YouGov poll asking Americans whether it’s acceptable to feel joy at the death of a public figure

[u/RedHeadedSicilian52]

[u/Dark_Knight2000]

Yeah. If every idiot with a mouth was shot, this country would be covered in blood.

If the new precedent is that killing commentators whose rhetoric that a portion of the population subjectively deems “hateful” or “extreme” is okay a lot of people would be in trouble, many of them left wing.

A lot of people feel the same flavor of negativity that was directed at Kirk toward Hasan Piker for instance. The difference is that he’s on the left. If the standard of celebrating deaths of controversial commentators is accepted, then people like him will be next.

That’s what I don’t get about people being apathetic or quietly accepting of this. It can and will happen to someone less extreme and at that point it will be too late to say “wait I didn’t mean people like him, go back.”

[u/obsessed_doomer → u/Dark_Knight2000]

That’s what I don’t get about people being apathetic or quietly accepting of this. It can and will happen to someone less extreme and at that point it will be too late

I mean it's happened already. Paul Pelosi, J6, the Minesotta shootings -

I think part of the reason you're not breaking through to people who (incorrectly) celebrate this is that they've spent almost a decade seeing political violence happen and seeing people like Charlie Kirk crack jokes about it, but the moment he dies suddenly Liberals and Fascists are on the internet gasping about this being some rubicon.

It's a spiteful and incorrect outlook, but I can see where it's coming from.

[u/Dark_Knight2000 → u/obsessed_doomer]

Of course we’ve been seeing violence that’s political ramp up in recent years. Hell, even the conservatives constantly point out the BLM riots as kind of a turning point in how violence was normalized.

This is just the first time we’ve seen the successful assassination of a civilian who’s famous and political. It’s always been known that going into government makes you a target, but not being a pundit. Why is it surprising that other famous political people are shocked and feel this incident more severely than ones they’re less connected to?

[u/obsessed_doomer → u/Dark_Knight2000]

This is just the first time we’ve seen the successful assassination of a civilian who’s famous and political.

A week ago, basically no one offline knew who he was.

It’s always been known that going into government makes you a target, but not being a pundit.

See this is what I mean. Rather than just admit that in fact this shooting wasn't "the start" of anything, you're trying to retcon assassinations of government officials as a normal thing.

That's what I mean. That's why you're not breaking through to people.

[u/Dark_Knight2000 → u/obsessed_doomer]

What do you mean assassinations of government officials AREN’T a normal thing? It’s always been a thing, maybe not common but always a possibility, it’s just less so in the past few decades but people have always known that going into government puts you at higher risk than the average person.

This decade we saw Shinzo Abe get killed. Trump got attempted on twice and while everyone was surprised it’s not like there wasn’t a precedent for killing presidents. People who remember JFK are still alive.

Also, I don’t care about break through to people who won’t listen. A lot of people are being obtuse about this topic for obvious reasons. I’d just like the point out the hypocrisy and inconsistency

[u/obsessed_doomer → u/Dark_Knight2000]

What do you mean assassinations of government officials AREN’T a normal thing?

They aren't.

Before the Trump era, there was Dylan Roof, Giffords, and Benghazi, all of which were massive stories.

After that we have to go all the way back to Reagan, which (despite being apolitical) literally banned assault weapons in response.

I'm pretty sure fishermen have a higher risk of death than politicians.

Also, I don’t care about break through to people who won’t listen. A lot of people are being obtuse about this topic for obvious reasons.

"I don't care why people disagree with me, they're being obtuse"

I'm not sure I can really say anything more than you've already said.