Charlie Kirk and a History of Violence (or Has Everyone Lost Their Fucking Minds?)

The decay of American society is nowhere more apparent than in the increasing level of violence we’ve allowed to become commonplace. Its insidious entanglement throughout American culture has become so ubiquitous, we no longer uniformly condemn violent actions- instead they’re ignored or rationalized, with others blaming, vowing revenge, or worse- celebrating. 

The 1960s and 1970s were a societal tipping point on multiple levels. It was also by far the most prominent period of political violence in American history: JFK, Malcolm X, MLK, RFK, along with a string of presidential assassination attempts: Ford (twice), Nixon, and Carter. All of this- overshadowed by the atrocities and horrors of Vietnam that loomed over the American psyche.

This point of no return is the genealogy of modern social violence. In 1966- the first mass shooting took place. A Marine sniper on top of a tower at University of Texas. 17 were killed and 31 were wounded. 

This was also the first instance of symbolic violence, invading both our culture and schools. The intersection of indiscriminate harm, the military, guns, and mental health all coalescing. Sure, there were other school shootings- but never at this scale.

The 1960s through the 1980s were marked with widespread violence as well, but in the same way, it was fragmented and individualized- murder, assault, urban crime- all rarely extending outside of 1 or 2 people. An exception being the rising public awareness and police profiling of serial murder.

13 years later in 1979- the first instance of a teenager conducting a school shooting. A mentally ill 16 year old opened fire on an elementary school in San Diego. 2 were killed and 9 hurt (8 were children.)

In the late 80s and early 90s, violence began to decline- with symbolic violence still very rare. Waco, Ruby Ridge, creating the conditions for OKC, were outliers, but if anything, they reflected a growing friction between radicals and militants against the growing specter of government overreach. 

Then, 10 years later in 1989, the first school shooting with an assault rifle occurred in Stockton California. A career criminal and mentally ill adult, who also expressed anti-Asian sentiment, opened fire with an AK-47 on Cambodian and Vietnamese refugee children, all who had fled wars in Southeast Asia. 5 were killed, 32 wounded.

Rather than galvanize the rapid political will to ban assault weapons- efforts stalled, the current excuses of ‘bad apples’, ‘isolated cases’ and ‘mental health’ began to fill the airwaves as political talking points. “It was just a marginalized group that was affected, not reflective of overall American society.” NRA and Conservatives led the charge here. California was the only state to ban assault weapons that year. New Jersey followed in 1990.

Then, in 1998 we see the first instance of a school shooting where children inflict violence on other children. At Westside Middle School, in Arkansas, a 13 year old and 11 year old opened fire on their classmates- killing five people and wounding ten others. This also being the first instance of children reveling in their actions- expressing the desire to harm their classmates and showing no remorse.

Finally, in 1999 the death of American innocence took place: Columbine Colorado. Intentional and organized, loners with manifestos hellbent on revenge- for injustices actual or perceived. This atrocity tied together a Gordian knot in American mythology: youth, alienation, and firearms. 13 people were killed, 60 were injured- mostly children. 

Columbine also solidified a social acceptance of school and mass violence- rather than driving change, the earlier talking points and our reactions to it: 2nd Amendment, mental illness, isolated instances- continued to be championed by the Right. They became the incantations of a death cult- bricks in a psychic temple to cultural violence- along with tacit acceptance that America’s children could be sacrificed at its altar of gun rights.

The Convergence of Violence: From Isolation to Saturation

Since Columbine there have been over 400 school shootings, over 200 people killed, nearly 500 injured. All mostly students. This number excludes mass shootings (defined here as more than 4 people). In this context, there have been over 5000 incidents. 5500 people killed and almost 20,000 injured since 1999.

When we include 3 or less, the numbers defy comprehension. 250,000 deaths and over 2 million people wounded, with 45,000 deaths now occurring annually. (54% suicides, 43% homicides, 3% police or unintentional.)

These numbers illustrate how normalized violence, death, and tragedy have become in our society, as well as ingratiated into our world views. Strong social and political organizational efforts to stop it- are virtually nonexistent. It only exists in fits and spurts- tied to only the most heinous acts. Yet the news cycle churns on, the same excuses regurgitated until it's eventually replaced by another one, lost in a blurry collective memory of frequency- except to those left shattered in its wake.  

Looking beyond this at the macro level, when you add drug deaths, violent crime outside of guns, preventable diseases: it’s orders of magnitude higher. Homelessness and structural neglect quietly erase lives on a scale comparable to guns.

