Charlie Kirk may have fans in SA — but his views are inconsequential here

I think you may need to move past the message and focus on the principal. Populism is now the name of the game both right and left. Both sides are pandering to intellectual laziness. Social media algorithms are maximising 'confirmation bias' and trading soundbites. I also think that social media is more pervasive with stats behind reality. Tic Toc for example is everywhere.

Interesting comment "a religious theocracy is the opposite of free". No doubt leaning on the Roman Catholic inquisitions / crusades to support. Even atheistic historians will recognise the impact the protestant reformation has had on our current civil liberties so the point is simply not true empirically. Ultimately the logic is self defeating though...being intolerant of religious intolerance that is. The question should boil down to justification at the end of the day.

This "analysis" is personal, biased comment, not balanced journalism. Smearing Christian conservatives as fascists, and not including the radical Left is disingenuous. Time will tell, but I think Kirk's murder will have more consequences than Rebecca Davis's commentary.

I love you Rebecca Davis, ever the voice of sanity and reason in a world fast descending into mental and real chaos! Thanks for the perspective that grounds us in some form of reality!

Well said Rebecca.

Kirk was always an unknown outlier in South Africa. A straw poll here will tell you that even in your pet hate group [white conservative males] less than 5% would have known who he was, let alone what his extremist views were. After his death, everyone with Google access is suddenly a knowledgeable expert, inclusive of both new found supporters and new found critics. Assassination has made a martyr of an obscure intellectual dwarf.

Religious leaders are frequently told to stay out of politics. But when politicians start distorting religious teachings to drive home a political agenda, the result can lead to this cult type politics headed by trump. Somehow in this quagmire, being Christian and carrying a gun, and being anti “woke”, anti abortion and anti immigrant is one big political church. The greatest irony is that Kirk’s life was ended by the product he created.

Leveling piece. Thank you.

Well put Rebecca. Individuals are free to hold any view, but the infatuation some organisations have for the American right (or left, for that matter) is as absurd as the infatuation the old National Party had for Israel (or the hate DIRCO and the ANC has for them now, for that matter). As you point out, we have so many real problems to attend to that we can't waste time on ideological niceties and cultural wars.

Very sad that Daily Maverick allows Rebecca Davis to malign a young man brutally assassinated in front of his wife and children. Expressing strong views is his right, and others may agree or disagree, but using your platform to imply he deserved it risks encouraging violence. I expected better ethics—this is the kind of journalism that made me cancel my News24 subscription. Shame on You!

Truer words were never spoken.

Amen.

So easy to unsubscribe...

Rebecca, if Charlie Kirks’s views are so “inconsequential for SA”, why is your article about his assassination the lead one in the DM on Monday morning? An article in the Daily friend ("The race to frame public perceptions of why a free speech advocate was killed" by Shawn Hagedorn) noted that “Charlie Kirk, who was not college educated, initiated a massive movement when he was 18 by exposing the hypocrisy of the left. He did this by debating indoctrinated students on college campuses”. Charlie Kirk was a Free Speech Advocate. For it's own credibility, the DM should make more effort attempt to engage with the significance of this particular assassination. South Africa definitely needs more debate, discussion and free speech advocacy.

Thank you Rebecca Let’s not waste our effort on this American

I disagree that he's not relevant to SA - he is one of the biggest antagonists of BBE policy and land redistribution policy - which has directly influenced the Trump administration's view of South African governance and his tough stance on tariffs towards our country. This is extremely relevant to South Africans in the manufacturing sector.

Thank you Rebecca! Exactly this. As soon as my FB feed started showing messages of grief from South Africans commiserating his death, all I could think was: "Look at your own backyard. Where's the outrage for what's happening in this country?" I've never, ever seen those people post about the crimes and horror here, but they were quick to espouse grief for someone they don't know that, let's face it, held some questionable beliefs.

Interesting to read this where the slogan under the DM heading at the top of the page says "Defend truth" - Charlie Kirk in my opinion - defended the truth of his faith with a courage that saw him killed for it. The "toxic online conflict" ....which in your opinion .... has nothing to do with us. In my opinion will be found out upon yours and mine's death - it may have something to do with us then as to whose "truth" was right ?

