The United States has lowered its flag again!
This is the second national flag drop in half a flag in the United States in two weeks, the last time it was to mourn the victims of the Minnesota shooting.
On September 10, local time, a gunshot was fired.
31-year-old Charlie Kirk - a conservative star who Trump called the "future leader" fell in a pool of blood and declared his rescue ineffective death three hours later.
Ironically, Kirk discussed the issue of gun safety in the last stage of his life. As a gun-owner, he once said that "there is a value for death every year."
Kirke's death exposed not only the gun problems in the United States.
If the murderer's motive is really related to political ideas, when the profound differences between the people can only be resolved by bloody violence, the United States' "democratic politics" is very ill.
Who is Kirk
Charlie Kirk was born in 1993 and is the co-founder and executive director of the conservative organization Turning Point USA. The organization aims to promote conservative ideas on high schools and college campuses in the United States, with more than 850 branches and hundreds of thousands of student members.
Kirk also hosts a popular podcast show "The Charlie Kirk Show" and has a large number of followers on social media: over 7.3 million followers on TikTok, 7 million on Instagram, 5 million on X, and 3.5 million on YouTube.
Although he has never held a public office, he has accumulated significant political influence among young conservatives in the United States through his organizational and media influence, and has been deeply involved in Trump's campaign, especially in mobilizing young voters.
Kirk often makes provocative remarks, which has caused a lot of criticism.
He advocates continuation of conservatism, and in addition to the economy, encourages women to put marriage into their careers; he also questioned that black pilots have obtained jobs because of the airline's goals of diversification, equity and inclusiveness...
This series of discriminatory remarks angered many people who firmly believe in diversity and freedom and equality. They accused Kirk of spreading false information and conspiracy theories on issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the 2020 U.S. election.
More torn America
After the shooting, American conservatives quickly portrayed Kirk as a heroic image of "martyrdom for faith." Trump's reaction was particularly strong. In his public statement, he not only called Kirk "a symbol of patriotism", but also vowed to "revenge".
This incident exposed the worrying tendency of violence in the political ecology of the United States. According to statistics, this is the seventh major violent incident against politicians since the beginning of this year, and the polarization of American politics is evolving from ideological debate to actual conflict.
Although, Democrats also spoke out for condemning them at the first time, for example, former US President Obama said on Twitter, "No matter what political stance, violence is never the way to solve the problem."
But Trump is not a "gentleman" and can't wait for ten years. It is reported that Trump has directed to track down groups that "fund and support" the assassination, which could lead to a more stringent scrutiny of some left-wing groups.
This incident shows that the political struggle in the United States has entered a new stage - since it cannot convince you, you will be physically eliminated.
As the Washington Post wrote in its editorial, "When the stage of political debate becomes a execution ground, when different opinions can only be 'responsive', the democratic foundation of this country has begun to shake."
The United States is really sick, and it is terminally ill.
Editor: Qin Yangke