What's truly unprecedented here- is that the US is now living with all these epidemics simultaneously- indiscriminate violence, political violence, as well as premature and preventable death- all legislatively stalemated. What's even worse is that the mass gun violence trend is accelerating. In 2014 there were 325 incidents and 364 deaths. In 2022 and 2023 there were nearly 700 incidents and 700 deaths each year. Effectively double the annual trends a decade ago. 

Why?

Maybe it's large-scale denial. Maybe it’s intentional malevolence by the elites. Maybe it's the constant glorification in tv, movies, music and video games. Or the prestige and championing of violence through decades of military conquest. Maybe it's the incessant sensationalization in the news. Or the foreign adversarial groups encouraging it and corporate profits and political lobbies that depend on it. 

Maybe it's all of this.. or maybe it's something else. 

There’s something to be said about the cumulative effects of invisible violence. The psycho-social, the spiritual, ecological, and chemical harm that surrounds us. An almost cosmic force masquerading as a structural condition- embodied and tethered by the human condition. 

This structural component, or as Foucault puts it: where the State defines what violence is and how it takes place- along with what groups are affected- solidifies its supreme power.. replacing the Sovereign and allowing it to perpetuate as a mechanism for securing its hierarchy of power.

It also becomes part of national identity. “It” becomes considered “normal”. Others fall in line or don't know any better- others just follow suit- society, nations, groups- all mirror neurons in a giant brain.. caught in an entropic vortex that swallows the impressionable, the angry, or the sick in its inescapable wake.

Evolution of the Natural Order and Codes of Honor

Whether we want it or not, we are shaped by violence; by its existence, application or lack thereof. The evolutionary forces- social, biological, are rich with it- but there is a caveat; As society has continued to progress, violence by correlation has become increasingly rare. This is not uniform and evenly distributed of course, but nonetheless true. 

While physical and direct aspects have become less common, violence itself hasn't vanished, it's been transmuted. It appears as the natural forces mentioned above- manifesting now as rhetoric and bureaucratic malice, structural neglect. or winner takes all/zero sum thinking that much of society engages in. It may be shortsighted, but venturing to say that even this is still progress.

It’s also naive to say violence shouldn't exist. The gladiatorial aspects of football, rugby, hockey or even the bloodsports of boxing and MMA- all healthy avenues that foster social cohesion.  Part spectacle, part divine trial by combat. Its primal aspects, human and ancient. The desire to test yourself and to compete against others is both normal and healthy. This, is progress as well.

Where the decline starts to show itself is the normalized chatter that we should embrace our more barbaric or sovereign sides. That violence is the natural order of things. That it's ok, or even expected to inflict harm on our fellow man. 

These voices are indistinguishable from demons and the agents of chaos.

Doomers defend this by saying society is just showing its true colors. Returning to its tribal roots. Fracture and decay can only be repaired by breaking and tearing things down. Eat or be eaten. “Embrace your true nature” echoed everywhere. 

But this is just glossy primitivism. Sure, violence is part of natural life and clearly foundational in animalistic contexts- but are we animals? Do we rationalize our behavior by pointing to the savagery of animal predators and say: “See, they’re doing it to survive, we should do it as well.”

Malicious ignorance and stupidity. 

This primitive longing for tribalism and isolation is just stone-age fetishism. Longing to revert to pre-civilization or neofeudalism (which corporate elites would love to see happen) is just feeble attempts at recruiting others for a mad and miserable race with no clear destination. Destruction and collateral damage, an acceptable means to an indeterminate end. 

This fundamentally reflects the profound erosion in our shared cultural values, the notion of societal ethics, morality, and above all, our collective sense of civic duty and honor. 

For thousands of years, all over the world- honor was the driving force for both men and women. Violence was subsidiary to it and it only occurred to reestablish order or peace. It was rarely random, and was instead deeply intentional: Divinely sanctioned to defend their family, their country, or King (or Queen.) 

Medieval knights, celebrated for their chivalry and valor, bore a sacred oath: to shield the weak and safeguard the order of society.

Samurai were developing a similar philosophy- Bushido- where honor was even more paramount and the rules of engagement sacrosanct. Death or seppuku was preferable to any form of dishonor.

Greek Hoplites. Spartans, Rajput in India, Zulu of South Africa, Roman Gladiators, the Plains tribes of Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and Comanche- all shared a similar code of righteous warrior combat. Civic virtue was the highest, noblest cause and always- death before dishonor. 

