[AZCentral] PHNX Sports Suns writer Gerald Bourguet fired after Charlie Kirk posts

31 comments

1. pc culture strikes again unfortunately

2. > ‘Political differences’ are not the same thing as spewing hateful rhetoric on a daily basis, and refusing to mourn a life devoted to that cause is not the same thing as celebrating gun violence. Just so we’re 100% clear on that.

   The tweet that got him fired.

   Edit: He posted several tweets (at least 4 in rapid fire) Here are the others:

   > “He was a father”. Half of y’all didn’t give a DAMN about doing anything to stop gun violence when the victims of mass shootings were LITERAL children. And those kids weren’t bigots spreading genocidal propaganda, or a mindset he directly fed into with this Holy Grail of Ironies: *(image of Charlie Kirk quote that gun death is worth it for the 2A)*

   > If you’re saddened by today’s “political violence,” horrified by the video, or repulsed by my response, ask yourself why your reaction was different when it came to school shootings, mass deportations or the HUNDREDS of videos of horrific murders in Gaza (which Kirk cheered on)

   > Truly don’t care if you think it’s insensitive or poor timing to decline to respect an evil man who died. Too many of you are more concerned with being polite and *appearing* to be good people rather than showing some damn backbone and standing on principal to condemn hate

3. Conservatives really do control the media

4. Isn’t it awesome how as a country our government and institutions are much more sensitive about the deaths of propagandists than the slaughtering of kids in schools?

5. Don’t know the guy, just looked up the tweets…

   They’re not exactly vile. He got fired for saying he’s not mourning him and maybe people should have been this sad after school shootings.

   Unless something got deleted, it’s going to be interesting to see if he fights this.

6. the charlie kirk whitewashing is absolutely insane.

7. Cancel culture strike again. I thought the right was against cancelation? Who would’ve thought that was a lie?

8. Cancel culture is out of control. You can’t even say an overtly racist guy was bad anymore.

9. Where were all the firings when the Hortmans were assassinated?

   These media companies bending the knee is pathetic

10. All the right-wing “free speech absolutists” and anti-cancel culture people are surely gonna be *all* over this one

11. Gerald was the best reporter us suns fans had. I am going to miss hearing his analysis. This is some cancel culture baloney.

    PHNX sports will lose more money from firing Gerald, then will from the crazy right wing cancel culture non fans calling for him to be fired.

12. when did we as a society become such cowards at confronting right wing bigotry? damn, yeah violence sucks, i don’t condone it or celebrate it. i feel for his kids. but i wont shed him a single tear or treat him as a martyr.

13. [removed]

14. So basically boycott PHNX Sports because nothing he said was wrong. 

15. Lol so pointing out someone is divisive and not feeling bad about someone who said that African Americans were better off under slavery is worth firing. Why the fuck do we allow all of these institutions largely held up by people of liberal viewpoints to fucking dictate shit. They NEVER decry or leveled consequences on commentators that celebrated those lawmakers getting murdered in June.

16. I mean he’s not off-base.

17. He can come to New York any time.

18. Phillies game baseball lady *has* to be relieved this happened.

19. Now this is actually sad. I won’t be tuning into phnx anymore.

20. All these businesses and teams are bitches.

21. If being a father is all it took to be revered and celebrated enough to sanewash all his actions, Karl Malone really got the short end of the stick.

22. Incredible that the party who loves blaming cancel culture on the world’s problems loves stepping on people’s first amendment rights when it’s something they don’t like being said.

23. The reporter was cooking

24. People need to remember it’s okay to not feel bad and at the same time not condone violence. I said something similar but not on my front facing account.

    Truth is Charlie Kirk once said, “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that — it does a lot of damage.”

    Honor his wish, don’t show empathy.

25. “‘Political differences’ are not the same thing as spewing hateful rhetoric on a daily basis, and refusing to mourn a life devoted to that cause is not the same thing as celebrating gun violence. Just so we’re 100% clear on that.”

    Fired for being right is crazy

26. Fuck Charlie Kirk

27. Good thing we are all for freedom of speech and not cancelling people due to their opinions

28. Racist dont deserve any type of respect or empathy

29. sad to see all these corpos do the bidding of the current admin.

30. Charlie Kirk is an asshole who didn’t deserve to be killed. How is that a crime to say?

31. Way too good a writer (and human being) for the shit stain of a franchise known as the Phoenix Suns.