Are conservatives now engaging in cancel culture? We’re debating that in our newsroom and in our pages today. For other views, please check out Matthew Continetti (Progressive Cries of ‘Cancel Culture’ Are Overblown); River Page: (His Wife Called Charlie Kirk a ‘Nazi.’ He Was Fired.); and Adam Rubenstein (In Defense of Karen Attiah). And weigh in with your views in the comments.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there is an effort underway to equate the celebration of political assassination with the expression of conventional political opinion. Democrats and the mainstream media argue that firing, suspending, and shaming people for the former amounts to the right’s embrace of “cancel culture.” Please.
Here is Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen of Axios, writing about four “ominous trends” that “suggest America’s volatile politics, culture, and security could worsen in the months ahead.” There are “high-profile assassinations,” “school shootings,” “calls for violence,” and an “unprecedented online hunt. . . on conservative social media to name, shame, and contact the employers of people who mocked or celebrated Kirk’s slaying.”
The Washington Post highlights the workers sent packing over “Charlie Kirk posts.” But it’s the Associated Press that takes the cake, writing that after years of complaining about cancel culture, a “chorus of conservatives” now wants Kirk’s “critics ostracized or fired.” And by critics, they mean those who have cheered his death.
