Happy Thursday! 

We are looking at a pretty serious topic through a very unserious lens today. I think it’s ingrained in our culture to find the absurdity in violence. It’s hard to articulate this without coming off crass or inflammatory, which is why we’re seeing an overcorrection with a lot of the coverage of Charlie Kirk’s death.

Some other things for today: intimate experiences as part of artist press tours; Ariana Grande tour; JADE’s debut album; and Love Island Games casting thoughts. Subscribe to the Yapper tier to read the full letter.

Charlie Kirk, ultra-conservative youth organizer and founder of Turning Point USA, was killed in Utah yesterday. It is the latest instance of political violence in this country, following the assassinations of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman, the state House’s top Democrat, and her husband Mark in June. 

Following the announcement of Kirk’s death, a Jezebel article published two days prior went viral. The title? “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.”

Listen, believe what you want about that one. (Isn’t that the whole vibe of this country?) Do I actually think that the Etsy witches caused Charlie Kirk’s death on behalf of the Jezabel staff? No. But do I think that Etsy witches do have the juice to make things happen in the world? Maybe!

At the very least, the curses act as a reflection of how people are coping with the current political landscape. There has been so much suffering as a result of the Trump Administration and its allies like Kirk, including a loss of rights and security for marginalized communities across the country. That is an act of violence in and of itself. There are many people who wish the constant assault on their livelihoods would just stop. Others wish for punishment, which is not unusual nor unexpected under these circumstances. 

I am reminded of Yap Year oomfie Kat Tenbarge’s recent Spitfire News piece about everyone hoping Trump was dead — because, through his policies, he wishes the same for many of us. 

One of the Etsy witches told Jezebel that they had seen an uptick in political targets for their spells.

“Clients often turn to spells when they feel unheard or powerless in the usual systems,”  Our magic becomes both a personal release and a way of reclaiming control,” the witch, Priestess Lilin, told the outlet. “Whether the target is a boss, an ex, or a public figure, the underlying current is the same… People want to shift the energy in their lives and the world around them.”

Personally, I’ve seen several instances of people turning to Etsy witches to help them navigate this fraught, chaotic time. Whether it’s to navigate the tough job market, rising cost of living, or the hopeless dating pool, they’ve turned to spiritual guides for an extra boost — to varying results.

For the record, the Jezebel staff did not actually ask for harm on Kirk, which is a fact people have been ignoring online (lol). Instead, they requested his life be filled with endless inconveniences: zits, podcast equipment issues, shrunken clothes, etc. It was a quaint request responding to the misogyny that he spewed and stoked throughout his career.

Our traditional media ecosystem is unequipped to talk about the nuance of the situation. I think there is a reason the Jezebel piece, while controversial to some, attracted so many readers online. It reflected many people’s real feelings about Kirk at the time of his death, even though it was prescient. 

There has been much policing about how people should feel about Kirk’s assassination. Kirk’s work has contributed to legislative attacks on women, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ people. How are people who have been affected by his rhetoric supposed to feel? 

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