Charlie Kirk Was Shot a Year Ago. The Conspiracy Theories Are More Rampant Than Ever
Charlie Kirk Was Shot a Year Ago. The Conspiracy Theories Are More Rampant Than Ever
查理·柯克遇刺已过去一年，阴谋论反而愈演愈烈
In the days after the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point cofounder Charlie Kirk, the online reaction was a mess. Graphic videos of the shooting were everywhere within minutes of his death, far-right figures called for violence and vengeance, and right-wing lawmakers and influencers called for the cancellation—and worse—of anyone celebrating. Then, the conspiracy theories began.
在保守派活动人士、“转折点”（Turning Point）联合创始人查理·柯克（Charlie Kirk）遇刺后的几天里，网络上的反应一片混乱。他死后几分钟内，枪击事件的血腥视频便随处可见；极右翼人士呼吁暴力和复仇，右翼议员和网红则要求对任何庆祝此事的人进行“封杀”——甚至采取更极端的手段。随后，阴谋论开始蔓延。
It’s been one year since Kirk’s death, and conspiracy theories about the shooting have persisted, supercharged by social media algorithms and right-wing influencers like Candace Owens, who has used her huge following to push baseless allegations about the incident.
柯克去世至今已有一年，关于这起枪击案的阴谋论依然存在，并在社交媒体算法和坎迪斯·欧文斯（Candace Owens）等右翼网红的推波助澜下愈演愈烈。欧文斯利用其庞大的粉丝群体，不断散布关于此事件的毫无根据的指控。
Experts believe these conspiracy theories will continue for a long time to come. “There’s no reason to believe conspiracy theories about Kirk’s murder will lose steam anytime soon,” Jared Holt, senior researcher at Open Measures, tells WIRED. “If anything, I expect them to escalate further as the criminal trial against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Kirk, plays out over the next year or so. The trial is bound to draw major media attention and offer conspiracy theorists a source of new material to work from.”
专家认为，这些阴谋论在未来很长一段时间内仍将持续。“没有任何理由相信关于柯克遇刺的阴谋论会很快平息，”Open Measures 的高级研究员贾里德·霍尔特（Jared Holt）告诉《连线》（WIRED）杂志。“相反，随着被控杀害柯克的泰勒·罗宾逊（Tyler Robinson）的刑事审判在未来一年左右展开，我预计这些阴谋论会进一步升级。审判注定会吸引主流媒体的关注，并为阴谋论者提供新的素材。”
In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s death, some conspiracy theorists claimed the assassination was a false flag operation designed to deflect attention away from President Donald Trump’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Others claimed the entire thing was staged. There was the AI-powered gun theory, the claim that the shooter was a Kirk supporter, and even claims that Kirk was still alive.
在柯克遇刺后的第一时间，一些阴谋论者声称这是一场“假旗行动”（false flag operation），旨在转移公众对唐纳德·特朗普总统与杰弗里·爱泼斯坦（Jeffrey Epstein）之间联系的注意力。另一些人则声称整件事都是自导自演的。此外还有“人工智能驱动枪支”理论、枪手是柯克支持者的说法，甚至有人声称柯克本人还活着。
But ultimately, the baseless claim that persisted is that someone close to Kirk, or operating on behalf of Israel, was responsible for his death, that Robinson was simply a patsy, and what really killed Kirk was an exploding microphone. This is the narrative that has been central to Owens’ monthslong conspiracy theory campaign. Her Kirk content has racked up hundreds of millions of views.
但最终，一个持续存在的毫无根据的说法是：柯克身边的人或代表以色列行事的人应对他的死负责，罗宾逊只是个替罪羊，而真正杀死柯克的是一个爆炸的麦克风。这就是欧文斯长达数月的阴谋论运动的核心叙事。她关于柯克的内容已经获得了数亿次的浏览量。
Owens’ success is fueled in large part by the way that social media platforms today encourage their users to post content. “X and YouTube are rife with speculation about Kirk’s death, where it is both still possible to recruit new audiences and monetize them,” Joan Donovan, assistant professor of journalism and emerging media studies at Boston University, tells WIRED.