Even dueling to resolve disputes in more modern contexts, was meant to show respect to each other. Controlled conflict without innocent bloodshed. Even the event itself- to engage in irreversible mortal combat, was considered a sacred gift.. its outcome divinely mandated. 

For violence to occur outside of the confines- violates the codes that existed for millennia. Long before America and even long before its progenitor, Rome. 

Even Caesar notably when defeating his former ally turned rival Pompey, recoiled in disgust and sadness when he learned Pompey had been assassinated in Egypt by treachery. Though locked in bitter civil war, Caesar expected his adversary to meet his end with dignity; to deny him that was to violate the honor code of Rome and its warriors.

Yet, somewhere along the way- through constant conflict, domination, and World Wars- we lost our way. There is nothing ‘natural’ about violence in advanced society. Anyone who says it is, or advocates for it- is a victim of our modern gothic horror; surrendering to its ghoulish darkness- lost in the vast shadow of death cathedrals that tower over American society.

Violence must never lose its tether to the ancient laws of combat: where one saw the enemy not as a beast to be slaughtered, but as a human to be met with equal gravity. Where the act itself carried sanctity, purified only when bound to righteous cause: To protect and defend others. To stake one’s life in service of something larger than the self.

The true field of battle has always demanded more than skill or courage- it demands honor. It demands that justice temper rage, that duty govern strength, that the weight of every blow be measured against eternity. Without these codes, combat degenerates into butchery; with them, it becomes a measure of the soul.

There is no longer any honor on our battlefields.

Bloodlust as Politics and the Multipolar World 

Recent weeks have been both difficult and exhausting. Despite growing up in the early days of the Internet and social media- surrounded by shock videos, gore and worse- I’ve never grown accustomed to it, and try my best to avoid it. Even before the events a couple weeks ago- there’s been an abnormal amount of blood all over everyone’s timelines- visceral and inescapable. Ukraine. Palestine. Shootings. Random acts of violence everywhere.

Vividly remember growing up, shock videos would always make the rounds in various circles. There were the usual reactions of disgust, disbelief, curiosity, fear- but there were always those on the darker spectrum: laughter, sadism, or using it to show they were tough and unafraid of such things.. Still, behind the bravado, machismo, and posturing- a sadness still lingered, hidden somewhere behind the eyes.. created by sleep deprivation and nightmares.. the early traces of a darkening world view.

However, what's new, that I really can't recall ever seeing on such a large scale- is people celebrating this type of ubiquitous violence. 

Nobody deserves to have their jugular cut on live TV, to be publicly executed for simply sharing his beliefs and vision for America. This is not a specific reference either- nobody deserves to have their death unceremoniously livestreamed.

To be clear, I find much of Charlie’s views and statements abhorrent and fundamentally disagree with him on multiple levels- but still, I respected his willingness to engage, to debate, to organize. And furthermore, what he’s built at his age (for better or worse) is both impressive and admirable. Using rhetoric to tip the scales of elections and setting a path to run himself- machinations only realized by the powerful.

For people to celebrate a public execution and overall loss of life- can only be surmised as bloodlust. The forces of evil and darkness sitting on our shoulders, chirping away and drowning out the voices of our better angels. Savage recency overshadowing historical context.

The same bullshit happened with Luigi as well- while different to be fair- there is still nothing brave, or admirable, or courageous about shooting someone in the back. People canonizing him for doing this- speaks to the normalized barbarity we’ve allowed to invade our perspectives and judgment.

These acts lack honor. They are the actions of cowards who are unable to challenge, much less defeat their adversaries in open combat. 

Inevitably, reactions to this are “they had it coming” but there is a dimension here that the Left has completely lost.

For those on the Right, Charlie was a profound figure, a bright light stemming the tide of darkness encroaching upon the traditional family values and the West. A blend of youth and intelligence, god-fearing and a champion for truth. A respectable stalwart against the evil Leftist ideologies.

This is a matter of perspective of course- but the Left does itself no favors. Its missteps are highlighted by its fundamental lack of self-awareness. The gleeful sadism expressed by ‘progressives’ only solidifies these outsider perspectives- widening an already massive chasm between each side and establishing him a martyr in the process.

The Left vs Right dichotomy (or factions within) is filled with equivalent symbolic violence over the past decade: Charleston. Steve Scalise. Mail bombs. El Paso. January 6th. Paul Pelosi. Allen Texas, multiple assassination attempts. Along with the recent and horrific attacks on Minnesota politicians, Rep. Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman. All highly coordinated and specific.

