The thing I think Chris misses here is that the violence is/was already happening. The only difference is that now white folks might be targeted. The second thing is notice how every single one of those people was demanding that other people should do something. The rightwing are not communal Christian slaves or hardened crusaders who wish to die for their cause. They are serial liars who only ever look out for themselves. They may justify the violence using Kirk, but they already did that!

This is the professional commentariat losing their shit because for once, one of their own was in the firing line, but no one is actually going to be willing to fight and die for the commentariat. They will get up, and continue to run their small businesses like they always have.

[–] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The key point he makes is that Kirk will be used to rally the right going forward, and his death will be an event that will bring them together into a unified whole.

[–] TreadOnMe@hexbear.net 12 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I get that. My point is that people can post about that, but actually commiting to it is something else. And additionally, they are overwhelmingly not saying "I need to come to the table and change myself to be better at the mission, for the sake of Charlie Kirk", which is the traditional Christian approach to martyrdom. They are all saying, "Aha, I was right all along, now you other people should do what I want you to do, for the sake of Charlie Kirk!", which isn't how veneration of a martyr actually succeeds.

I am betting that these people don't actually know how to unify politically around a martyr. They are far too steeped in modernity for that.

[–] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I mean Trump admin is actively organizing them using orgs like ICE as we speak. Events like this will almost certainly be used to funnel more people into what are effectively paramilitaries under republican control.

[–] TreadOnMe@hexbear.net 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Who? The Groypers celebrating Kirks death? 50 year old online addicts?

The people who want to be in the paramilitaries are already in them. Nothing was stopping them before.

[–] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It should be obvious that a paramilitary with the resources of the federal government is a qualitatively different beast from some local prepper yahoos cosplaying in the woods.

[–] TreadOnMe@hexbear.net 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Again that is already happening. That is what the National Guard has been forever. I don't get why you are so hung up on this.

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I don't think we have the collective attention span to make Charlie into the US 'Horst Wessel' or whatever. Not that they won't try, but it won't be long before this event feels like ancient history.

[–] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 6 months ago

I mean that's also true, this could easily fizzle in a few weeks and everybody moves on to the new thing. I do think that polarization will continue to grow however because the one constant is that the material conditions are continuing to be eroded further every day. This will lead to more and more political violence and eventual civil unrest. Events like this are just the first spurts of that.

[–] dastanktal@hexbear.net 13 points 6 months ago

[–] D61@hexbear.net 2 points 6 months ago

Well then, I guess the only answer is to make more fascists martyrs, right?