A Killer’s Motive

Tribalism, Social Media, And A Coddled Generation

In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, tribalism has been driving the dialogue about the killer’s motive. Those on the right blame the left for their Hitler/fascist rhetoric. Those on the left blame Trump for his inflammatory statements. Each new piece of information about the alleged shooter has provided more clarity to explain what was going on in the killer’s mind.

After the shooting but before Tyler Robinson was arrested, there was rampant speculation. The right insisted that the shooter was from the left (logical). The left asserted that they don’t control individuals, and so a random actor is not their responsibility. Bullet casings found at the scene had markings on them with anti-fascist words, which don’t necessarily make the accused a leftist, but they are consistent with Democratic and left messaging.

Some who get exposure to their fascist rhetoric may have been inclined to label Charlie Kirk as a fascist due to his association with the president. On the other hand, Kirk’s view of transgender rights is viewed as divisive or hateful to the left, making him a target on his own.

After Robinson’s arrest, additional facts became public. His mother said he had moved to a more left-leaning ideology in recent times. In particular, he began to support LGBTQ and trans rights. It was revealed that Tyler had a roommate with whom he was romantically involved; this roommate is a man transitioning to a woman, which may be the reason for his ideological change.

The text messages between Tyler and his roommate are revealing. He stated that he had a chance to take out Charlie Kirk and intended to do so. He said he had had enough of Kirk’s hatred, and some hate can’t be negotiated out.

There is also another factor contributing to the story, and that is Robinson’s participation in social media groups, which can stimulate or reinforce violent behavior. He was an active user on Discord, a popular chat platform for gamers. Discord offers private chat rooms where members can communicate without being observed.

Tyler posted the following quote on Discord two hours before he was taken into custody. “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” said the message, first reported by the Washington Post. “It was me at UVU yesterday. I’m (sic) sorry for all of this.” Sorry for what?

Discord appears to be a place where some have pre-announced their crimes. In 2022, Payton Gendron, the man indicted in the mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that killed 10 people, used an invitation-only Discord server to detail his plans. Other mass shootings that were discussed on Discord include one last year at Apalachee High School in Georgia.

Per reporting by The Washington Post, authorities believed the teen charged in that shooting, Colt Gray, used an email address that was linked to a chat discussing the desire to commit a mass shooting. NBC News reported that Discord messages about violence were also connected to Dylan Butler, who took his own life after a school shooting in Iowa last year.

Now we have the ICE facility shooting in Dallas, which occurred yesterday. The shooter had anti-ICE writing on his bullets and did an internet search on Charlie Kirk’s shooting.

There are some very disturbed people in our society whose personalities attract them to killing for a purpose. Typical personality characteristics are emotional detachment and low empathy. Narcissism is often a factor because the shooter seeks notoriety. Mix the right personality with social media sites that promote nihilism and anarchy, and you can create a killer.

These feel like copycat crimes, a trend that started with the killing of a health care company executive. Luigi Mangione, the accused, marked his bullets. Since his arrest, Mangione has achieved a sort of folk hero status because he was bold enough to take on capitalism.

How can this trend be stopped? There is no way to do that, in my view. It must run its course. The political parties could lower the temperature in America by toning down their anger. More debate, and less hate. Each of America’s tribes has the right to fight for its beliefs in public over issues important to the American people, but debate has to be the extent of it. No assassination in history has ever solved the problem the killer intended to address.

There is great unrest among the Gen Z group, and much of it is not their fault. They had their education cut short by COVID, and they are the coddled generation that has never been allowed to make their own decisions by their helicopter parents. They question the value of college if graduation forces them into unescapable debt.

The internet and cell phones have placed them in an alternate reality, to which they have become addicted. The providers and advertisers utilize algorithms to attract users to sites that maximize revenue generation for themselves. Profit is rated higher than the well-being of America’s youth. Gen Z’s isolation from traditional society makes them lonely and depressed, leading to collaboration with kindred spirits. Pathological discussions among haters will only raise the level of hate and generate more violence.

Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author’s own.