Chromatic04.com

EMPATHY

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I am happy that Charlie Kirk is dead.

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By Oxford Languages:

Empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

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I am happy that Charlie Kirk is dead, but I do not lack empathy. I feel, I understand. I know that the terror the crowd felt in the moment of a singular, life-ending shot, is the same terror that tens of thousands of civilians feel across the US each year. Per the BBC, there were 488 mass shootings (4+ people killed) in the US (2024). This does not include incidences where death was threatened, or shootings where less than 4 people were killed.

I do not lack empathy. I feel, I understand, that the death of Charlie Kirk was swift, precise, final. Hundreds of children each year are not so lucky to meet a painless end in a terrifying moment, in an environment of preconceived safety turned into a shooting range via US laws and non-restrictions.

I feel, I understand, that Charlie Kirk promoted legislation and ideas that have, and continue, to get tens of thousands of innocents killed. He promoted these ideals until his dying breath.

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Debater: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last ten years?”

CK (Charlie Kirk): “Too many.”

Debater: “…Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last ten years?”

CK: “Counting or not counting gang violence?”

Seconds after this last sentence, Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck and nearly instantaneously killed.

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Per the Economic Times:

In 2023, Kirk claimed that “it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.”

If you have a stance on an issue, a hill you are willing to die on that kills others, be ready to die on that hill. A large part of Kirk’s platform was built on the persisting Second Amendment, pushing against legislation to make it more difficult to acquire firearms, and on blaming multiple minority groups for the misuse of these weapons rather than the root cause– the ease with which anyone can purchase, legally or illegally, a gun.

What he campaigned for ultimately caused his death.

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He was a father, a husband, a son.

He also contributed to the oppression of most minority groups within the United States. An uncountable number of people have died as a direct result of his persuasion, especially when having the ear of none other than Donald Trump.

Per the NYT Editorial Board:

“We too often wish ill on our political opponents. We act as if people’s worth is determined by whether they identify as a Republican or a Democrat. We dehumanize those with whom we differ.”

To that, I say: They did it first. They’ve treated us, the minorities, the poor, the sick, the non-elite as non-human. They would stab us in the back without a second thought– worse, even, they would tell bystanders to be ashamed for feeling an ounce of empathy. For feeling an ounce of anything other than pure, blind hatred.

To “engage with people who have different views from our own,” the opposition has to see you as a person. 

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CK: “I can’t stand the word empathy. I think it’s a made up, new-age term that does a lot of damage.”

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VIOLENCE

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What happens when you cannot achieve moral freedoms with conversation alone?

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By Merriam-Webster:

Violence – the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy / an instance of violent treatment or procedure

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About a month ago, I was having a conversation with my partner. One of his professors had talked about the specific qualifications of a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD), and asked me what I thought might qualify.

“Well,” I said, “A bomb, for sure. Any sort of warfare that can kill civilians and combatants alike with certainty. But,” a pause. “I think it may also include things that may seem less direct. Starving people, preventing access to life-saving medical care, passing laws that will eventually kill those it affects.”

I continued. “Last week, I read an article on NPR about how the US was going to destroy about ten million dollars in contraceptives for those in other countries. Some organizations tried to buy it, but the US refused.” Another pause. “I think something like that could even qualify as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, although much less direct than those other examples. Women will die from childbirths they did not want to have, perhaps even from pregnancies that ensure death for the fetus and/or the pregnant individual.”

Violence is not always overt. It is not always shouted from the rooftops and rung out in the ears of a crowd. Sometimes, it is whispered. Found in news articles that get no other media attention. In political influencers, like Charlie Kirk, who hosted predatory debates and spread misinformation, impacting the lives of millions.

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“Political violence is never okay.”

A variation of a common statement I’ve seen since Charlie Kirk was murdered.

However, we know this is not the case. If we define political violence similar to the latter of the Merriam-Webster definition of violence, as “an instance of violent treatment or procedure” as relating to politics and political views, then we can confirm politicians commit violence everyday.

It is here we must ask: Is political violence never okay, or is it only disallowed when it comes to the non-elite? 

In a governmental system where talking about grievances almost never brings adequate attention and change to an issue, violence may be the only* tool that can bring about this change.

Ex. The American Civil War, Stonewall Riots, and the George Floyd Riots.

*The only tool, except for peaceful protests. Although, it should be noted that police often incite violence at such events.

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In summary, of course people should not be killed for their beliefs. But, what happens when those beliefs end in the death of thousands of citizens? When policy decisions cause starvation, loss of housing, loss of medical care, and loss of rights for millions?

Should retaliation not be allowed for an incompetent, and dare I say violent, administration?

This is not meant to say we should be violent. I do not wish to cause harm to others– that is my point.

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ON CHARLIE KIRK

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(Source: ETPrime)

Debator: “So you are comparing abortion to the Holocaust?”

CK: “Absolutely, I am. In fact, it is worse. It’s worse.”

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(Source: Charlie Kirk Show)

During Texas 2025 floods:

CK: “What you are not being told anywhere, is that the death toll likely would not have been as high if it wasn’t for DEI.”

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(Source: CBC)

CK: “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.”

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(Source: Charlie Kirk Show)

CK: “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.”

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(Source: Charlie Kirk Show)

CK: “We need to have a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor. We need it immediately.”

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(Source: Charlie Kirk Show)

“The American Democrat party hates this country. They wanna see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white.”

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(Source: RAWSTORY)

CK: “We cannot allow [mass shooting victims] to emotionally hijack the narrative.”