Bill Maher explores connection between internet memes and recent political violence

Real Time host Bill Maher questioned an internet beliefs researcher Friday about memes to understand how people get inspired to kill Memes or historical documents with various interpretations were engraved on the shell casings of late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk s suspected assassin Real Time guest Aidan Walker announced Kirk s accused killer etched gamer-inspired and antifascist messaging on his casings including Hey fascist Catch and a reference to a World War II anthem MAHER BLASTS HOLLYWOOD LIBERALS FOR NOT ACKNOWLEDGING CHARLIE KIRK'S ASSASSINATION AT THE EMMYS But memes take on new meanings I mean this is part of why people get inspired to kill Maher explained Because they get insulted by them right They get hurt by them They have a meaning that a lot of us older people are not getting correct The discussion came in the wake of Wednesday s deadly shooting at a Dallas I C E facility where one detainee was killed and two others were wounded before the shooter took his own life The gunman reportedly left behind a bullet casing inscribed with the phrase anti-ICE He was almost murdering ironically Maher considered MAHER SAYS COMPARING TRUMP TO HITLER MUST END WARNS IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR KILLERS TO JUSTIFY ASSASSINATIONS I mean that s a place society has never been Maher continued Yes young men are bad and fumbling to get women to agree to what they want to do But it was never like this We never had the term incel involuntarily celibate A lot of memes can also be ironic Walker explained In a way it s a little bit like dog whistle they re so layered in you know I don t really mean this but you can put this sort of anti-social or hateful idea behind that he described The -year-old researcher attributed problematic anti-social behavior to not just an affordability problem but a dilemma of meaning MANGIONE CATHOLIC CHURCH SHOOTER CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTER ICE SHOOTER ALL USED ENGRAVED BULLETS You have a lot of especially young people who don t see a future for themselves who feel lonely who feel alienated he discussed And they congregate in these online spaces sort of outside of the mainstream where they feel like that online world is more key than their real world Walker went on to share the way out that he says gives him hope It s giving people those social bonds giving everybody the shot at dignity and the shot at being seen in our society he announced While Republicans like Vice President JD Vance blame left-wing political radicalization for up-to-date violence Maher didn t mince words in his closing monologue for those arguing the Left is more approving of it You keep saying the Left is more approving of political violence well who do you think that s going to be aimed at Maher petitioned I know it feels exhilarating to make the liberals cry their liberal tears after they made you feel disrespected and looked down on flown over and called the nutty ones But come on I thought you were the tough guys Get over it