I really resent being put in a position to defend anyone in a MAGA hat, but has anyone examined what actually transpired in this viral video seen around the world? A group of young tourists standing around the Lincoln Memorial waiting for their bus unwisely wound up listening to a mentally ill “preacher” as he screamed about “faggots” for two hours — his biggest issue with Trump seems to be that Donnie once kissed Giuliani “on the mouth” while the mayor was in drag — then these kids danced, sang school chants and looked generally bemused as a Native American man from a separate gathering wandered into the middle of their group without saying a word thinking he was defusing a potentially fraught situation and started to play his drum.
I suppose the “MAGA monster” could have moved from where he was already standing once he was approached by Omaha elder Nathan Phillips, but it’s hardly the atrocity it is being made out to be. And Phillips’s contention that the young men were in any way a threat to the crackpot preacher — who demeans a woman who tries to engage him early on ("Where's your husband?) — and his associates is clearly debunked in the video. (Watch the two hours of video and you’ll see who was being taunted and mocked.)
I first posted this yesterday on Facebook and things quickly heated up with everyone insisting I didn't get it, yet offering no evidence to support why. I understand that wearing a MAGA hat is an inherently provocative move -- especially in Washington, D.C. -- yet I keep going back to the fact that they were verbally assaulted for it (fine with me) yet never took the bait. So far, most of the arguments "against" them seem to be fueled by misinformation or "gut feelings" people have about the young men rather than what actually transpired. (Nowhere do I hear anyone chant "build the wall" and no, they DID NOT crash an indigenous peoples event. Phillips singled the young man out and stood directly in front of him.) And the explanation the main kid in the viral video gives tracks far more with the 120 minutes of video I watched than any of my Facebook friends' insights, which by and large seem to have been watched through a "virtue filter."
The left is known for its critical-thinking abilities, so where have they gone here? Another 120 minutes of my life I will never get back thanks to people rushing to pat themselves on the backs for not being racists and this idiotic internet mob mentality. (I’m guilty too, having hit “like” on dozens of posts ripping these kids before taking the time to investigate.)
Honest to God, people. We must do better than this before we become the party of boys who cried wolf ...
4 comments:
What you do not know is that they were harassing another group and this Native man stepped in to diffuse...
Thanks for clearing that up- a lot of social media presented the kids as Nazi youth
I agree with you as far as the need to dial way back on the mob. I think, however, you might have undervalued the significance of the political speech embodied in the hat. The kid engaged in protected expression supporting MAGA policies, such as they are. Those around him engaged in protected expression back. My guess would be that there is a disconnect between what the kid things the MAGA hat stands for and what the POC who responded to him think it stands for. Ultimately, however, it does seem like the adults in this situation used the kid from the start and social media have used him since, and that's seriously not cool.
@dadofthree said... No! No! No! They were being harassed by some religious crackpots who were also harassing women and the Native Americans. This is the problem with these viral stories, people form opinions without having the facts.
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