Ah, that could be the case I guess. But it’s not that i had a feeling of inconsistency: it’s just that I could understand how someone may see “violence is unacceptable” followed by “but glad he’s dead” to be disingenuous or some form of hypocrisy without thinking much about it; wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve had such a discussion.

A shortcut to understanding would be: I’d feel the same way if he had been killed by terminal cancer. I hate cancer, and I’d rather we lived in a world without it, and I’d have empathy for him and those who know him. But such a person being gone would still tip the cosmic scales towards a less hateful and othering world. Doesn’t make it right, doesn’t mean he deserved it, doesn’t mean I’d cheer for cancer.