Thank you for bringing to light the connection of fossil fuel funding to the right-wing culture war platforms. You are doing important and courageous writing. Keep it up.
Knew about his transphobia but was unaware of his fossil fuel funding or frequent climate denial.
I'm really grateful your writing keeps bringing up the important point of how climate denial goes hand in hand with everything related to conservatism now, specifically transphobia. Thank you!
Thanks for your reasoned analysis of Charlie Kirk's views. Honestly, being so far away from the lettered generations, I had never heard of him before he was killed. The hypocrisy by the far right claiming so much violence from the left is funny if it wasn't so scary.
Long time reader, brand new subscriber here, and this is the article that finally made me do it. Thank you Emily. Keep telling the truth in a world that no longer knows which way is up.
Excellent piece - and absolutely essential that we understand the oligarchs' attacks on all these different "culture war issues" is the same battle.
Once they get people to reject science and facts - climate science, gender studies, systemic racism, etc - they've separated people from reality and can manipulate them. It's basic cult leader behavior.
Every day I feel like I'm in a super dark comedy about the end of world, very much mirroring Dr. Strangelove (James Earl Jone's film debut by the way); the existential threat; leaders detached from reality, and rival doomsday machines built just to keep up. The only thing I find surprising is the depth the industry and it's leaders will go to in advancement of their "insert your justification."
You have to know that you are now on a list just by publishing this. Anyone who publicly disparages Charlie Kirk, according to the DOJ, will be punished someday. I think you have a little while before they finally get around to you. They're too busy going after the Jimmy Kimmel's of the world right now.
Anyone who has been watching or reading the media knows what the fossil fuel industry is doing. Just like big tobacco did back in the day before some intrepid reporters pushed the envelope and defied them for the story. That's what journalists like yourself need to keep doing. Push the envelope as hard as possible until public opinion finally gets the message. Keep hammering. Eventually, you and many others will finally break through and changes will be made to policy.
But big tobacco was not brought down by reporting, much as I'd like to think that. It was brought down by a federal bill that required broadcasters to run an hour of anti-tobacco advertising for every hour of tobacco ads. Tobacco pulled their ads. And then later by a coalition of state attorneys general who sued the tobacco industry for the health costs of smoking. Tobacco moved much of their market to developing countries.
This is so important. And not surprising, but I didn't know about it and this is the only place I have read about it, sadly. This should be all over the place.
Valuable piece recalling Kirk’s exploitation of fossil fuelers. Couple details: Physics Nobelist Ivar Giaever is also a well known climate change contrarian and Robert Laughlin has rejected that human interventions matter much. https://archive.nytimes.com/dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/the-nobel-divide-and-the-climate-divide/ (Not that this is an issue amenable to debating through what individual physicists think) Also there are many mainstream climate scientists who reject this is an “existential” threat. Diana Liverman Gavin Schmidt Ken Caldeira just quick examples)
Thank you for bringing to light the connection of fossil fuel funding to the right-wing culture war platforms. You are doing important and courageous writing. Keep it up.
Knew about his transphobia but was unaware of his fossil fuel funding or frequent climate denial.
I'm really grateful your writing keeps bringing up the important point of how climate denial goes hand in hand with everything related to conservatism now, specifically transphobia. Thank you!
Thanks for your reasoned analysis of Charlie Kirk's views. Honestly, being so far away from the lettered generations, I had never heard of him before he was killed. The hypocrisy by the far right claiming so much violence from the left is funny if it wasn't so scary.
Long time reader, brand new subscriber here, and this is the article that finally made me do it. Thank you Emily. Keep telling the truth in a world that no longer knows which way is up.
Appreciate you!
Excellent piece - and absolutely essential that we understand the oligarchs' attacks on all these different "culture war issues" is the same battle.
Once they get people to reject science and facts - climate science, gender studies, systemic racism, etc - they've separated people from reality and can manipulate them. It's basic cult leader behavior.
Every day I feel like I'm in a super dark comedy about the end of world, very much mirroring Dr. Strangelove (James Earl Jone's film debut by the way); the existential threat; leaders detached from reality, and rival doomsday machines built just to keep up. The only thing I find surprising is the depth the industry and it's leaders will go to in advancement of their "insert your justification."
Keep up the good, independent work!! 💪
Thanks so much. I never really followed Kirk, but with all the adulation being voiced, this was helpful to understanding his message and goals.
Emily, brilliant! I'm not afraid to say that. The teeny tiny little would-be king wants us to be afraid.
Just shared this to Facebook. I'm wondering whether they will suppress this post - we'll see.
Sharp and critically important piece that all should read. Emily at her best! Bravo.
You're reporting is why I do paid subscription. Keep going with the truth
I mean, is *anyone* surprised that Charlie Kirk was bankrolled by the fossil fuel industry? I'm not. Seemingly, the worst figures are.
You have to know that you are now on a list just by publishing this. Anyone who publicly disparages Charlie Kirk, according to the DOJ, will be punished someday. I think you have a little while before they finally get around to you. They're too busy going after the Jimmy Kimmel's of the world right now.
Anyone who has been watching or reading the media knows what the fossil fuel industry is doing. Just like big tobacco did back in the day before some intrepid reporters pushed the envelope and defied them for the story. That's what journalists like yourself need to keep doing. Push the envelope as hard as possible until public opinion finally gets the message. Keep hammering. Eventually, you and many others will finally break through and changes will be made to policy.
Reporting like Emily's is critical.
But big tobacco was not brought down by reporting, much as I'd like to think that. It was brought down by a federal bill that required broadcasters to run an hour of anti-tobacco advertising for every hour of tobacco ads. Tobacco pulled their ads. And then later by a coalition of state attorneys general who sued the tobacco industry for the health costs of smoking. Tobacco moved much of their market to developing countries.
This is so important. And not surprising, but I didn't know about it and this is the only place I have read about it, sadly. This should be all over the place.
Valuable piece recalling Kirk’s exploitation of fossil fuelers. Couple details: Physics Nobelist Ivar Giaever is also a well known climate change contrarian and Robert Laughlin has rejected that human interventions matter much. https://archive.nytimes.com/dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/the-nobel-divide-and-the-climate-divide/ (Not that this is an issue amenable to debating through what individual physicists think) Also there are many mainstream climate scientists who reject this is an “existential” threat. Diana Liverman Gavin Schmidt Ken Caldeira just quick examples)