Wednesday, Oct. 14 has been designated the Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance, giving a day to acknowledge the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, a Republican debater and activist who was assassinated on Wednesday, Sept. 10 during an event he was hosing at Utah State University.
The argument that Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance is to honor the legacy of Kirk is incredibly invalid, because Kirk had no legacy. Leaving a legacy means to leave a long-lasting impact on people and the environment, but nothing Kirk has done warrants a holiday or even a legacy. He spent his time debating college students about what he believes, and if that is the only reason why he is important, then that means anyone who decides to argue with students can get their own national holiday.
During his career, Kirk grew a close relationship with a lot of republican political figures, including both Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump. His relationship with the republican party could have given him bias and warranted the decisions to make the holiday. If he wasn’t close to politicians or even a republican, I doubt the holiday would have been considered at all.
Many of Kirk’s defenders state that a lot of his quotes are taken out of context, but what context justifies him saying the Civil Rights Act should not have been passed, or him defending the countless dead children in Gaza. If the issue doesn’t involve white people, republicans or Trump, he would typically take a negative side.
After Kirk’s execution, many people online were reposting it or spreading memes about him, including the trend of Kirkification, where people would put his face onto other people, objects or portraits to humiliate and belittle him. Not only that, but people also use the term Kirked to talk about someone being shot through the neck and killed. If Kirk was appreciated and liked by the people, he wouldn’t become a joke like he is now.
Kirk was not a man that brought people together or hoped for better change, he was a man who spread hate to the people and was rewarded for it. The nation should not be built on people like him, bigots who only want to see the world better for them but worse for everyone else.
If politicians want to make a day to remember those killed for their freedom of speech, make the day about every martyr.
Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance should not be a day for him, but a time to remember all the martyrs throughout our history who have been easily forgotten. None of Kirk’s actions warrant his own national holiday, but the sacrifices that every martyr had to take should be celebrated.