Leftists Or Groypers, What Does Tyler Robinson Believe In?
Ever since Tyler Robinson allegedly fatally shot conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, there has been debate over his ideological leanings. Conservatives were quick to label him a far-left extremist, while many Gen Z and Millennials have labeled him a “groyper.” Tyler Robinson will make his first court appearance today, where we may learn more about his motivations and political leanings.
What are Groypers?
Groypers are a far-right political group that believes the current Republican Party isn’t far-right enough. They were founded by Nick “Your body, our choice” Fuentes and have been critical of many modern conservative voices. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Groypers are “alt-right, white nationalist, and Christian nationalist activists.” They promote antisemitic, racist, and homophobic views, though they argue they aren’t racist. Their views are simply necessary “to preserve white, European-American identity and culture.”
Now, I know I’ve only got 33 years of experience being Black, but that sounds pretty much like racism to me.
What Do Groypers Have To Do With Charlie Kirk and Tyler Robinson?
Groypers targeted many of Charlie Kirk’s speaking engagements in the 2019 “Groyper Wars.”
Have you ever learned something that makes you realize you’re not as chronically online as you thought you were?
The Groypers believed Kirk was too moderate and wasn’t “Pro-White” enough. I guess that’s what happens when you hang out with Candace Owens. There appears to have been a turf war between Charlie Kirk and Nick Fuentes over being the dominant voice of the modern conservative movement. Fuentes has denounced the killing of Charlie Kirk and told his followers, “To all of my followers, if you take up arms, I disavow you,” adding, “I disown you in the strongest possible terms.”
Pictures Tyler Robinson uploaded to social media in the past show various references to right-wing memes, some of which are explicitly tied to the Groyper movement. A picture from 2017 shows Robinson with a Trump mask painted green, likely in reference to the Pepe the Frog meme that inexplicably became a calling card of the alt-right. He also uploaded a picture in the “Slav Squat,” which is yet another meme popular among the alt-right.
Even some of the memes engraved on the bullet casings at the scene of Charlie Kirk’s death have references to memes that originated in alt-right spaces, such as “notices bulge, OwO what’s this?”
What Do We Know About Tyler Robinson’s Politics?
While the digital deep diving by intrepid internet sleuths paints a complicated picture of Tyler Robinson’s beliefs, the official narrative provided by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and FBI Director Kash Patel paints the portrait of a man radicalized by leftist ideology.
“His family has collectively told investigators that he subscribed to left-wing ideology, and even more so in these last couple of years, and he had a text message exchange – he, the suspect, with another individual – in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for,” the FBI director said.
Tyler Robinson was a registered independent voter and apparently didn’t vote in the last election. Tyler Robinson has been uncooperative with the authorities investigating the case, so everything we know thus far is hearsay from the people in his life. We likely won’t have a full picture of who he is and what motivated him to shoot Charlie Kirk until he goes to trial.
So What Does Any of This Mean?
If I may offer my two cents, Tyler Robinson strikes me as similar to Luigi Mangione. Mangione was initially hailed as a hero of the proletariat by one side, and a leftist villain by the other, when he allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. A deeper dive into his manifesto and social media presence revealed a man who couldn’t be neatly categorized as one or the other.
Tyler Robinson is confounding in that he comes from, by all accounts, a loving, close-knit family with religious and conservative values. In many ways, he strikes a blow to the conservative narrative that gun violence could be prevented through faith, family, and “Traditional American Values.”
Tyler Robinson had all of that. He still allegedly shot Charlie Kirk.
I’m not a “both sides are bad” guy. While yes, the modern Democratic Party is ineffectual and feels more center-right than actually left-wing in recent years, they’re not ending cancer research and actively trying to limit the rights of anyone who’s not a straight white man. With that said, extremism is a problem that’s killed people on both sides of the political spectrum. Instead of trying to finger-point and place blame on one side or the other, this should be a moment where we reflect on how insane American politics has become.
While I vehemently disliked Charlie Kirk, and I do not mourn him, I wasn’t wishing death upon him. I certainly don’t want more people to die. But if we keep playing this absurd game, we’re just going to get more Vance Boelters and Tyler Robinsons. Is that a future any of us really want?
SEE ALSO:
Tyler Robinson Arrested In The Murder Of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk: Everything We Know About Alleged Killer Tyler Robinson
Leftists Or Groypers, What Does Tyler Robinson Believe In? was originally published on newsone.com