欧文斯的“成功”在很大程度上得益于当今社交媒体平台鼓励用户发布内容的方式。波士顿大学新闻学与新兴媒体研究助理教授琼·多诺万（Joan Donovan）告诉《连线》：“X（原推特）和 YouTube 上充斥着关于柯克之死的猜测，这些平台既能招揽新受众，又能从中获利。”
The result is that Kirk’s death has become yet another rabbit hole, or a way for viewers to distract themselves from reality. “Candace and other conspiratorial influencers make things seem much more mysterious and exciting,” Renée DiResta, an associate research professor at Georgetown University who tracks disinformation, tells WIRED. “For many, her explanations are preferable to the reality of an act of violence by a solo individual.”
结果就是，柯克之死成了另一个“兔子洞”（指令人深陷其中的阴谋论），或者说是观众逃避现实的一种方式。乔治城大学追踪虚假信息的副研究教授蕾妮·迪雷斯塔（Renée DiResta）告诉《连线》：“坎迪斯和其他阴谋论网红让事情看起来更加神秘和刺激。对许多人来说，比起‘个人暴力行为’这一现实，她的解释更让人容易接受。”
There have already been real-world repercussions: Researchers at the Network Contagion Research Institute recently found that “Candace Owens caused a measurable, statistically significant surge in death threats and calls for violence against [Charlie Kirk’s wife] Erika Kirk.” In May, a man was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Erica Kirk ahead of her appearance at a Turning Point USA event in San Antonio, though the man has yet to be charged. Owens did not respond to a request for comment.
这已经产生了现实世界的后果：网络传染研究中心（Network Contagion Research Institute）的研究人员最近发现，“坎迪斯·欧文斯导致了针对（查理·柯克的妻子）埃里卡·柯克（Erika Kirk）的死亡威胁和暴力呼吁出现了可测量的、具有统计学意义的激增。”今年五月，一名男子因涉嫌在埃里卡·柯克出席圣安东尼奥的“转折点美国”活动前威胁要杀害她而被捕，尽管该男子尚未被正式起诉。欧文斯未回应置评请求。
Erica Kirk and Turning Point have repeatedly called for Owens and others to stop spreading baseless rumors about the assassination. While those calls have not been heeded, Turning Point believes the impact the conspiracy theories are having is fading.
埃里卡·柯克和“转折点”组织多次呼吁欧文斯等人停止散布关于此次暗杀的毫无根据的谣言。虽然这些呼吁并未得到理会，但“转折点”认为，这些阴谋论的影响力正在减弱。
“The conspiracy theories have much less reach and potency now than they did six months ago, and I think I’ll say the same six months from now,” Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point spokesperson, tells WIRED. “They won’t stop because many of these personalities were completely unknown and broke before Charlie was killed, and this is their moneymaker, but their influence and credibility have collapsed and will continue to do so.”
“这些阴谋论现在的传播范围和影响力比六个月前小多了，我想六个月后我依然会这么说，”转折点发言人安德鲁·科尔维特（Andrew Kolvet）告诉《连线》。“他们不会停止，因为在查理遇害前，这些人大多默默无闻且身无分文，这是他们的摇钱树。但他们的影响力和公信力已经崩塌，并将继续崩塌。”
But some experts disagree, arguing that conspiratorial thinking has been an aspect of American life for decades.
但一些专家对此表示异议，认为阴谋论思维几十年来一直是美国生活的一部分。
“Historically, this is quite normal,” Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami and author of American Conspiracy Theories, tells WIRED. “Majorities of Americans have believed for decades that JFK was killed by a conspiracy rather than by a lone gunman. In fact, almost 80 percent of Americans believed in the 1970s there was a conspiracy behind the assassination.”
“从历史上看，这是很正常的，”迈阿密大学政治学教授、《美国阴谋论》（American Conspiracy Theories）一书的作者约瑟夫·乌辛斯基（Joseph Uscinski）告诉《连线》。“几十年来，大多数美国人都相信肯尼迪总统是被阴谋杀害的，而不是死于独狼枪手之手。事实上，在 20 世纪 70 年代，近 80% 的美国人认为那次暗杀背后存在阴谋。”