Thursday was the first anniversary of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. As we reported, Libs of TikTok posted signs and message boards from universities across the country showing college students asking each other how they were going to celebrate the "Kirkaversary," "Kirkmas," "Eid Al-Kirk," "Kirkentines Day," etc. Who was going to be throwing the biggest bender? Kids went to class in TPUSA "Freedom" T-shirts with fake blood on them.
This editor could publish posts on disgusting memes all day long. Young white liberal women seemed to be the most vicious. He's a group of high school girls who shot a TikTok video at their school.
Farmington, Utah
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 11, 2026
Students filmed themselves reenacting and dancing to Charlie Kirk's ass*ssination
The video has since been deleted but I have a copy
What’s going on at @DavisSchools ?? pic.twitter.com/GUn3M63zL4
Again, we could go on forever. As we mentioned earlier, we weren't expecting much on Friday from people who weren't even born on 9/11, but they've certainly latched onto Kirk's assassination. But why? Rachel Hale of USA TODAY explained that Gen Zers were posting "odd" videos to use "humor" to "distance themselves from the emotional weight of reality."
I have no words…
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 11, 2026
USA Today says the people mocking Charlie’s ass*ssination is actually good because they’re just using humor to deal with it emotionally
USA Today is covering up for the violent scum who want us dead and celebrate m*rder
I can’t believe this is real
They have… pic.twitter.com/qvpvxUKvH4
"… no shame."
Hale wrote:
On its face, these posts may appear bizarre, tasteless and tone-deaf. But experts who study media and digital culture explain that as Gen Zers make sense of political violence, polarization and constant exposure to bad news, these posts are actually a good example of how many young people today use humor to distance themselves from the emotional weight of reality.
The Kirk content is a striking example of that, as his image and death have been absorbed into the same internet culture that turns celebrities, songs and TV shows into memes.
“Coping mechanism would be the most straightforward way of putting it,” says Joel Penney, an associate professor at Montclair State University who studies media and political communication. “There's all this anxiety around horrible things happening in our world… memes seem to be a way of making it easier to handle those kinds of issues by turning them into a joke.
Is this guy serious? A "coping mechanism"? They're openly celebrating. Hale continues, talking to another "expert" in academia:
Gen Z, the cohort born between 1997 and 2012, is struggling with decreasing social infrastructures and disillusioned with the state of their finances, a growing political divide and a job market overshadowed by AI. They’ve grown up watching wars, natural disasters and a pandemic unfold from their screens.
For some, absurdist humor has become a way to cope with that uncertainty, and to turn their anxiety into a shared experience.
Audrey Halversen, a political communication researcher and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan, says that unlike other forms of political expression, like protesting or getting involved in local politics, memes can serve as a low-barrier gateway, even for people who are otherwise politically disengaged.
“These memes can give young people a small sense of agency in a political system they otherwise see as being largely out of their control,” Halversen says, adding that they allow young people to channel “their feelings of anxiety, anger and disillusionment.”
Charlie’s children are growing up without their dad. Erika has lost her soulmate. Leftists are celebrating the public assassination of a loving father and devoted husband simply because he persuaded legions of young Americans to embrace the faith and values of our nation.… https://t.co/ErQ70coOpC
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) September 12, 2026
The post continues:
… Sinister does not even begin to describe the vile, growing and dangerous malignancy that we are witnessing.
“…odd posts…”
— Ex Ilio (@exsurfer) September 11, 2026
How intellectually dishonest can you be?
This sounds like a click bait ad:
“The funny trick about murdering your kids!” 😁
😐
Labeling celebration of political violence and murder as "coping humor" is an absolute disgrace. The media is bending over backward to excuse vile behavior just because of who the victim is. Completely shameless.
— CPT. chesterbpolkman🫡 (@chesterbpolk) September 12, 2026
@USATODAY should we mock George Floyd’s death too? According to your reporter it’s acceptable. Should we shout “I can’t breathe” on the anniversary of his death? Of course good people wouldn’t do that because we have a soul.
— Paladin4US (@pgtrip) September 12, 2026
The perpetual mental gymnastics they have to do to think of themselves as the good guys is inane
— There Are No Kings (@ThereAreNoKing) September 11, 2026
Evil. Straight up evil.
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 11, 2026
Oh good God. That is not humor. These kids have been coddled to the point of being totally uncontrollable.
— DJM (@justsaying_djm1) September 12, 2026
Unbelievable.
— CatWoman (@cat_woman32412) September 11, 2026
Yeah the cosplays, the red neck shots, the zombie parties, the cakes, the happy hours, the celebrations are all just grieving little flowers trying to find a way to cope.@USATODAY are you insane?
How much more disrespect can Charlie’s memory tolerate?
They sure weren't laughing and joking when Renee Good caught a bullet.
— RavenousLioness (@De43189Ready) September 11, 2026
No dumbass. They're CELEBRATING his death because they're uncaring, unfeeling, remorseless, narcissistic, vile, little sociopaths.
— GregT (@Greg8166676) September 11, 2026
I'd tell their parents to raise them the right way, but chances are, that's where they're getting it from.
We're pretty much doomed.
Ms. Hale needs to pull her head out of her buttocks.
— Hana Five O (@HanaFiveO) September 11, 2026
People mocking Charlie's death are not using gallows humor to deal with a disturbing situation. They are ghouls celebrating the murder of a fellow citizen with whom the disagree. Not healthy, not ok.
These are not "odd" posts, and they're not posting them "to cope with uncertainty." Someone they disagreed with politically got shot in the throat, and even a year later they're still thrilled.
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