I didn’t follow Charlie Kirk. He wasn’t speaking to me, or for men like myself. At the moment I’m examining the common belief, at least on the Right, that he was a champion of free speech. And now a martyr for free speech. I do think his murder is a turning point in our history, the irony of that fact lining right up with the title of his famous organization, was not lost on me. I’m not sure I can see the man as a true champion of free speech. I do like the “Prove Me Wrong” debate style, and he treated students who came to the mic and disagreed with him respectfully.
But, saying he was a champion of free speech?
AI Overview
There is a strong argument that Charlie Kirk's actions, particularly his organization's "Professor Watchlist," directly contradicted his claims of supporting free speech by attempting to silence or intimidate professors with differing viewpoints
. This has led many critics to describe his free speech advocacy as hypocritical.
The "Professor Watchlist" and free speech debates
In 2016, Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA, launched a "Professor Watchlist," a public database of academics accused of advancing "leftist propaganda". The watchlist has been cited by critics as a clear attempt to silence professors by intimidating them and mobilizing public pressure to punish them for their views.
Critics have argued that this targeting of professors goes against the spirit of free speech for several reasons:
Kirk's position on free speech
- Intimidation and fear: Professors included on the list have reported receiving threats and harassment, creating a chilling effect on academic freedom. The American Association of University Professors called the list "the opening salvo in a broader right-wing attack on higher education".
- Encouraging censorship: By branding opposing ideas as "propaganda," the watchlist encouraged students and others to demand the removal or punishment of professors based on their speech. Some conservative politicians have since followed similar tactics, with incidents in Texas leading to professors being fired after students reported them for discussing gender identity.
- Disagreement vs. blacklisting: While Kirk often framed his campus visits as promoting open debate, critics argued that the watchlist was not about disagreement but about blacklisting opponents in a modern form of McCarthyism.
Despite these actions, Kirk and his supporters presented themselves as champions of free speech on college campuses. They argued that:
The tension between Kirk's stated support for free speech and his specific actions targeting professors with different views remains a central point of conflict in discussions about
- Challenging "indoctrination": Kirk's efforts were a necessary pushback against what he saw as "woke indoctrination" and liberal bias in higher education.
- Promoting debate: His campus tours, which featured debates with students, were framed as a way to encourage dialogue and challenge dominant narratives.
- Defending conservative views: Supporters maintain that Kirk was fighting to protect the free speech rights of conservatives, whom he believed were being censored and marginalized on college campuses.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n3vkVjlkTOE
Turning Point USA's professor watchlist sparks fear and controversy
Turning Point USA, founded by far-right conservative activist Charlie Kirk, continues to maintain an online database of university professors they claim "discrikrcrtv.com
View: https://medium.com/@mboedy/debunking-charlie-kirk-and-his-followers-on-campus-speech-a773b9225ab5
How Charlie Kirk turned campuses into cultural battlefields – and ushered in Trump’s assault on universities
The slain head of Turning Point USA stoked campus culture wars and ‘treated faculty and students as enemies’www.theguardian.com
The man is going to be lionized and hailed as a champion of free speech. Unless you are a left leaning professor at an institution of higher learning. I’m also expecting the Right to go full throttle on cancel culture. Describing Trump’s words and actions for what they actually are may become all but impossible, with Bondi launching investigations of anyone doing that. So, his death may really have a chilling effect on free speech.
And I’ll also say I’ve long felt the internet and its social media platforms may be the death of civilization itself. Just as the Governor of Utah said to America the other day. It is a poison. It’s made me say things and exhibit a personality that is combative and angry. That cannot be doing me any good whatsoever. In other words, I do not for one second think I’ve avoided the worst effects of being online so much. What the hell did I do before the internet, lol.
Finally, there are people on this forum who feel genuine pain and grief at Kirk’s murder. I would never wish the pain of grief on any of those fellow posters, no matter how much I’ve attacked them, or their positions. No matter how much I believe they support an American fascist in Donald Trump. If Kirk meant that much to you, like a family member even, I am sorry for your loss.
I've never seen you become combative and angry. I on the other hand am ready to challenge men much bigger than me to a wrasslin match in my basement.
