Will Rogers once observed that “Everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to somebody else.” No one ever personified Rogers’ rule as much as University of California, Irvine instructor Matt Goldman, who cracked everyone up this week by joking about celebrating the anniversary of the assassination of Charlie Kirk by alluding to the possible assassination of independent journalist Nick Shirley.
Today is the anniversary of the murder of Kirk. In anticipation, Goldman posted a picture of Shirley with the line “Someone can do the funniest thing just before the Kirkiversary.” It was a response to an Instagram post by the Harvard Republican Club promoting a speech by Shirley.
Goldman reportedly has long found the deaths of disfavored people to be a real knee-slapper, allegedly mocking the deaths of Henry Kissinger and others. Indeed, Goldman takes Gallows humor to a particularly dark place in American politics.
After the murder of a UnitedHealthcare CEO in 2024, Goldman allegedly posted a photo of the “Super Mario” character Luigi putting a gun to someone’s head with the statement “Let’s not pretend as if America isn’t the greatest country on earth.”
In another Instagram post, Goldman allegedly wrote, “Lmao abolish ICE. only good ICE agent is a dead one.”
Goldman also teaches at Chapman University and specializes in “social justice rhetoric and community-centered composition.”
It has become common in higher education and on campuses to laugh and even celebrate the murder of Kirk. Recently, socialist Hasan Piker led a sing-a-long with hundreds mocking his death.
Hate-spewing influencers like Jennifer Welch have even justified his assassination. Protesters regularly reenact his murder, and this week at Georgetown and the University of South Carolina students are celebrating “Kirkiversary” with “Kirk Look-a-Like” competitions.
Chapman University has expressed concern over Goldman’s hateful postings, but he is hardly unique. Faculty departments have largely purged their ranks of any conservative, libertarian, or Republican faculty members. According to various surveys, many departments have no Republicans. Forty percent of faculty say they would vote against any Trump supporter, regardless of academic accomplishments or publications. Recently, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) abandoned its long-standing political neutrality and endorsed radical Michigan senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
At the same time, radical faculty members on the left are common across the country and many espouse the same hate-filled and violent rhetoric.
Professors have regularly advocated “detonating white people,” denouncing police, calling for Republicans to suffer, strangling police officers, celebrating the death of conservatives, calling for the killing of Trump supporters, supporting the murder of conservative protesters, and making other outrageous statements. A San Diego University professor celebrated the death of an Israeli soldier who was eaten by a shark.
At the University of Rhode Island, Professor Erik Loomis responded to the murder of a conservative protester by saying that he saw “nothing wrong” with such acts of violence. (Loomis was given a promotion by the University of Rhode Island after his remarks).
Social media postings present difficult challenges for universities. These are statements often made on private sites and are not part of academic duties. Yet, universities have regularly taken action against faculty members who espouse what they view as prejudicial views based on race, gender, or sexual orientation. These faculty members rationalize or support violence targeting conservatives.
The problem is not that faculty can voice extreme political values in private postings. Those views should be protected. Likewise, the problem is not that faculty pursue far-left views in their academic work. Those views are protected by academic freedom.
The real problem is the virtual absence of any countervailing views today, after faculty have turned our universities into ideological echo chambers. There is a crushing orthodoxy on our campuses that fosters this type of extremist, violent rhetoric. For conservative students, it is common to be taught entirely by faculty who denounce their views and values.
While faculty members continually virtue signal about maintaining inclusive environments, they rarely seem concerned about the hostile environment for anyone who holds right-of-center views on campuses. A faculty member who mocks “land acknowledgments” is intolerable for many faculty, but those mocking the murder of conservatives are merely engaging in “spirited” debate.
The espousal of violent ideations or hateful views against conservatives can cross the line. Even if students are not concerned about their physical safety, they are likely concerned about their academic standing in classes taught by such hateful faculty. If a faculty member finds killing conservatives funny or justified, it is unlikely that they would welcome conservative viewpoints being expressed in classes.
The lack of consistency in dealing with what I have called “rage rhetoric” is an indictment of higher education. Imagine if a faculty member mocked the killing of minority students or Democratic activists. The response would be immediate and final.
However, the humor in killing conservatives is precisely because it is “happening to somebody else.” The most unnerving aspect of this latest controversy is not that Goldman is making jokes about assassinating conservatives, but that many in academia find it uproariously funny.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
So, what’s the actual crisis here? It seems Professor Turley is just having a public meltdown because people are exercising their right to dark humor and personal views without a token conservative or libertarian around to ruin the vibe.
Beneath all that academic pearl-clutching, it’s pretty obvious Turley secretly wants to punish people for their rhetoric. He won’t explicitly say it, but the subtext practically screams that he wishes these people could be dragged before a tribunal for the crime of being disrespectful. Because, you know, people on the right famously never engage in mockery. Truly shocking.
Look, Charlie Kirk’s death was mocked ruthlessly. Sure, it’s protected speech and perfectly legal, which doesn’t change the fact that it’s sometimes distasteful or just plain mean. I might not endorse the absolute most unhinged versions of the mockery, but as Turley himself accidentally highlights, some of it is genuinely top-tier dark comedy.
