In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder, certain media personalities — particularly Candace Owens — have been cashing in on the tragedy and stirring up conspiracies. Kirk’s widow, Erika, appeared on Fox News this week to appeal to Owens to cease and desist, describing the horrendous toll the podcaster’s conduct is taking on Erika’s family and TPUSA staff.
On today’s edition of The Editors, Michael says this is “a disgusting thing to have happened after the death of Charlie Kirk. . . . You would think that given the evidence we have so far of who shot Charlie Kirk and why, this would easily unite the right, right?”
“Instead — and this is to the shame, I think, of the broadcast right — what’s been profitable has been dividing people ever since it,” he points out. “This, by Candace Owens, is gross, and it speaks to really malignant incentives on the right to divide against each other, to focus on the near enemy.”
Michael says that, unfortunately, he doesn’t “see these incentives going away. There is this kind of talk-radio culture and podcast culture that clearly rewards people for the most insane views.” Why is this? Part of it, Michael believes, is that for some people, the whole thing is “pure entertainment.”
“I don’t think people sincerely believe it,” Michael says, but “I think they sincerely enjoy pretending to believe it, which is weirder for certain, but it is a kind of escapism.”
“It’s bottomlessly cynical. And it just makes you want to reach for the sick bag.”