The Tragedies of Charlie Kirk's Death.

 Up until a week ago I didn't really know who Charlie Kirk was.  When my son sent a message to our family group text saying that he had been shot, I wrongly guessed that he was a YouTuber or musician. Of course, soon I would realize that he was very important to many people.

Let me be very clear.  Charlie Kirk's murder is a terrible tragedy.  

It is tragic that two young children lost their father.

His death is tragic for his wife who is left to mourn him and to raise their children on her own.

It is tragic for his parents, siblings, friends, anyone who knew and cared for him,  to lose someone they loved very much.

Also.

His death is tragic for black people in our country, who have to face yet another wave of realizing how low they rate in the eyes of so many white people, people they may have thought were friends.   Kirk once said, "If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she is there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action?".(1)  He also once said, "Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to target white people, that's a fact.  It's happening more and more."  (2)  These are unfounded accusations and just plain hateful speak. 

It is a tragedy for the trans community.  Whether or not the accused gunman was motivated in part by his (potential? alleged?) ties to the transgender community, it is awful that they now have yet another battle to fight because of one rouge and horribly misguided individual.  This is not their fault, and yet it will be blamed on them.

It is tragic for all those who have lost loved ones to gun violence.  A man is being venerated and deified who once said, "I think it's worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights.  That is a prudent deal.  It is rational."(3)  How horrible for a parent who has lost their child in a school shooting to see how many Americans think that death was just an unfortunate fee that we have to pay for "freedom". 

There is also tragedy for immigrants, and children or grandchildren of immigrants (I guess that's me since my great grandparents immigrated from Poland).  If your friends and family are lifting him up as a beacon of truth, and yet he once said,  "America was at its peak when we halted immigration for 40 years and we dropped our foreign-born percentage to its lowest level ever. We should be unafraid to do that." (4).  Isn't this the land of opportunity?  Doesn't our diversity make us great?  When did the line magically get drawn that it was ok for our ancestors to immigrate, but those who would seek to find a better life in this day and age are no longer welcome.  

And finally, it is a tragedy for followers of Christ, that yet again, our faith and religion is being taken over by Christian Nationalists who want to commandeer our Jesus and His good works and align them with a man who had so many hateful things to say.

There is no peace in this.  There is no joy.  I would genuinely cry joyful tears if Charlie Kirk's death was a hoax and he could be reunited with his loved ones.  In the meantime, I will be crying tears, though of a different ilk, for what has been revealed over this last week. 

1-  The Charlie Kirk Show, 3 January 2024
2- The Charlie Kirk Show, 19 May 2023
3- Event organized by TPUSA Faith, the religious arm of Kirk’s conservative group Turning Point USA, on 5 April 2023
4- The Charlie Kirk Show, 22 August 2025