Don't Bring Us Into This

When I was teaching, I would occasionally receive an email that had nothing to do with me.

Something like, “Don’t forget to be in your room by 7:45 each morning. If you arrive after 7:45, you’re late.”

That email was obviously not intended for me — I couldn’t run late if I wanted to. I am perpetually early to every appointment and workday. I sit in the parking lot of every dentist and doctor’s appointment for 20 or 30 minutes because I am early. If I ever happen to be running late, a complete panic takes hold and I can feel warm tingly sensations all over my body.

It physically bothers me to be late…I would never.

I never liked school-wide emails that were intended for one or two people. Don’t issue blanket emails to people who show up on time.

Tell them, not me. I don’t want to be brought into their mess.

If it’s not my problem, don’t lecture me about it.

This is the same way I have felt for the last few days after the murder of right-wing provocateur, podcaster, and friend of the current US President, Charlie Kirk.

I read the reports and followed along with the news second by second. And then I immediately read of online right-wing accounts calling for a civil war for a shooting we didn’t even understand or have a suspect in.

I saw vitriol thrown at the trans community for no reason and read reports in the WSJ outlining a trans suspect — without a suspect in custody.

I saw Congresswoman Nancy Mace say, “Let me say this as nice as I can: DEMOCRATS OWN THIS.” and then she went on to demand the death penalty.

Elon Musk tweeted: “If they won’t leave us in peace, then our choice is to fight or die.” and “The Left is the party of murder.”

An infamous and disgusting group, the Libs of TikTok tweeted: “ THIS IS WAR.”

Laura Loomer, a far-right advisor to Trump, tweeted: “It’s time for the Trump administration to shut down, defund, & prosecute every single Leftist organization. If Charlie Kirk dies from his injuries, his life cannot be in vain. We must shut these lunatic leftists down. Once and for all. The Left is a national security threat.”

Another MAGA influencer, Brian Eastwood, tweeted: “Charlie Kirk getting shot is the shot heard around the country. I’m ready for civil war. You want a fight, and you’re going to get it.”

I was confused why all of this hate was being thrown at folks on the Left when no one knew who killed Kirk or had any motive. Okay, I wasn’t actually confused because this is what they do every time something like this happens, still I was surprised that they all assumed this murder was done by someone on the Left, when that is very rarely a fact.

And then we found out who shot and killed Charlie Kirk…

The Republican Governor of Utah made a statement after the arrest of a young white man, Tyler Robinson, for the murder, saying:

"For the last 33 hours, I had been praying that this person was from another country. That he was not one of us because we are not like that. But it was one of us."

Was he hoping for an immigrant?

My god…

All of the sudden, the rhetoric changed. Literally midsentence for some. Congresswoman Nancy Mace went from demanding the death penalty to asking for prayers.

They had to pull back the words they were speaking and change tone and direction. I can’t help but think I know why. The suspect is a young white man raised in a religious home in Utah with conservative parents, steeped in gun culture.

The suspect, Tyler Robinson, who confessed to his dad and a family friend, is not trans. He is not Black. He is not an immigrant.

Robinson’s grandmother said Robinson’s family is deeply MAGA.

Not exactly a Leftist.

In fact, Tyler Robinson seems to fit right in with the MAGA base, albeit the far-right and grotesque edges of the internet and gaming universe.

There are a lot of theories out there about motive, but it seems like the messages inscribed on the bullets were from a video game, and the motive behind the killing may be very hard to understand for the rest of us…in fact, there may not be much of a motive.

The killing may have been content for an online community. Absolutely stomach-turning and evil.

The issue for me is the knee-jerk reaction of the right to blame folks on the Left with no basis for that blame. They hurled death threats and threats of jail and harm to people on the Left with no justification and within minutes of Kirk’s death.

They created stories and narratives before they had a suspect. They became violent from the second the violent act was broadcast across social media.

They issued blanket threats to all of us working in progressive circles.

I won’t even go into detail about how these same folks, and even the President of the United States, reacted after a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and dog were murdered in their own home — an act of political violence.

I am watching in real time as teachers and professors are being monitored and disciplined for what they say online about the murder. I have not seen anyone celebrate the killing, but many have quoted Charlie Kirk on his views on gun violence.

Let me be clear…I have folks in my DMs telling me they are on administrative leave not for celebrating a death, but quoting the words of the person who died.

And now…now, I am seeing folks, politicians and everyday people, who were quick to judge and demand violence, asking for cooler heads “on both sides.”

I agree with cooling political tensions at the moment, but we have been cool.

They have been threatening. We have watched and read the news while they proposed civil war and executions and the death penalty. It doesn’t appear that the Left had much, if anything, to do with any of this at this point.

But we get the reprimand. Both sides, right?

When I spoke to a friend about this, she said something that stuck with me: “Who the hell is we? I didn’t have shit to do with this. It’s not on me or mine.”

I am tired of it, too.

They create chaos and then ask us for order. They consistently preach violence and hate and bigotry and white supremacy and anti-LGBT and anti-immigrant and anti-woman rhetoric, and then put my non-violent friends on administrative leave when they quote the actual words of the man who died.

Enough.

It isn’t both sides. They can direct their “cooler heads” rhetoric to their people.

Tell them, not me. I don’t want to be brought into their mess. I am not violent and have never been violent, but I have frequently been the target of violent messages.

This is not our problem. Don’t lecture us about it.

They are the ones who need the “cooler heads” advice.

Tell them.

~Jess