Should people lose their jobs for criticizing Charlie Kirk? The internet weighs in

Redditors of all kinds shared their thoughts on the reports of job firings over negative statements about Charlie Kirk after his death. One conservative group launched a website dedicated to doxxing these individuals and calling their employers, and a few high-profile job losses brought the general issue to the forefront.

Should people lose their jobs for criticizing Charlie Kirk?

Job losses over social media posts are nothing new, but the specific circumstances around Kirk create a unique situation. The Turning Point USA founder made a career of touring college campuses and debating students.

Back in the 2010s, Kirk’s messaging was widely considered far-right. As he spread his ideas by arguing with young people, they became normalized, shifting the Overton window considerably. His violent and public death at just such an event inevitably turned his demise into a political firestorm.

Democrats felt the need to reduce Kirk’s rhetoric, which included calling the Civil Rights Act “a huge mistake” and telling Taylor Swift to submit to her husband, to “spirited discourse,” in the words of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump vowed to target left-wing organizations in retaliation for the murder.

On Monday, Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah reported that the paper had fired her for bringing up race and gender in her Bluesky posts reacting to the shooting. The Post accused her of “gross misconduct” and endangering her colleagues, which she rejected as false.

As reports spread of job losses among people of varying levels of fame, discussions swirled around whether this is fair or appropriate. It was only a matter of time before it reached Reddit.

“How do you feel about people losing their jobs because they posted anti-Kirk content?” asked u/Govtluv on Tuesday.

“Everyone should try to be better”

Answers came from users of all political affiliations, with many at least agreeing on the point that everyone should use caution when they post.

“You should approach life as if what you’re saying online, are you comfortable with it being read back to you in a courtroom,” reads a popular comment by u/tommysmooth10.

“If you’re praising the brutal murder of someone you don’t like or agree with, don’t be shocked you get fired as a result, that’s on you. If you’re calling for civil war against liberals and you get fired, that’s on you.”

Plenty of Redditors on the left agreed that if posts laughing at Kirk’s death or praising the shooter justify firings, then so should posts advocating for violence against his critics.

“I think people should also lose their jobs if they post about wanting to start a war with the left because of it,” wrote u/NoStatus9434 to the tune of 17,000 upvotes.

Others pointed to the hypocrisy of it all, noting that Kirk remained free of serious consequences after he mocked high-profile victims of right-wing violence.

“The ironic thing is that Kirk himself made jokes about the assault of Nancy Pelosi’s husband, spread conspiracy theories after the Hortmans (and their dog!) were assassinated, and called for Joe Biden to be executed,” u/Hrekires pointed out.

The right, however, shot back with their own hypocrisy accusations, with some pointing out that people lost jobs for posts about police brutality victims.

“People lost their job for mocking George Floyd so it happens,” said u/sourkid25.

“‘Freedom of speech but not freedom from consequence,’” wrote u/RealLifeFed. “-REDDIT.”

Meanwhile, u/FortuneTellingBoobs wrote in the most upvoted comment, “I feel like someone should release the files.”

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