JIM GERAGHTY: ‘Consequence Culture’ Comes for the Angry Left.
Back in 2021, actor LeVar Burton — beloved from years hosting Reading Rainbow and his role in Star Trek: The Next Generation — insisted that what many conservatives called “cancel culture” was simply a long-overdue reckoning of consequences for objectionable statements: “‘In terms of cancel culture, I think it’s misnamed,’ Burton said. ‘I think we have a consequence culture. And that consequences are finally encompassing everybody in the society, whereas they haven’t been ever in this country.’”
However you choose to label the phenomenon, I notice that now few folks on the left see the firings and dismissals after Kirk’s death as an example of “consequence culture.”
Last night, the AP wrote, “Some conservatives are seeking to upend the lives and careers of those who disparaged Charlie Kirk after his death.” In the 1,149-word article, you have to get to the 15th paragraph before you get even a description of that “disparagement,” referring to an assistant dean at Middle Tennessee State University and professors at Austin Peay State University and Cumberland University: “All three lost their jobs for comments deemed inappropriate for expressing a lack of sympathy, or even for expressing pleasure, in the shooting of Kirk. One said Kirk ‘spoke his fate into existence.’”
Rolling Stone fumes, “Journalists, publicists, and college faculty have been fired after calling the right-wing influencer a divisive figure and making light of his assassination.” Well, maybe people shouldn’t “make light” of his assassinations, then? Is that too much to ask? Remember how everyone felt when Alex Jones insisted the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax? That’s how you sound to someone who liked the slain figure.
Alternatively, all these people who feel good when someone they disagree with politically is gunned down could try not expressing their views on social media for the whole wide world to see. If you say these things to your friends and family, the consequences will be much less severe.
Related: Should the Ghouls Publicly Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Lose Their Jobs?
In response to Charlie Kirk’s public execution by a demented sniper, cruel, callous, and frankly demonic expressions of solidarity and pleasure have exploded across social media. These reactions should not be exploited to attack an entire political party or movement, nor should we despair over the appalling words and conduct of a relative fringe. But the scope of this ugliness should not be understated either.
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