Assasination anniversary calls into question definitions of propriety
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative debater, was assassinated just over a year ago on September 10 of 2025. Kirk’s assassination was likely one of the most televised political assassinations ever, multiple cameras capturing the moment when a bullet entered his jugular. Having seen the video the day of his assassination, I can attest to the grotesque nature of the scene. I had never been subjected to seeing death so close up, especially of a well-known figure. Since his death, just a year ago, a litany of memes and AI renditions of Kirk have spread across social media. People began to prepare for the anniversary of his death, dubbed a macabre “Kirkiversery.” In every post regarding Kirk, the comments are littered with arguments about whether or not his death is something to make fun of. The only thing that can be particularly disliked about the increase of “Kirkification” is its dependency on generative AI, creating “slop.” Personally, I think these jokes are on point, given the ironic nature of his death. Charlie Kirk died because of the hate he spread, and he himself proclaimed that, “I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year” (The Guardian).
No one should feel sorry for disrespecting his memory after death when his time on Earth was spent spreading hate and encouraging violence. He actively opposed an increase in the type of legislation that could have saved his life. The right to bear arms has a clear correlation with the extreme increase of school-shootings. Children shouldn’t have to risk death due to adults' opinions about “freedom.” Beyond ironic, ridiculous opinions around guns, Kirk also had a penchant for Islamophobia and demonizing the Islamic people, claiming that “Islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of America” (The Guardian). A Christian man, he worshiped the same god as every other Abrahamic religion, and rather than following those religions’ principles of love for everyone, he selectively chose who he’d support, cutting others down for their heritage. He was also incredibly sexist and discriminative towards women and a staunch advocate against abortion freedoms. When asked if he would support an abortion for his 10 year old daughter in the event that she underwent pregnancy conceived through rape, his response was that “the baby would be delivered” (The Guardian). Many of his supporters saw past these comments and believed he was someone worth showing up for. Everyone should feel disgusted by the support and behavior in defense of Kirk. A man that believes his daughter should be forced into carrying a child to term in the event of serious sexual assault is a man that deserves a fate worse than death. Not to mention how outwardly racist and sexist he was in other remarks, believing women should stay home and submit to their husbands as if they are to be nothing more than servants to their partners.
Naturally, people will have different ideas about Kirk in general and about his death, especially at a centrist school like West. A majority of West’s student population is rather indifferent to politics in general. As he was a podcaster that only appealed to others that support the same ideals as him, few people outside of politics would know much about what he believed in exactly. Kirk’s death did not impact them outside of just being an assassination of a podcaster, which is what feels like a very undeserving loss of life. People who separate Kirk from what he said and describe him as a podcaster ignore the reality of what he brought upon himself by sharing such harmful rhetoric. Others see him as a figure to look up to, conservatives that preach the same rhetoric that he argued in most of his debates. The attention that Kirk has received after death is more than he ever deserved in the first place. While violence and murder have no place in our civilized society, neither does the need for feigning empathy and grief for the bringers of hateful rhetoric.
by Chloe Mellgren
Published October 5, 2026
Oshkosh West Index Volume 123 Issue 1