Hoda Muthana

[CJD]

(02-25-2019, 02:56 PM)bfine32 Wrote: So the kid was vilified by the open-minded because what other kids in the crowd were doing? You sure the hat may not have had a tinsey winsey bit to do with folks rush to vilify?  

If he wasn't wearing the hat, I don't think that story makes the news. (In that same vein, I would be willing to wager that the story likely wouldn't even have happened had he not been wearing the hat, as the racists seemed to target them specifically because of their maga-wear).

To liberals, that hat is a battle cry. An announcement of hatred. So seeing someone wearing it doing something that can be perceived (based on the brief snapshot of the situation) as hateful or racist, the story just writes itself.

I say this as a liberal who acknowledges that this is what that hat has come to mean, whether that's correct or not.

And I don't necessarily disagree with the idea that the hat is, at best, a statement that you defiantly support a president mired in nearly endless controversies, from international scandals to racism and sexism scandals all the way through to just good old fashioned shitty Republican standards, like cutting taxes for the rich and corporations and hoping the middle class is happy with the scraps left on the table.

For a very long time in this country, people often refused to even acknowledge which party they voted for, as that was seen as taboo conversation. Now, people are pronouncing it loud and clear via fashion statement. And that's a bit jarring.

That said, I don't think it's fair to assume that every person who wears that hat implicitly agrees with everything the President does and says and believes, but it's safe to assume they must share SOME beliefs with the president (otherwise, why support him by wearing that hat?). 

Then you show that hat, a young catholic white boy and a seemingly racist act, you got a recipe for media outrage.

Now, it turns out the boys were being antagonized by a group of racists and you could maybe attribute their aggression and seemingly hateful posture and mannerisms towards Nathan Phillips as...a reaction to what they felt like was a hostile environment (we've all been there as a child, where you feel like you gotta "be a man" and not be afraid of an intimidating situation), but I think the full picture can best be summarized as:

"Children initially thought to be behaving as racist jerks were being antagonized by racists and were likely behaving like regular jerks, which is perfectly normal behavior for teenagers."

That's not to excuse the tomahawk chops and apparent mockery of the chants performed, but those are relatively minor when taken into account the surrounding circumstances.

I don't buy that the kids were afraid though. There was a video of a boy taking his shirt off and leading a cheer. And you just don't do that if you're afraid. I think the closer reality is that they got into a "bigger dick" competition with the racists and that ego and machismo translated into the confrontation with Mr. Phillips.

With ALL that said, this seems like a departure from the point of the thread at hand.