Trump was almost assassinated, and people have opinions — including about his survival. Some are pissed about it, with data suggesting a third of Democrats regret that the shooter missed. In response, the usual suspects on the provocateur Right are taking action and getting as many of these people fired as possible.
On one hand, I think wishing death on Trump crosses the bar to justify consequences — a core value of the American Founding is not calling for the deaths of people we disagree with! It’s ok to say that normalizing such behavior degrades our republic and our culture, and that it should bring social opprobrium for the long-term good of society. But for those without a major public platform (and no, a normie’s Facebook comments don’t count), such consequences should come from those close to the action.
The new engine of right-wing social media users stalking every comment to get people fired misses the mark. They’re right to be repulsed, but why spend time on every loser? Do you pop every pimple?
The Tenacious D guy? Yeah, he was fair game. A random Home Depot cashier? She may deserve social sanction, but that’s for the community in which she exists to decide — not some disembodied, online outside agitator. Would I fire her? Yeah. Should her coworkers feel icky about working with someone who wishes death on people with whom she disagrees politically? Absolutely. Should very online conservatives be worried about policing blue-collar workers far from home who they’ve never met? No!
All this doesn’t even consider the doxing that seems to follow every LibsofTikTok atTak. That’s bad, and yet another reason why we shouldn’t spend our time popping meaningless pimples. To the extent the Right should fight back, the energy should be directed toward those actually making an impact for the worse on our culture.
Don’t try to kill every fruit fly. You will never kill every fruit fly. And even if you manage to, does it really matter once you’ve killed enough to keep your Malbec bug-free? Try not leaving the proverbial rotting fruit around instead, and help fix the culture of contempt and anxiety that leads us to cheer on a presidential candidate’s murder.