Charlie Kirk was a Donald Trump worshiper and the entire Trump regime in turn, saw Kirk as their modern young warrior against blacks and Democrats. He was very effectively carrying on Trump's awful and systematic tearing apart of the US nation. There has always been a strong dividing line between the two US parties, but it has never extended to Americans beginning to loathe and hate each other. This is the legacy left by Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk. It is shameful.

This guy said the Civil Rights act was a terrible mistake & that Black pilots weren't as qualified as white pilots. Said he'd endorse the death penalty for gays. Told a 14yr old girl not to bother going to university because she's just going to get married (& then the studying would be wasted). He was okay with people being killed to protect the 2nd Amendment. And with all this many Christians are defending him for being 'a man of God' ?? Yeah right.

We live in a weird world where influencers can become seriously wealthy ($20m+ for this guy) from blogs, websites and speeches that are designed to whip up emotions. Have they replaced the role of cults?

As happens, the main point of relevance in the Kirk killing is not whether he was ‘right wing’ or merely ‘conservative’, but that he cherished and lived the belief that ideas are currency, that debate matters, and that because we disagree we are not enemies. His killer disagreed with him and so shot him. This is the nub of it. Can we disagree and still view each other respectfully, without labels that polarise? This in relevant in SA today.

South Africa has more than its fair share of Rabble Rousers who are destroying the economy with idiotic rhetoric.

This article is just an opinionated rant. I expect to find this stuff in the echo chamber of social media, not in a self-respecting newspaper. In a slightly higher register: where is the "epistemic gain" from having read this article? It is Editorial (even Advocacy), but not Reporting, which tries to understand the issue BETWEEN two sides, instead of "taking a side".

Some sayings of Charlie Kirk: 1. Gay people should be stoned to death. 2. Most people are scared when they see a black pilot flying a plane. 3. Taylor Swift should reject feminism and submit to her husband. 4. No one should be allowed to retire. 5. British colonialism was what made the world decent. 6. The guy who assaulted the Pelosi’s should be bailed out. 7. Religious freedom should be terminated. 8. Multiple black politicians stole white people’s spots.

Sayings of Charlie Kirk continued: 9. MLK Jnr was an awful person. 10. The great replacement theory is a reality. 11. Gun deaths are acceptable in order to have a second amendment. 12. Women’s natural place is under their husband’s control. 13. George Floyd had it coming, the Jan 6th protestors didn’t. 14. The 1963 Civil Rights Act was a huge mistake.

Interesting that some people also said the same about Gaza and Ukraine… I suppose ultimately what is relevant or not is deeply personal. It would be good for everyone to respect that.

This article is not balanced at all and should be a disappointment for readers who value the objectivity and openness of Daily Maverick journalism. We should be supportive of open and free debates and allow everybody their right to form and motivate an opinion.

As a Makana Citizens Front councillor I frequently interact with all sectors of society. I would bet good money that no one here is exercised about Charlie Kirk. The conversation is about infrastructure failure, not culture wars. And there is no socioeconomic or ethnic divide on this. And anyway his killer could’ve believed he wasn’t extreme enough.

I admit that I did not know about him, until his death. What then hit my senses (again) was the polarization in the US public mind. I would not have liked to support his views, but his murder is highly despicable and if that is what the USA is moving towards, the world as a whole is in for a rough time. Given the "influencing" effect/force of social media.

Wokeness has throroughly infiltrated our universities, a matter which the author chose to overlook completely. If this was perhaps due to aiming for brevity I urge her to extend her investigation there.

Maybe Charlie hit a nerve. Give him credit for being able to debate, in open spaces without security detail, an excellent debater. He wanted to be remembered for his faith as a Christian. In fact, he had a debate with his assassin, who lost the debate. Free speech is very necessary, without having to kill the person. I feel for his wife Erica and their two small children.

I find it astonishing that with all the major events currently taking place in the world at the moment the major international media were so consumed by this story that they pushed all others into the background.

I shared your article on facebook and received strong comments in support of Kirk's message.

