UA Academic Draws Fire for Comments on Conservatives

Many, if not most, of the leaders on the left and right are calling for the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to serve as a turning point for lowering the angry, vile, and often vicious political rhetoric on both sides. Their message is that with freedom of speech comes responsibility for what you say and how it may energize people willing to act on that rhetoric.

Unfortunately, there are some on both sides who are tone-deaf. As the story of the events at Utah Valley University continues to be told and we learn more about the motivations of 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson, there are those in politics, academia and the media who are ignoring the pleas for civility and continue to light a match and throw it into the tender box of political emotion.

Professors at a number of universities, including UA, are catching flak for posting controversial views about the murder and what led to it.

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A.J. Bauer, an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media at the University of Alabama, is apparently one of those people willing to use the moment to keep the divisions in this country going.

NBC News has cited Bauer in a story about how, " A stew of hypertoxic rhetoric has surged through social media and American discourse after the killing." Bauer, who studies conservative media, chose to isolate on only one side for the NBC story. He is quoted as saying, “In my view, this increases the likelihood of vigilante violence against people who are not supporters of the right,” he said. “I think it’s a very dangerous time to not be an ardent supporter of right-wing politics in the United States.”

While there may be some truth to that, since former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio proclaimed, “THIS IS WAR," rhetoric from some on the left has been just as concerning, weaponizing the incident.

Some are calling for Bauer to be fired or at least sanctioned for his comments. It has already happened at other universities. The University of Mississippi said it fired a staff member who had shared “insensitive comments” about Kirk’s death, while Middle Tennessee State University said it fired a staff member who made “inappropriate and callous comments on social media.” At Clemson, there are claims that some school employees are making Kirk's killer a hero.

While civil war rhetoric is lighting up social media, there are more rational voices. Utah Governor Spencer Cox told the nation, "It doesn't have to be like this."

“This is our moment: Do we escalate, or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox told a news conference in Utah as he announced authorities had a suspect in Kirk’s killing in custody. “It’s a choice.”