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The Most Disturbing Part of the Rittenhouse Trial
How one court case will empower a legion of gun fanatics and influence upcoming elections
Kyle Rittenhouse gets off the hook at the ripe age of 18. He still has time to attend college, pursue his nursing ambitions, and live a normal life — well, as normal as you can be after slaying two people in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin.
He might only be 18 years old, but he’s old enough to know that he has become catapulted from a nameless, faceless nobody to a contentious, cultural figure. He’s watched as many Americans before him were thrust into immense wealth and fame for far less. If he plays his cards right, he will live his life as a hero to millions and profit off the deaths of the two people he killed in self-defense. The kid will get his own talk show, a Netflix special, a book deal, and run for congress. If he knows what he’s doing, he will be rewarded with millions for acting like a reckless idiot.
The most disturbing part of the trial is not Rittenhouse’s acquittal, but the political implications of the final verdict. He has already become a hero, even a martyr, amongst the Republican party. He is depicted as a pariah, who was simply minding his own business, meandering through the crowd-filled streets of Kenosha to “restore order” with an AR-15 strapped to his chest. And thanks to the beauty of the…
