Charlie Kirk now being compared to McCarthy/McCarthyism.

[Jedi Guy]

5. By whom? Because the comparison is wildly inapt.

McCarthyism was the federal government persecuting and hounding people because of suspected ties to Communist organizations or exerting pressure, notably on Hollywood, to blacklist them.

That's a whole different ball of wax from private companies firing people for posting shitty hot takes about Kirk's murder. The fact that it's political speech, otherwise protected by the First Amendment, doesn't mean they can't fire the person who said it.

The First Amendment doesn't shield you from social consequences such as loss of employment with a private company, as a number of people who have engaged in racist outbursts (which is protected speech) in public have learned to their sorrow over the last few years. This really isn't any different, it's private companies choosing not to be associated with viewpoints they feel are controversial enough to impact their ability to make money.

What's going on now is absolutely not comparable to McCarthyism unless/until the federal government starts prosecuting and jailing people because of things they said about Kirk (or some other topic that's clearly protected speech).

People who thought it was cool to express joy over a guy being assassinated are finding out that society feels some type of way about that. Maybe it can be a learning experience for them, though I suspect it won't be judging by the reaction videos I've seen from the ones who got fired.