA was pivotal in providing Trump his victory in 2024.

As to why him? I can't be certain. But it is very interesting that it happened shortly after he started to turn on Israel. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not.

1

u/Diligent_Solution_86 Sep 03 '26

The exact same way they praised rittenhouse as a hero that defended America. As far as I can tell that narrative is completely effective and many Iā€™ve seen here in Florida are so happy he works here now