I mean, come on: ‘Kirkaversary’? That’s just plain hilarious, even if it lands you a first-class ticket to hell.
It would seem as though these people are seeking war against the right. I believe we should give them one. If they continue to push the bear eventually the bear will wake up. The right will quickly eradicate the left.
ICE, Please come to Providence and deport the 1300 ‘extra’ citizens that voted my city into communism.
These violence touting leftists are stupid and unmoored from reality. At some point the violence they are calling for will come back at them and they will be like deer in the headlights.
“Everybody has plans until they get hit for the first time.”
— Iron Mike Tyson
The revenge of the enraged theater kids
Goldman is evil: ergo, he must be a Democrat.
These are the monsters of the left. John Wilkes Booth is their poster child, not just a one-off.
Poster child? Um… thinking yours is Trump?
actually yes, but since WE are all individuals and don’t idenify as a group (cause that’s crazy), Trump is just our current poster child. That’s kinda why he’s president (I just voted for him to troll you). AND we actually have put him on posters cause he’s so frickin boss. Not that stupid raised fist of fury you guys put on all your stupid red posters.
Right now, YOUR poster child is Hasan Piker, how’s that working out for you?
Mind boggling! How can Nick Shirley be seen as anything other than an Independent journalist exposing fraud and corruption? This is like the Mafia putting out a hit on Elliott Ness for exposing their racket. Actually, this is worse as these filthy scum are stealing every single taxpayers money. Money intended to help those truly poor and needy families.
Lock them up for life!
Independent journalist = propagandist.
I never liked social media and have not participated in at least 6 years. It, as does texting removes the one on one communication with others. You cannot get the facial expressions nor speech subtleties through texting or short posts. It does however offer anonymity so people can espouse what ever they want and for the most part face no counter thoughts nor responsibility. Thus, in my opinion, the rise of the obnoxious.
I also cannot understand the need or justification for social justice courses. If your parents practiced and taught you to treat everyone equally, then there is no need for social justice. Some would say it is needed to correct past actions that hurt individuals or classes. If you follow that line of thinking, you are just enabling and creating new classes of victims. Do we go back in history to right the wrongs 5,000 years ago? Who is a victim? How were you hurt and how should you be compensated? It is all pandering, in my opinion to make someone relevant where they otherwise would not be, without these courses and social media.
I hate to break the news to ya, but there is nothing social about social media. BTW, commenting on a blog is social media.
What happened 5,000 years ago that would need fixing?
It’s a crock of Scat and a way to indoctrinate a bunch of young people with malleable gray matter. Social Engineering
The Chicoms even restrict how much time their kids can spend on these platforms. It’s obsessive compulsive and addictive, a form of brainwashing.
You see, wishing death on opposition has now become totally normalized. It doesn’t matter who’s doing the wishing, it has become fact in American society. The problems with opposition politics are eternal, but wishing death on another was previously reserved for the deep recesses of the mind. Perhaps, we are entering a dark period in American history.
(But it is a shame that faculty at universities are great fans of this new scholarly subject of death-wish-ology. Somebody’s gonna write a book – make all the talk shows.)
Not only American society Don. Hey maybe Olly can write the book you mentioned. Um, maybe not, he specializes in children’s books.
Making themselves irrelevant.
And the difference in mind set between Clancy, this hate-filled piece of human flotsam and any serial abortionist is what?
Difference, um… Clancy didn’t perform any abortions? Who’s Clancy?
The difference is this guy is claiming he ISN’T a mentally unstable murderous monster, whereas Clancy is claiming she is.
the difference is in their claims only though.
Do we need any more evidence that these people are not well? But keep pulling that blue trigger, voters. Reprehensible on an epic scale. They would not hesitate to hurt any of us, and their definition of ‘conservative’ is anyone that even slightly disagrees with them and their mushroom-headed views.
Based on many of your comments here, evidence in fact, that you also are not well. Mentally speaking of course. As for that definition of conservative, would you be inclined to say your definition of liberal is such that you would want to hurt them because of their “mushroom-headed” views? Just asking for a friend.
@Anonymous
Yawn. Go blow. Did these thirteen words at least buy you a coffee? Do you get anything for punctuation?
You aren’t a liberal either, just a moron who doesn’t actually believe in anything that wasn’t installed into their brain by someone else. Yipping dogs are less Annoyingous.
Look Man – you can’t fix Half-Wit, Self-Appointed Illuminati. This Loony Lefty, Goldman, is the same A$$ Clown that would be going Banshee if one of his MS NOW Dungcasters were to be dispatched and demanding a worldwide dragnet!
Can’t fix? Got a problem with people who also have free speech rights as Americans?
There is no use trying to reform these corrupt, antisemitic, hate filled universities. But as citizens, taxpapers, and voters we don’t have to support them. I suggest we end all tax exemptions, grants and government funded scholarships. Let those who want this sort of “education” pay full freight.
Reform? I’m guessing you MAGAots really would prefer death by public hanging. End all …got a plan for that?
I think disinfectant has always been the sure cure for a malignant infestation of dangerous diseases… Sure, why not, just fumigate the entire left and see what remains standing.
Would that also include disposing of bodies in ovens? Frau Himmler?
We do. We always have. You got a plan for our plan commie?