I’ll write that, yes, it is a heinous act when one human being takes the life of another. It’s the complete abnegation of belief in the sanctity of life. But we live in an era where that sanctity is violated over and over. People argue that Charlie Kirk had a great deal to say, was a great orator who called the shots as he saw them. But it only reaffirmed and supported the hypocrisy inherent in the Trumpian authoritarian power grab. I’m left feeling great sadness that, yes, the life and right of a person to express their viewpoint was tragically extinguished. Once again rogue action replaced measured dialogue. Now a reckoning is in order.

But we can’t whitewash certain realities. He was a racist, misogynist, bigot, and homophobe that ranted tirelessly on the victimization of the white ruling class. He spouted self-righteous smarm at every opportunity. The art of polishing rhetoric to enflame emotions and cover for a mind that pictured itself on a grand stage, a supreme actor before an audience, looking for confirmation that the white political class was under attack from all those he deemed second class citizens.

Again, I have to be politically correct that anyone in Mr. Kirk’s position has the right to say what they think so long as it isn’t defamatory or injurious in its intent. That has become a high bar in today’s world to jump over, as the speech we’ve become accustomed to crosses the line at the drop of a hat. Trump has aided and abetted the process with his fatuous orations and simpering self- victimization. “I am being unjustly maligned, cruelly attacked, and oh, so misunderstood. Go take care of those meanies that do me such injustice.” That’s the backdrop and he knows full well what he’s doing.

He’s talking to his storm troopers in ad hoc military gear, sometimes hardly that, parading about in no formation but with sneering and menacing grimace. Gruff masquerading does set people back a bit because of the anarchy of its manner and intent. What exactly are they? Mattel soldiers hardly fresh out of the box with new batteries and missing instruction manuals? It’s a new board game only no one wins. It’s all collateral damage representation with Tom Homan scowling and too busy to answer questions. He’s the boarder czar in case you’ve forgotten.

Kirk loves guns of course but was killed by irony. Funny how that catches up with you. Irony here was thinking you could promote one manner of violence and be immune from the rest. Doesn’t work that way. In Texas in July, Kirk said the “death toll likely would not have been as high if it wasn’t for DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion].” The Bible of course was God’s perfect law and answers all sexual matters: “Lay with another man and be stoned to death.” So I deserve to be stoned? Kirk said M.L. King was “awful” and “not a good person.” “…the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 had become a ‘beast’ and is an ‘anti-white weapon.’” Etc. etc. ad nauseum.

But all the Democratic elites are being careful not to appear crass and disrespectful, defending Kirk’s right to be saying what he was saying. Can’t be stepping on the wrong toes. Most of the sycophant Trumpists have been living in this dream of conservative racist resurrection for a very long time. The time is right and out they’ve all come brandishing their reactionary credentials, blithe to the inevitability of backlash. The worst backlash is of course what transpired. Surprise. The honorary procession is led by all those apostates denying that a spade is indeed a spade which may as easily be used on themselves.

Killing is our pastime. War is going on in Ukraine, in Gaza, and elsewhere. Agreement is not on the horizon. Compromise is full of uncertainty. Wariness must prevail. Agreement should be relief at last, changing the paradigm from loss to rescue. We’ve seen that Trump is a clever operator. We are to be the marionettes of the technology sphere, surfing on the promises of AI to reconfigure all of life, (as its doing) the bros of the industry again blithe to the consequences of relinquishing all to the algorithms remaking the human organism’s brain and everything in between.

We’re experiencing the symptoms of the disease. Charlie Kirk died not because he was a mistaken pawn, just a symbol of the right wing. He’s the archetypal player who had joined the manosphere of technological breakthrough that now requires less consciousness, more certainty of some over-arching order, looking ahead for his starring role, the mountebank of Trumpian hyperbole and duplicity, a glad hander we’re told to like, but on closer look, a snake oil salesman interested only in those with money in their pockets. A shallow intellectual, full of affects while short on inclusion and what that really means.

He’s the new century: image, image, image. Schumpeter’s Gale: break and discard.
Start over. That’s what the tech bros want. Besides being king, that’s what Trump
wants. Collateral damage? That’s part of the deal.

Alan Harris lives in Shelburne Falls.