The Tragedy of Charlie Kirk and the "Token Fever": When Tragedy Becomes an Investment Opportunity

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University (UVU) on September 10 has not only shocked the political landscape of America, but has also sparked a concerning yet familiar trend in the crypto market: the massive emergence of tragedy-themed tokens. From Political Tragedy to Token "Fever" According to official information, Kirk (31 years old) was shot while speaking in front of more than 3,000 people at the UVU campus. Soon after the news spread, top political figures such as former President Barack Obama and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed their condolences, calling Kirk "a warrior for free speech." However, while society is still in shock, the blockchain community has witnessed a series of tokens named Kirk appearing within just a few hours. According to data from DexScreener, at least 5 coins have been created, with names such as Charlie Cartman (Charlie), RIP CHARLIE KIRK (CHARLIE), or Justice For Charlie (KIRK). Charlie Cartman: achieved a market cap of 74.9 million USD in just 4 hours, with over 23,000 transactions and 2.4 million USD in volume. Justice for Charlie: surged to 12.4 million USD in market cap with over 114,000 buy and sell orders within 13 hours. RIP CHARLIE KIRK: recorded 28.1 million USD in trading volume despite significant price volatility. Another token with the symbol KIRK saw a drop of 85% in 6 hours, before skyrocketing 2,260% in the next 24 hours. Notably, a developer on Solana has raised nearly 300,000 USD just by launching the CHARLIE token right after the assassination. Speculation or Commemoration? Some traders believe this is a "digital memorial" for Kirk. However, the majority criticize this as an act of profiting from death. The account "Green" on X pointed out that many investors have even sold off other meme coins to invest in "Justice for Charlie", indicating that the speculative motive far outweighs the memorial significance. This incident is not an isolated case. Previously, tokens like OZZY and HULK ( emerged following rumors about the passing of Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan back in month 7), and they also created waves in the crypto market but quickly collapsed. More recently, the token Justice for Iryna (IRYNA) – linked to the murder case of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte on August 22 – plummeted from 0.25 USD to just 0.000055 USD by September 11, nearly wiping out its value. The Nature of Risk and Concerning Ethical Issues The common point of these tokens is the lack of real value and almost no utility. They often follow the "pump and dump" model, inflating prices and then dumping, leaving most of the risk to retail investors. In the context of increasing political tension in America following the assassination, the crypto market once again demonstrates the ability to "monetize tragedy" at an astonishing speed. Morally, this is a deeply controversial issue; financially, it serves as a reminder to traders that token surges driven by unexpected events often end in severe losses.