A vicious cycle starts to appear: one side’s outrage answered by the other’s retaliation, symbolic killings mirrored by copycats, each act feeding the next. Violence begets violence until it becomes less an exception than a reflex, a cultural habit- a death spiral without horizon. Yet beyond this decades-long progression, there is another rot gnawing at the Left: not only its entanglement in this spiral, but its descent into ineffectiveness, fragmentation, and a quiet tolerance for political violence as if it were strategy rather than surrender.

The Left can no longer effectively organize. It's ruled by infighting and geriatric malaise. There is no savvy marketing. There are no generational candidates- selecting only from privileged, safe pools and forcing exceptions to claw their way up. 

Its politics lack any semblance of urgency as it loses the culture and information war. Choosing instead to pursue stupid nicknames, political theater and gotcha moments- climbing on temporary bandwagons with social media slogans and charades that get hundreds of views. All while being paid millions of dollars.

The Democratic, Progressive and Leftist’s crumbling facade no longer hides its complete lack of moral compass and courage. Clearly losing sight of the party or ideals that once stood for labor and economic justice, equality, civil rights, the environment, and Peace.

Other worlds are possible, built on shared values and compromise- but the trend is moving in the wrong direction. My fear is that these current trajectories of political gridlock and violence continue to accelerate, expand and compound.. racing toward its destructive end. 

The two party system in modern day America can be best described as two dueling views of pathological psychosis, a collective neurosis screamed into existence by polemic opposites. Simultaneously unified and repelling forces, each side feeding on hatred and each side incapable of imagining a future beyond the other’s destruction.

Summary: Our Flawed and Fragile Republic

Still, despite everything, there is something distinctly and profoundly American about all of this. Our cultural melting pot. The marketplace of ideas. The constant clash of competing identities, values, and myths. Native and immigrant- all colliding in the same civic square.

Our republic was born in revolution, forged in the savagery of the frontier. Violence is a core component of our national language and further woven into the ideals of truth, liberty, and freedom.

But maybe there are boundaries.. When these freedoms become incompatible with social cohesion and progress..

When temptation to resolve conflict through force starts to become the norm. When individual expression of identity becomes too threatening for the collective whole. When guns no longer protect us from anything, including ourselves. When free speech influences others to cause harm, or even the nebulous boundary when action becomes justified against the growing threat of fascism and tyranny. 

I don't have answers to any of this- but what I do know for certain is that violence should never be the first reaction. It cannot be viewed as an acceptable shortcut for lack of coalition building, for lack of unification or diplomatic coordination. Its brute force, masking the unsophistication and the unwillingness to shape society into something more balanced and whole. 

But this isn't some intangible or wish that just magically appears. It centers on free speech. It doesn't matter what Charlie said- he didn't deserve to be killed for it. This is no different than the fearless comics, firebrand preachers, journalists challenging power, students pushing ideological boundaries forward- or even the homeless person yelling obscenities on the corner- all are essential. All are protected. 

But this thin line between what can and should be said are two different things- and this is where it all starts to intersect: ineffective politics, saturated hyperviolence, erosion of honor, decaying communities, along with all our bitter rhetoric.

Children seem to be severely and uniquely affected by this. They bear the brunt of gun violence and the constant barrage of memetic and ideological warfare that exists everywhere they turn. There’s no previous context of pre-internet times for them, there is only social and educational decay. These impressionable minds metastasize and manifest ideological extremes- whether political, for notoriety, agency, or meaning- but ultimately it doesn't matter. 

Many among the younger generation- and even their elders, have no concept of the sanctity of life. Its extinguishment, a violation of the sacred laws. It's not their fault though, they were put on this path by the failures of their guardians and ancestors- allowing their pettiness, materialism and failures to be passed on. Not only did they inherit the sins of their fathers, but also their apathy.

What’s lost here in our postmodern condition is that we always have a responsibility to care for each other. To both hold, uplift, and advocate for each other. Individually and as a whole. 

Maybe that's still part of our national identity, or maybe it's something else entirely- something new, waiting to be discovered and brought forth. In the words of Susan Sontag: “Nobody can doubt that America is strong. What is harder to accept is that America is not yet as beautiful, as just, or as wise as it might be.”

While this message of hope, tolerance, moderation and unification tends to get lost in the void, I still pray we find the strength, civility and courage to build common ground. To never grow accustomed to war and death. To anchor our belief in Freedom and Liberty to civic duty- and to restore the sacred laws that transcend them: Respect. Compassion. Honor.