By Kirk's measurements of "awful" and "not a good person" .. even our Tutu would be banished to hell . By 'executive order' nogal ! Remember the little devil who had the temerity to call Palestine "an open air prison" ? Now in the process of being converted to an even smaller concentration camp ! Gandhi by his estimates/criteria would not even qualify for a Trumpian pardon . Let us not even mention Jesus Christ .. who would not even be allowed in the starting blocks .

Well it was Khama/justice that he was shot after saying that it was worth a few being shot to keep their Gun control act as it is to protect peoples rights. Now his family know how it feels to be a victim of some one randomly shot by a crazy with a gun he could easily aquire from a supermarket. those are just one of the horrible things Charlie Kirk said over time.

Nicely put!

Charlie Kirk did not preach religion, he used Christian fundamentals to back up his political, moral & psychological stand-points. In this context CK is not at all irrelevant in South Africa and it would go a long way in the betterment of our country if we adopted some of his fundamentals. Thou shalt not steel and thou shalt not murder would be a good place to start. Unfortunately the shooter in Utah did not stop to consider the latter. Disgusting.

Seems like MAGA are trying to turn Charlie Kirk into an Ernst vom Rath. The political repression is already being threatened.

Me too Rebecca, I'm interested in what on earth is Scott on about? Wish I had an emoji to emphasize this!!!

Hi Rebecca A truth is that we all like to live in echo-chambers - people confirming what we believe is the truth. Wokeism goes against anything Charlie said - and there is a perception that unless you fit into the current narrative in MSM [maybe including DM? thinking] that your thoughts and opinions are not worth a jot. Sad really. A case of fit in, or shut up. He may not be your cup of tea, but a lot what he said is uncomfortable for many - maybe for you as well?

Complex issue, not easily distilled into black or white. I didn't even know who he was until his death, which forced me to go and do some research on him, even listening to interviews with the guy. For the most part, I can safely say that I don't agree with his views. However, he did point out to the importance of a family unit in a country, and we all know fractured families in SA has been one of the root causes of social decay. Let's not forget that every story has, at least, two sides.

OK, 2 rejections later: The Kirk martyrdom will have no moral consequence or effect on SA culture, even if it resonates among those who wish we were indeed "God's country".

By "inconsequential", I assume you also mean "irrelevant". If so, how has it generated so much comment in this forum and beyond?

Thanks, Rebecca. Some people don't get that it is possible to not mourn a racist misogynist - without celebrating his bigoted views or his assassination. It is possible to be against political violence without making a martyr of a horrible human being.

There seems to be a whole lot of people who are very riled up about the fact that Charlie Kirk's assassination has touched so many people world wide. DM didn't report the massive rally held in London for Charlie Kirk two days ago. Go and look at the video of the Charlie Kirk London rally. It must have been over three million people in central London, the helicopter video just carries on and on. So his assassination deeply affected thousands worldwide, also in SA.

Just poor reporting by Davis. There is a debate in the prestigious Oxford university debating room where Kirk is challenged by an African about what is happening in SA. Kirk came accross as courteous, rational with sentiments about using merit for seletion and supporting private enterprise. This will affect opinions abroad about SA. So Davis, Kirk's views are very consequential here. Please do you job properly.

I had never heard of him before his murder and won't bother reading up on him since. US rabbithole politics can keep to itself, thanks.

It seems your comments, are the effect of a subliminal trigger having been pulled. In your haste to delegitimise Charlie Kirk’s relevance to SA, you miss the universal phenomenon he tapped into. Although his words were America-centric, the principles behind them universal. His relevance is actually far beyond SA, it is beyond ALL borders. Furthermore, the composure and respect he showed his opponents is in stark contrast to the savagery displayed in the identity politicking he confronted.

In my view Rebecca you are very wrong when you propose that the assassination of Charlie Kirk has no relevance here in South Africa where we have court prosecutors and witnesses, court appointed liquidators, police officers, whistle blowers etc. being assassinated, all of whom are attempting to do their job. Charlie Kirk never promoted violence to deal with a difference in an opinion, he promoted dialogue, debate ....... Charlie Kirk died because the youth listened to him.