I had a falling out with a friend over my indifference towards Charlie Kirk’s death. Was she dramatic or AITA ?

[joseline]

As you may have heard, Charlie Kirk who is a political activist in the US got shot recently in public.

now I don’t wish death on people. I am not excited that he died like many unhinged people on the internet used to be but I am not sad at all. It’s not because of his inflammatory racist, cold hearted, bigoted rhetorics that I am not sad about his death but it’s simply because I could care less about celebrities. I never grieved about celebrities deaths and I will never.

but I had a falling out with a friend because she brought it up and I just shrugged. That made her angry and she called me cold blooded and brought up the fact that he was a father.

i responded ok and ? And she stormed out of my apartment.

The main reason why I don’t care is not because I hate Kirk. It’s because I generally don’t care about what goes on in the US. I do not care about that country and its people. I’ve never been there. I do not care to ever visit. Even less now since I’ve travelled to various other countries in Europe and south east Asia as well as the Caribbean.

Kirk is American who was living in America and I am British and I live in London UK. Nothing to do with us and our country.

Was I an asshole or is my friend dramatic ?

Agree with this iv seen the video and its definitely affected me more then if id just seen charlie kirk murdered at rally written on the news.

Should we not all care about a man being murdered during a political debate on a University campus?
Political violence affects us all. And the UK is not immune as the murders of Jo Cox and David Amess show.

What's different is that THIS is his modus operandi. Online formenting of tensions. Manipulating people's feelings.

Conscious I am partly taking the bait, but it might make others think twice before biting.

300 people died as a result of being shot. Does your friend also "care" about the other 299? Or is it just that particular man?

What does “care” mean in that context though? Beyond a few days thinking about how terrible and shocking it is who would genuinely “care”?! It’s the other side of the world, plenty of political murders you probably should be “caring” more about closer to home

I really don't understand why Brits are getting all excited about it. How it's going to push the right further on should be more of a concern.

And saying “they’ll be repercussions here” - will there hell 😭 what a load of drama queens honestly

Charlie Kirk was not a name I knew but I’d seen one recording where he asked a trans woman what is a woman. I agreed with his stance and he conducted himself well.
I feel very sad that his wife and children have lost him due to cold blooded murder.

Anything’s better than being American 😆

People get shot every day in America..it's hardly a unique event.
Now that may seem blasé and it is but America's response to school Shootings is as equally blasé .
Sandy Hook should've been a turning point but it wasn't.
You didn't know him why would you be upset.

I bloody love AIBU.

Most people ignoring subject matter and picking up on suspicious vernacular 🕵️😂

Anyway. Most UK people probably hadn’t heard of Kirk before a couple of days ago. Social media has helped make this a big news story because it was all over TikTok in graphic detail. Not many will still be talking about it in a day or so.

I don’t think you do live in London UK

I agree. Is it sad that a child has lost their father, a women her husband? Yes. But do I feel sad? No. Unfortunately people die every day and you can't let it consume your life and feel sad about all the people you don't know, never mind the people you dislike.

I’ve seen a number a posters on Mumsnet claim to be ‘indifferent’ about his death. But strangely enough, they still manage to go to the trouble to write lengthy long-winded posts about their claimed indifference, him supposedly being a bigot, blah blah blah. I don’t believe you OP. I think you are just another hater, who is revelling at someone’s death. Which is particularly sick considering he left behind a wife and two young children.

British people don’t say asshole, could care less or apartment.
But apart from you being American no you’re not the arsehole for not caring. I also don’t ‘mourn’ him as I didn’t know him. No one should die because of gun violence or for the views they hold and I feel sorry for his children

The way he died was brutal and public and definitely important to condemn such acts of violence and terrorism (potentially if it was politically motivated) no one should die for their views no matter how abhorrent. I think the political divide in the US is so huge currently that the leaders and senators aren’t saying the appropriate things to calm the situation to try and attempt to heal the divide. This is highly unusual. In most political atrocities leaders tend to come together and this just hasn’t happened. So it’s not simply the fact that he died, it’s the way he died and the aftermath which just is horrendous.

I absolutely wholeheartedly disagree with his politics his views were utterly disgusting. But I care about the fact he was brutally assassinated in front of family, it was plastered all over social media and that video will probably be still around when his children are adults.

i also worry about the perpetrator I know this might be controversial. But he’s not going to get a fair trial, he’s got a government who want him dead, it won’t surprise me if he is tortured in some way. Also the fact a government shouldn’t be involved in the judicial process at all, should be rooting for justice not revenge. And it puts a further question in my mind of if they treat citizens like this how else are they going to use their powers… well we know some of it and it isn’t positive. Elective dictatorship.

so all in all I think this isn’t simply a sad event or someone we never heard of die, it’s a measure of the temperature of society and a measure of civilisation.

it’s not However something you should loose a friend over for!

Op, your post looks very American to me. No brit would express themselves like that.

But if you really want to know - I'd never heard of Kirk before he was shot. We have our own loud mouthed bigots in the UK and I'm very careful to ignore them. I certainly don't care what happens to one in the US.

It's sad that two little girls will grow up without their daddy. That I understand, but do I care about the death of CK. No, not at all. People who make inflammatory speeches, try to inflict their religious views on others and think gun ownership in the US is OK, should not be surprised when someone takes a pot shot at them.

Yes, obvious American is American. However...

It's a tragedy on a personal level for his friends and family, but in a wider context it's important because his whole college tour thing was about debating with people who have different views. Challenging those views and honing your ideas in a respectful way.

The fact that someone chose to murder him in front of his family and 3000 other college students while he was doing this is worrying. More worrying still is the number of people who are celebrating that it happened. The response to someone offering debate should never be violence. Anyone left or right wing should be free to express their political views without fear of physical harm.

Never heard of him till yesterday. I dont agree with much of what he believes in but I defend his rights to have those beliefs. Sad that a young man with young children has been executed publicly but im not hysterical with grief.
I wasnt hysterical with grief when Diana died either. Sad yes, shocked but not wailing in the streets!!

There is a significance because Charlie Kirk’s murder is a sort of flare or warning from one side of the political spectrum.
He was literally the person who tried to bridge the gap between sides through conversation and debate, yet he got shot and is being called hateful on his death.
His murder says “we don’t want to talk”

There are figures in the UK who also feel this from the conservative side, this includes people like Tommy Robinson. Look how many people have come out for his march today, and they see he’s been silenced, sneered, kept in solitary confinement and they see the same story playing out - Don’t talk. shut up.

I think a lot of people on the left underestimate the feeling and resolve on the conservative side right now, they dismiss them with labels and smeers and insults, and have been doing that for years. If you can’t see the relevance here on how people are talking about a very reasonable conservative like Charlie Kirk immediately after his assassination, a person who tried to use conversation, yet is being consistently slandered and smeered, repeating the lies he was some monster, I can’t help you

And "apartment" rather than flat. And "London UK". Precisely no-one here says "London, UK" any more than we say "Paris, France".

Charlie Kirk wasn’t bridging a gap or encouraging debate 😂 he was capturing the next generation for MAGA. He was radicalising young people. where have you been for the years he has been active?

I don’t need you to help me btw, I am 100% secure in my views and knowledge

Nearly 50,000 gun deaths in the US each year, all with families. Why does she care about this one?

It's weird because they're distraught over someone who wouldn't give a monkeys if it were their children that had been shot.

Has anyone thought she might have grown up or gone to school or university in the states and therefore use American phrases but be British…

Racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia is not an opinion it's hate speech.

Being allowed to preach hate publicly is a dangerous and slippery slope.