For those who don’t find “far-right” to be an applicable descriptor with what is known currently, I acknowledge that the meme creator could have been more precise with their word choice. However, I feel the difference is academic:
We can replace “far right” with the easily verified “not leftist” without changing the meme whatsoever, primarily because the meme is about Nancy Mace and her mercurial, disingenuous opinion, not (directly) about the shooter.
Edit - I modified it, though I still find it to be a distinction without a difference - alt version for those who prefer (whoops missed one first time)
I’ve only seen credible reports that his family were Republicans but didn’t seem overtly political on their socials.
Calling a dude far right when we don’t actually know that is no better than them saying it was a liberal. All we know is republican but moderate parents, who went to a Mormon church and he didn’t vote for republicans or democrats. It seems more likely that it’s someone who did this because they didn’t agree with Charlie Kirk rather than for political reasons.
I would like to hold myself to same standards I would hold anybody else, whether or not I agree with them politically is irrelevant.
I would note that 3 percenter gear is quite specifically political, and dad is in 3 percenter shirts in more than one instance. You don’t get those shirts by accident or in your local walmart.
I want to be clear here, there is a substantial amount of information here. This isn’t “he wore a red hat once!”
These are extremely signficiant indications of political belief.
Thank you. I’ve not heard of those.
Did you say his father has been pictured in those clothes as that does say a lot about the father. Also makes me wonder how that would lead to their kid killing someone I would deem as far right.
That is correct, his dad (in pictures on Facebook with him) has 3 percenter shirts.
Kirk wasn’t the “right” version of the right. Take a look at the groyper wars for a very specific connection between being against Kirk. This is part of what makes the (extremely specific) memes and costumes so telling about his attitude towards Kirk.
Based on the difference between the paraphrasing references and the quotes provided on the dinner discussion too, I’d lean towards the family not being fan of Kirk either, but that is pure speculation.
I will acknowledge that the meme creator could have been less (or more) specific. I still don’t think it changes the actual point which is that it was only death penalty worthy until Mace thought it was someone on “her team.” Now it’s “let’s pray for this troubled youth.”
Edit - You also seem to be reading much more moderate things about the shooter and his family than I have been, but I really don’t care to split that hair enough to trade sources with you. It will all come out in eventually, and again we know enough to know it’s just a matter of degree.
Yet another edit - Actually, are we moderate-washing magas already? Maga = far right.
https://www.project2025.observer/
Happy to share my source. I don’t really know which way it tends to lean as I’ve not read it for many years. It used to be the free newspaper we got on buses and trains in my city.
The only reason I chose the link is due to it being the one punished shortest time ago. But we will see. And I’m not tying to whitewash maga. Just trying to wait until the actual truth comes out and not jumping to conclusions like the person in this tweet.
Metro
If you acknowledge they were maga (which is what a Trump supporter is) then I don’t know what language you find objectionable.
And I apologize for assuming, but maybe you are not familiar with the on the ground mix of folks in the US. (Based on your source and your instance, which I realize are also arbitrary.) It’s not possible to be a Trump supporter and not be far right. It might have been possible in 2016, it really wasn’t in 2020, and no one who voted for him in 2024 can even pretend. They can reject the label, but actions speak louder than words, and everything he’s doing was telegraphed long before the election.
All we know is his parents are republicans and i, maybe naively, believe there are people that align with some of their values but are not terminally online like us that don’t see everything and i believe those people can be reasoned with.
You’re correct about my being from outside the USA, but the instance is arbitrary as accidentally joined a German one. I’m from the UK.
I know for a fact that people for instance that support Nigel Farage here are not all racists as sadly I’m surrounded by them. These people have just been tied to about who the boogeyman is and they’re not inherently bad people, just ignorant. I’ve been able to work in my closest friend and even see him pushing back on shaky narratives from the right now.
I’ve lost my train of thought now but what I’m saying is I think that there is more nuance than just they evil and we should shun them because that does nothing but radicalise both sides and I’m not comfortable with that.
I think they had a decade to see him for what he was and there is no excuse.
If they aren’t racist white supremacists it wasn’t a dealbreaker. At that point it’s academic.
I’m closing in on 60. I’ve interacted with and/or been targeted by these same types for my entire life. And they all unified under maga. By removing maga from my life wherever possible, I’ve removed the same sources of toxicity that I can remember all the way back to my youth. It’s the best mental health decision I’ve ever made. They weren’t born maga, they chose it, and they continue to choose it. Fine. Thanks for labeling yourselves with the red hats and stickers, magas. Life is so much easier now.
Also, you are very close to making the point this comic was written for.
Firstly I’ll say I’m obviously outside your area if the world so perhaps I just don’t know how far gone the right are and I’m biased from my own perspective here.
Let me ask you this though, do you think removing those people from your life makes a difference to anybody but you and them. Are you changing the world or just pushing them to be more radical due to being pushed out by people.
No judgement with the above as you have to do what is best for you first and I understand that. I just wonder about how change could ever happen over there is nobody is willing to engage. I like to think that the only war should be a class war and anything that isn’t in support of that just detracts from my goal.
I don’t for a second believe that everybody that votes republican or conservative over here is an evil terrible person. I just think they’ve been radicalised. I think my entire comment history here over the last two years shows I am a liberal but I really fear we are just in an echo chamber in this place and no change is possible because everybody we engage with is already on board.
The difference being made is that I’ve taken charge of the sphere of people with influence in my life more effectively and assertively than at any time in my many decades, and I refuse to be shamed for not allowing them in. (not suggesting you personally are, but it seems an increasingly popular position)
Have they noticed? Some of them probably have. I have a complicated family life with a lot of obligations. We don’t socialize much anyway. I don’t really care if they have or not though. This is a decision I have made for myself.
Me? Certainly not. In aggregate though? Maybe. I think it’s is a silent movement. I read and/or hear throwaway comments about people dodging their maga friends and relatives all the time. So, it probably is an inflection point of some kind.
They had years to be reasonable. They had years to pull their head out of their ass. They had years to remember their humanity. And even today they still haven’t.
I antagonize no one I meet, but I’m not letting that into my life anymore. Other people can pan the magas for gold.