Charlie Kirk’s death is not poetic justice. Nor is he a martyr.
On Wednesday, the conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University during an event. Kirk has been touring college campuses through his organization, Turning Point USA, which promotes conservative politics, and his “You’re Being Brainwashed” tour. Kirk often debated undergraduates on their political views and expressed his views clearly on being pro-life, pro-gun and conservative. His words from a 2023 event stand out the most now: “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.” In reaction to Kirk’s death, some are calling it “poetic justice.” He died a gun death on a college campus while dismissing the fatalities of mass shootings.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “The world has a shining new martyr to free speech.”
Charlie Kirk is neither. He was a man who died and is now used for political means. But people are ends in themselves, not a means to an end for any political agenda. This effort to label his death, attach it to a political party or view, is a degradation of humanity. We cannot resort to gun violence to end someone’s platform.
Many politicians, such as Former President Barack Obama, commented on Kirk’s death. Obama wrote on X: “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
If disagreement is a good enough reason to end someone’s life, who gets to draw the line on what constitutes agreement? Although many like myself disagreed with Kirk’s views, he did not deserve to die, and his death was not some form of justice. Regardless of party, if political violence becomes normalized in the United States, then we know we have reached an absolute deterioration of our values.
Charlie Kirk is not a martyr of free speech either, as Boris Johnson might argue. Many of his debate videos from his tour feature him attacking undergraduate students and taking advantage of their stumbling or underdeveloped argumentation. His take on gun deaths makes it clear that he found mass shooting deaths to be justified in the name of the Second Amendment. His platform also featured far-right views on transgender rights and women’s rights. As Conservative politicians attempt to make a martyr of Kirk and use him as a tool against the Democrats, they’re also treating Kirk and his life as a means to their political ends.
Our shared humanity as people is threatened by this act of violence. His killing does not equate to some justice for those against his views; it threatens the security of all citizens who might express any type of dissent. A bullet does not kill an idea; it can fuel it. This moment of political violence in the US might only worsen. No one should rejoice or celebrate in Kirk’s death.
When he went to the University of Cambridge in England, his ideas were tested and skillfully argued against by the students and professors. This is how ideas are combatted: through discourse that is not dismissive but open-minded, not killing those we disagree with. His death may empower others to engage in similar acts of violence. And this will surely discourage speakers from presenting at universities.
Universities are supposed to be places for education and knowledge, yet they have become centers for violence in the US. This could have happened at Cornell. As university students, we must be mindful of political violence on our campuses. If something tragic happens at one university, one school, it can happen at any school.
As students, we must recognize the importance of views we might disagree with and improve our ability to disagree through discourse.
Politically-motivated deaths will never be “poetic justice.” Our humanity is in danger at this moment, and it is the only thing that can possibly get us through contentious times. I urge you to not consider a death “good” or “bad.” Death is death, and on Sept. 10, Charlie Kirk was killed. We cannot harm others just because we disagree with them. Politics in the US is so greatly divided, and the only thing that will move us past this moment is our shared humanity.
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Sophia Romanov Imber is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is an assistant arts editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at sromanovimber@cornellsun.com.
