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 Eliana Johnson (Fire Them All); 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.
Have conservatives embraced the very cancel culture they once denounced? In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, progressives say yes.
The panic springs from blurred distinctions—an inability, or unwillingness, to see the difference between public debate and the rationalization, and even celebration, of political violence. After years of censoring speech, criminalizing politics, and transforming institutions into political monocultures, progressives have suddenly discovered the First Amendment. And yet, even as they turn to it for shelter, they continue to demonize their opponents as fascists, Nazis, and hatemongers. A neat trick.
The left is appalled and frightened by the number of people who have lost jobs or faced punishment for mocking Kirk or praising his killing. It sees the right jumping to conclusions about the killer and his motive. It frets that President Trump will use Kirk’s death to justify a crackdown on civil liberties.
The reaction to Kirk’s murder has been stunning indeed.
