Empty vessels

Make the most noise.

We witnessed a great outpouring of grief in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder.

Kirk was young, only 31, with a long life ahead of him when he was fatally shot while hosting a Turning Point USA event in Utah.

Reactions came from across the political spectrum. He received praise from conservatives for his efforts, even those at odds with Kirk’s views.

The reaction from progressives, however, was a little different.

A divisive hate figure

Social media erupted as news of Kirk’s death spread. For some it is almost a reflex to post online after events like this. The very online live for reactions and social approval.

Many certainly exist within echo chambers and expect a warm response to the things they post. They know their audience.

Some on the left were respectful. No doubt many said nothing, whatever their private views on Kirk. This was the sensible position.

Others were less sensible and struggled to hide their dislike of Kirk not to mention their unrealistic views of the world.

The more restrained responses painted a picture of someone reaping the hatred he sowed.

He was pro-gun. He defended the Second Amendment. He refused to be drawn into emotional arguments following a mass shooting event when tempers were frayed.

He advocated for gun ownership, so he was a contributing factor in his own death.

This is similar to the arguments rapists use. She was provocatively dressed so she had it coming.

But despite the poor reasoning there was at least some attempt at rationalizing a position. An awareness that outright celebration was perhaps improper.

The conceit they embraced was that of a cautionary warning. Flirt with dangerous things and there are consequences. A seemingly balanced position that promotes the approved message while avoiding the more incendiary takes.

Those, however, were not hard to find.

Many online are delusional about Kirk and the views he held. There is widespread belief in progressive circles he was an extremist who encouraged racism, hate and even genocide.

He denigrated other races, genders and religions. Kirk hated a lot of people. It was inevitable and even desirable such a force for hatred be stopped.

These views are extreme. Not only in their distortion of Kirk’s position on many issues, but in their open acceptance of the notion his words should be met with violence.

Many in this camp openly celebrated Kirk’s murder. The rationales were found within the long list of emotive positions they believed Kirk held.

This is the section of society that endorses concepts like hate crime or hate speech. These are people who think the First Amendment is dangerous.

Contemporary obsessions like racism, sexism and climate denial are perceived as harmful. People require protection from such material.

Monsters espousing dangerous views like Kirk therefore must be stopped and sometimes you have to crack a few eggs in the process.

There is no pretence here of even-handedness or defending free expression. This is pure condemnation. This is justice in action. Kirk was a “divisive” character. We are better off without him. Someone put him out of his misery and the world is now a better place.

Almost everyone on the left seems indifferent to Kirk’s actual position on a range of issues. They reject any notion he was a moderate. He wasn’t them, and he had the temerity to push back against their cherished views. He challenged their ideas about how society ought to operate. Enough to get him killed and his moderate views dismissed.

The outer party

Many online are in the habit of demonstrating their enthusiasm for socially approved narratives.

Most of these are downloaded views that bear no relation to reality because they are not intended to be reflections of real life but rather instruments to garner social approval.

We all know the causes. They are promoted everywhere. Climate, diversity, feminism, trans issues, gay rights.

Demonstrating adherence to societal narratives is key for social climbers. By necessity this needs to be done publicly. It cannot be hidden away. They broadcast their enthusiasm to gain social approval and advertise themselves as one of the in-group.

Ironically this marks them as members of the outer party, not the inner. Those already inside the tent don’t need to signal anything; they are already there.

The different tones we witnessed after Charlie Kirk’s death, the constrained and the unconstrained, reflect where they are in the outer party. There seem to be two broad types, uppers and lowers.

The upper outers play the game better. In most cases they understand the things they spout are untrue, but believe it either serves a greater purpose or at least helps them get on in life.

We witnessed this during Covid. Noble lies shouted from the rooftops by doctors and other professionals, but privately ignored. The masks were to herd the plebs into submission not to stop infection. Rules for thee but not for me.

They understand the need to maintain a narrative and the part they can play in the game.

And so it was with mild condemnations of Kirk and his dangerous rhetoric. They understood him as an enemy of the establishment so they did their part to reinforce this after his death. It is dangerous to humanize one’s enemies after all. Far better if they remain monsters.

There is some sophistication here and an awareness of the wider world they must navigate.

These were the more restrained among Charlie Kirk’s detractors. They said something to show they disapproved but had enough self-awareness to avoid outright disdain.

The lower outers by comparison were rather less controlled.

These are the useful idiots, often lacking the awareness their belief systems are props used to achieve elite goals.

They remain oblivious to any overarching strategy in play. They can therefore be loose cannons. When an unexpected event like an assassination of a conservative figure happens they show their true colours and say the most outrageous things.

We have to understand these comments are not aimed at us but at their social circle and, with a little luck, may reach the ears of their betters. They think they are scoring points, denouncing extremists and making the world a better place. Every condemnation reinforces their belief they are the vanguards of social justice, hated for their courage in speaking truth to power.

This is one of the dangers of manipulation achieved via controlled narratives, you have no idea if a crazy person will misunderstand their purpose and actually believe what they are told.

The climate zealots are in this camp and are probably doing more to destroy climate initiatives than sober attempts to dismantle it. One crank glueing himself to a road and causing a six-mile traffic jam must anger even the elites who prefer stealth to achieve their important goals.

The alleged shooter will likely be one of them, someone who probably thought people like Kirk and Trump are an existential threat to the world, just like climate change and capitalism.

It is easy to laugh, but they walk among us and some of them are dangerous. The unhinged posts celebrating Kirk’s murder are a useful glimpse into the circus we must dismantle if we are to survive.

Empty vessels

As aggravating as these comments are, they show who is powerless. These are the minions, most of whom will not make it to positions of authority.

If you have to say this stuff out loud you are not powerful. If you believe it you are cannon fodder. Both groups are in the outer party which is why they must act like performing seals.

They are slaves to external validation. They do these things to serve their own needs, to fill a void.

These are cultural infantrymen believing they are impressing the officer class, while the Field Marshal and his generals laugh at them all.

Their tone-deaf insults are impressing no one. No elite wants socially inept people in their midst.

So if there is any silver lining to these distasteful utterances it is we are seeing who will not make it to the top in the progressive world.

All that virtue signalling and all for nothing.

The racket they make can catch our attention, but it ought to remind us of the old observation, that empty vessels make the most noise.

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Feel free to leave a comment. I am always interested in other points of view.