When tragedy befalls one who is propped up by the power structure in which they exist, society never fails to garner immense sympathy at the expense of disenfranchised groups.
The murder of Charlie Kirk explicitly shows us how proximity to whiteness increases the level of sympathy the public shows, approximating the death of one to the death of a thousand overseas.
“They seem so like us. That is what makes it so shocking. War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone.”
That is what Daniel Hannan, a former British politician said after the start of the war in Ukraine.
To make matters worse, here’s what Ukraine’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor, David Sakvarelidze, said about the war.
“It’s very emotional for me, because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed.”
Even as victims, we can illuminate the toxic notions that ail our society, contributing to an unequal playing field for groups of different demographics.
We’ve all seen our social media blow up with discourse surrounding Kirk’s death. Instead of genuine discourse surrounding his impact, we were met with those celebrating Kirk’s death. A childish distortion made to misrepresent people and legitimate arguments against Charlie Kirk’s words, effect and legacy.
We should pay no mind to those celebrating his death. We don’t celebrate the downfall of man, and we don’t kick people when they’re down. We owe it to his legacy to utilize our ability to engage in respectable discourse to voice his true impact on the community.
We can condemn Charlie Kirk’s death while making sure not to celebrate the life of a divisive individual who made a living spreading discriminatory propaganda.
Despite the large swath of debates concerning the death of Kirk, what isn’t debatable is that if Kirk were a brown man, this wouldn’t have been sustained in the news cycle for longer than a day. Kirk is an example of an average tragedy being lifted up into martyrdom. All of a sudden, 31 is young, free speech is under attack and white people are under assault (a talking point Kirk peddled).
“The ‘great replacement’ strategy, which is well underway every single day on our southern border, is a strategy to replace white rural America with something different,” he said.
We must remember this is the same man who made a living off divisive rhetoric, shaming Black employees, disgracing the religion of Islam and undermining the reality of being an immigrant. For all the talk about him being a soldier of Christ, if I were a Christian, I would be highly offended by this notion. Kirk himself, I think would have been one to deny Jesus, call him a traitor and call for his execution. This is the same man who said we have enough Indians in the country. Christians do not have room for hate and exile in religion built upon the forgiving love of Jesus Christ.
An uneducated man who utilized white supremacist talking points took advantage of college students in the midst of their education, in the midst of their journey of learning. A regular day of walking between classes just to see a random guy armed with repeated, common conservative talking points. This man took it upon himself to exploit inexperienced debaters by posting videos that made him look educated.
I get it. We all should condemn the way he died. Sympathize with his kids, his wife and all those who witnessed the tragedy that day. However, just because we condemn the way he died doesn’t mean we have to celebrate the way he lived.
This man was an awful representation of American values and it should be noted that even in death, your legacy should remain true. Larger than Kirk, we must stay aware of how proximity to whiteness garners increased sympathy. I fear we as a country are showing our true colors, and they’re not red, white and blue.
Mohammad Tantawi is a 24-year-old mass communication senior from Smyrna, Tenn.
