Blocked and Reported

Episode 276: The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

September 13, 2025

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  • The assassination of Charlie Kirk has ignited a polarized online reaction, with the right broadly blaming the left and the left condemning the violence while grappling with the role of inflammatory rhetoric. 
  • The incident highlights the increasing normalization of political violence and the difficulty in discerning genuine political motives from online meme culture and performative outrage. 
  • The effectiveness of Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA in mobilizing young conservatives and its contrast with perceived disorganization and infighting on the left are discussed as significant factors in the current political landscape. 
  • The podcast highlights a perceived double standard in how public figures are treated for expressing violent sentiments, with DC Comics canceling a series by Gretchen Felker-Martin for comments deemed hostile, while similar or more extreme past statements by her against political figures went largely unpunished. 
  • The discussion reveals a significant shift in public and corporate reaction to political violence and commentary, evidenced by the immediate backlash and cancellation of a DC Comics series for an author's controversial posts, contrasted with the historical tolerance for such rhetoric. 
  • The conversation delves into the proliferation of conspiracy theories surrounding Charlie Kirk's death, including accusations against Israel and the Mossad, and the emergence of a theory that Donald Trump himself might be dead or replaced, fueled by an AI-like video of him and the presence of a bandage on his hand. 

Segments

Plurality and Tulpamancy Discussion
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(00:02:34)
  • Key Takeaway: The podcast explores the concepts of plurality, tulpamancy, and the online community’s debate around endogenic systems, highlighting the distinction between naturally arising headmates and intentionally created tulpas.
  • Summary: The hosts delve into the subreddit r/plural, discussing apps like Simply Plural and the controversial idea of endogenic systems, which are systems that arise without trauma. They explain tulpamancy, the intentional creation of alternate personalities, and the ‘forcing’ process, drawing parallels to concepts like Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Charlie Kirk Assassination Reaction
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(00:08:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The assassination of Charlie Kirk has triggered widespread fear and condemnation, prompting discussions about the escalating political violence and the potential for retribution.
  • Summary: The hosts discuss the shocking news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, noting the immediate online reactions and the fear of further violence. They touch upon the graphic nature of the event and the difficulty of processing such news, while also reflecting on their own reactions and the broader implications for society.
Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA
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(00:13:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA is presented as a highly successful conservative youth organization that effectively mobilizes young people and contributes to the dominance of Trumpism on college campuses.
  • Summary: The conversation shifts to Charlie Kirk’s background and the founding of Turning Point USA. The hosts compare it to left-leaning campus organizations, highlighting TPUSA’s significant reach, funding, and success in organizing conservative students, particularly in the context of the Trump era.
Online Reactions and Retribution
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(00:41:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Prominent right-wing figures have responded to Charlie Kirk’s death with calls for unity and condemnation of the left, while also engaging in doxxing and career-ruining tactics against those perceived to be celebrating the event.
  • Summary: The hosts analyze the immediate responses from figures like Elon Musk, Andrew Tate, and Laura Loomer, noting their inflammatory rhetoric and calls for retribution. They also discuss the creation of websites like charliesmurderers.com, which aim to expose and shame individuals perceived to be celebrating Kirk’s death, drawing parallels to ‘cancel culture’ tactics.
Gretchen Felker-Martin Controversy
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(00:49:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The podcast highlights a perceived double standard in consequences for violent rhetoric, where Gretchen Felker-Martin’s past threats were overlooked, but her recent comments led to a DC Comics series cancellation.
  • Summary: This segment discusses Gretchen Felker-Martin’s history of making death threats, her recent controversial post on Blue Sky about Charlie Kirk, the resulting backlash on Twitter, and DC Comics’ decision to cancel her series, citing their content standards.
Charlie Kirk Assassination Reactions
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(00:51:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Government officials and media outlets reacted strongly to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, with a Congressman calling for tech platform bans and news organizations reviewing immigrants’ posts, illustrating a heightened sensitivity to political violence.
  • Summary: The discussion covers Representative Clay Higgins’ call to ban posts belittling Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the First Amendment implications highlighted by a community note, and the debate around Charlie Kirk’s own stance on free speech and censorship, particularly in relation to his parody on South Park.
Conspiracy Theories Emerge
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(00:55:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Following Charlie Kirk’s death, a wave of conspiracy theories emerged, including false flag operations, Mossad involvement, and even the idea that Donald Trump is dead, demonstrating how political events are quickly absorbed into existing conspiratorial narratives.
  • Summary: This segment explores various conspiracy theories surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination, such as it being a distraction from Epstein files, an assassination by Israel due to his pro-Israel stance, and the more outlandish theory that Donald Trump is dead, based on a potentially AI-generated video with unusual characteristics.
Societal Trust and Political Violence
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(01:03:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The podcast argues that a historically unusual period of relative peace in political discourse is being eroded by a growing disregard for protecting it, leading to increased societal distrust and a rise in extreme viewpoints.
  • Summary: The hosts reflect on the death of Charlie Kirk, emphasizing the importance of not being glib about political violence and the need to protect the historically unusual period of relative peace in a large multiracial country, while lamenting that many ‘crazy people’ do not seem to care about preserving this.