In the wake of the tragic assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a disturbing trend has emerged on the far-left social media platform, Bluesky.
Rather than expressing condolences or advocating for moderation, a significant number of users have chosen to celebrate Kirk's untimely death, prompting the platform to issue warnings against such behavior.
According to RedState, Bluesky found itself compelled to remind users on Thursday that celebrating Kirk's assassination contravened its community guidelines. This followed a flurry of posts on the platform that reveled in the brutal murder of the conservative figure.
While some users did condemn the assassination, many seized the opportunity to launch personal attacks against Kirk, using his politics as a weapon.
Prominent author Wajahat Ali, for instance, denounced the shooting as "criminal, wrong, and should be condemned," but went on to describe Kirk as "a horrible, hateful man" who targeted marginalized groups, stating, "I refuse to sanitize him." This is just one example of the less vitriolic comments that have been circulating since Kirk's murder.
The hostility wasn't confined to Bluesky. Similar posts have been spotted on other platforms, including X and Facebook. The level of animosity displayed by some users was shocking. One user provocatively posted, The person who motivated the shooting of Charlie Kirk was Charlie Kirk.
Another stated, Charlie Kirk lived and died in the America that Charlie Kirk wanted to exist. A third user added, RIP Charlie Kirk, you would have loved politicizing the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
The band The USA Singers brought back an old headline quoting Kirk saying gun deaths were unfortunately worth the cost of preserving the Second Amendment. Another user shared a Rolling Stone article in which Kirk suggested a patriot should bail out Paul Pelosis attacker, captioning it, Fk Charlie Kirk.
In response to the escalating situation, Bluesky posted, Glorifying violence or harm violates Blueskys Community Guidelines. We review reports and take action on content that celebrates harm against anyone. Violence has no place in healthy public discourse.
The reaction to Kirk's assassination raises questions about the state of public discourse and the erosion of basic human decency. The old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," seems to have been forgotten. The lack of respect and consideration for Kirk's grieving family, including his young wife and two small children, is deeply troubling.
Bluesky, a platform known for its left-leaning user base, has found itself in the unenviable position of having to ask its users to refrain from celebrating a man's death. The platform's predicament serves as a stark reminder of the potential pitfalls of fostering an environment that encourages extreme viewpoints.
As the saying goes, "If you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas," and Bluesky appears to be grappling with a significant infestation. The platform would do well to invest in some metaphorical flea powder.
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