Native American gets into face of maga hat wearing teen (Obama, March)
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OMG this is like the fifth thread about this incident in the past two days.
Let me break it down for y'all.
Those students knew darned well what they were doing. Of all the things they could have worn on that day, they deliberately chose to wear hats that they knew would provoke the majority around them. Yes sir, they could all have worn the hat of their school. Or something else relatively neutral.
But nope, they had to wear a MAGA hat just to arrogantly prove some point. It was a calculated act, a classic one done by many that love to stir things up. The strategy being, when the 'opposition' reacts, these people can then smugly sit back and crow, "see, we are the 'peaceful' ones, those other guys are the hateful lunatics." And their supporters eat it all up.
Whether people agree or not, regardless of how you feel about Trump, the MAGA hat and such associated clothing items has caused a lot of controversies the past year or so. As such, wearing it to a march whose participants do not particularly like Trump, is a deliberate act to bait people.
I bet if this were a situation where groups like Proud Boys were marching, and someone showed up in their vicinity wearing ANTIFA hats and clothing, and the Proud Boys got in their faces to antagonize them, the same supporters of the schoolboys here would then support the Proud Boys.
Native American gets into face of maga hat wearing teen...teen facing expulsion from school!
Reminds me of my own experience. I shared a story of my childhood saying I heard a lot of Democrats trash talking veterans, minorities, etc. Moral of the story, just because somebody call themselves a liberal, doesn't mean they are automatically kind. One person out of nowhere calling me a coward who never served in the military. I shouldn't be demonizing Democratic veterans.
Seriously, there are a lot of very extreme people on the internet and in real life. If they think you are Daimon Hellstrom, there is nothing you can do to defend yourself.
I don't see the "harassment", not based on the video at least, but the mere fact that this old gentleman is a Native American + a Veteran, it is enough of a story to pit one group of people against another. It is very sad.
Neither this nor the previous thread about this incident have been accurate about what transpired.
There is a very informative, unnarrated nine-minute video out there- sorry, no link, I saw it linked to someone's Twitter account and I expect it's also on YouTube - that shows a small group of "Black Israelites" (I may have the name wrong) loudly testifying against homosexuality and homosexuals, citing various Old Testament chapters and verses and apparently addressing the boys in a loud, accusatory and adversarial manner just before the encounter with the American Indian gentleman.
Some of the boys responded, loudly saying things like "They're (homosexuals) people too!" "Gay people have rights!", and "I'm not listening to you...not listening..." and so on. The argument grew heated, voices were raised on both sides - it was then that the Indian man deliberately placed himself between the two groups. He said later that his chanting and drumming were spiritual, a prayer to Mother Earth for peace. He also said he was trying to separate and calm both the boys and the Black Israelites to avoid more friction.
It does not appear that the boys understood that this was what he was attempting, or the spiritual significance of his chanting and drumming. Many seemed confused or baffled by the overlapping encounters with first the Black Israelites and then the Indians.
The boys responded in various ways - some clapping and moving in time to the drum, others with nervous laughter, some with plain old laughter, some with jeers, and some imitating his chanting. A large number of them broke into a school cheer. I did not hear the boys yelling "Build the Wall!" but it has been reported by many others. After this point, there was no more video coverage of the Black Israelites, whose number was only about five or six.
Shortly after this, as the boys grew louder, and the boy who has been singled out appeared to be attempting a stare-down with the older man, a younger, apparently very angry Indian man joined in and yelled at the boys: "Go back to Europe! This is our (expletive) land! You little (expletives) don't belong here! This isn't your land, you stole it!" and so on. He definitely escalated the tension and his behavior was directly contrary to the stated intentions of the older man with the drum.
Many of the boys seem puzzled or amused by these encounters. It's a shame that no one tried to explain to them what was going on - and it's shameful that their chaperones didn't attempt to intervene, calm things down, and move the boys from the scene. The park police were probably not available due to various marches and demonstrations nearby - and their numbers were probably not the usual; due to the government shut down - the Lincoln Memorial IS part of the National Park System - but surely someone should have been on hand to restore order. Freedom of speech is one thing, but aggressive and provocative name-calling - which members of all three parties participated in towards one another - is not acceptable.
I am so thankful that the nine-minute video of the whole encounter surfaced, as it is much more nuanced and detailed and clarifies just what happened. At the end of which, the chaperones belatedly appear and start herding the boys towards their bus - where were they previously?
Even not completely comprehending what was happening, surely they must have heard the raised angry voices and profanity, and they should have realized the potential volatility of the situation. It was also not a good choice to allow the boys to wear politically oriented attire in such a location. The adults who were supposed to be in charge of the boys certainly did not do their job, and the boys - and the older Indian gentleman - suffered for it.
I hope all who have jumped to conclusions - as I did initially - will watch the video closely, for a better understanding of what happened and who was involved. The boys are not entirely innocent, not at all - but they are getting some blame that rightly should fall onto the adult chaperones and school personnel who accompanied them but who failed miserably at leadership and protection and being role models.
So what to do now? It's a complex situation. I hope the school and church authorities study that nine-minute video thoroughly - break it down, minute by minute - draw a sketch of who was where when these overlapping incidents occurred - and question every single adult who was there in a position of authority. Then question the kids. Let them tell their stories, then see the video and comment. See if their initial stories match what is on the video.
Then I'd put "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" on the required reading list, with book reports and classroom discussion to follow.
And I'd find whoever I could who has the chops and the necessary standing to conduct a workshop in chaperoning for every adult who was there, and for every adult who wants to chaperone kids from this school ever again.
Nonsense. Nobody needs to attend workshops to learn how to appease radicals hurling insults at them.
That is an elderly man whose ancestors are the original Americans where making it great again would translate to not having genocide brought about by the white folks and that little turd in the dumbed-down red hat needs that moronic smirk smacked off his idiotic face. And if that little jerkwad's parents had any sense, they would be the ones to do it.
MAGA=My Attorney Got Arrested...and that about sums it up.
That is an elderly man whose ancestors are the original Americans where making it great again would translate to not having genocide brought about by the white folks and that little turd in the dumbed-down red hat needs that moronic smirk smacked off his idiotic face. And if that little jerkwad's parents had any sense, they would be the ones to do it.
MAGA=My Attorney Got Arrested...and that about sums it up.
Violence against children is not the answer, sick.
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