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They wore the wrong hat

[Today’s run: 3.4 miles]

There is a another big empty kerfuffle on the internet.

Over the weekend there was the annual March For Life, an anti-abortion parade and speeches in Washington D.C., which the regular media generally ignores, choosing instead to punch-up the Women’s March which is more in line with their politics. Some high school boys from a place in Kentucky were in town for the anti-abortion event, then were videoed near the Lincoln Memorial interacting with other people in the area including some apparently professional demonstrators from two other groups. Since they were pro-life white boys from Kentucky wearing MAGA hats, obviously they were the bad guys.

On the old westerns the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats.

It always seemed kind of strange to me that inner city gang members would be all upset about someone in the local school wearing red or blue or whatever color had been appropriated by the street gangs of the area. The news story would be how someone killed them for wearing the wrong color.

But here we have that same thing happening on a national level. If you wear the wrong hat and your video hits on a slow news day, you will be the bad guy. People will find your address and send you death threats and make you explain yourself and then ignore your explanation.

Hopefully, after being afflicted with 10-Minutes-of-Hate they will be forgotten and can settle back into a quiet life.

Update: This piece by Caitlin Flanagan on The Atlantic website hits it out of the park. Well worth reading.

6 replies on “They wore the wrong hat”

These kids sure are going through a trial by fire. I, like you, hope they can settle back into daily life stronger for the experience.

I have a nephew that has always been a very kind and thoughtful person, even when he was a child. But his response to the story was a pile-on condemning people half his age that he doesn’t even know. Then when the truth of the matter was brought to his attention, he justified himself rather than admitting he’d been duped by his favorite media outlets. As you say, they were wearing the wrong hat. I was used to thinking of him as a sweet guy who was just a sucker for every leftist cause that came along. I never thought he was a bully, and a dishonest one at that.

I’ve been reading a bit about this after the fact as I don’t see why it got much traction at all. Slow news cycle and free material (video), I’m thinking. (I don’t watch TV news so am not sure if it was replayed on TV much.). In America our press is free market and they sell ad space. They want people to tune in. I don’t think marchers in general get people to tune in. Boring.

But a short video of all white MAGA hat wearing kids, some yelling, seemingly “blocking” the progress of a few Native Americans, can grab attention. It did have a Hitler youth kind of look about it. (I was thinking why no chaperones?). The school released a statement that they’d look into it and I was fine w that and let it go. A minor incident. I later heard the drummer being interviewed on NPR and his view was something could ignite between the kids and four black “Israelite” protesters. He was trying to be a buffer.

I personally get a kick out of Christians wearing a MAGA hat. Their political leader has three wives, paid off porn star he fornicated with, said outrageous things captured on audio, later explaining away as locker room talk, which apparently means all guys talk that way behind closed doors so no big deal. It’s really funny.

The traction part is easy. It was a story that fulfilled the good vs evil fantasy of every lazy mainstream journalist in the country. “Wise” old native-american elder being shoved around by a mob of privileged white males – and even better – they’re from a Christian school – and to top it off they’re at a march that wants to encourage people to stop killing their own children. What a scoop!

Unfortunately for the indolent media, everybody had a cell phone and the videos are legion. Some of them over an hour long showing the complete before and after of the phony confrontation.

These kids were minding their own business waiting for their bus to arrive. The chaperones were there. They did nothing wrong and have been vilified by adults who should know better, but apparently can’t help themselves when someone wears that hat. It doesn’t matter what the truth is, because those kids have no right to an opinion that differs from people in power who are insane with rage that Trump is the president.

And the “wise” old drummer guy is younger than my husband, lied about his military service, and is an activist who has done things like this before.

For my part, the reason I voted for Trump was to avoid Hillary. I didn’t expect much, but thought I’d give it a shot. I didn’t vote for him because he’s the perfect “Christian” candidate – whatever that is. In my opinion he’s been a breath of fresh air after eight years of being told how sub-par our country is. He’s got positive, hopeful things to say that lift the spirits of people and make them want to pull together for a better life. (People of all colors and creeds, by the way.) Some of his tweets are hilarious, others are head-scratchers. I don’t care about that stuff. I care about the practical actions that are coming from this administration like lifting overwhelming regulatory burdens. Is he perfect? No. But neither is he evil incarnate.

“Evil incarnate” is an odd thing to say. I do not know where that comes from. Certainly I never posted anything of the sort. Not even close. It’s as thought the original thought has to be greatly exaggerated in order to condemn it. Just say you knew he went after married women and didn’t expect much. You knew that he was a lecherous braggart who thought of women as conquests but voted for him anyway. Not evil incarnate. Let’s not go to extremes.

Okay sub-par. You mentioned sub-par. Well, Trump is the one who _ran_ on telling us how “sub-par” our country is. MAGA! That means outr country isn’t great now. Get it? The red hats are saying our country isn’t great. They are saying America is sub-par.

Something resonated with people to make this hour or so in D.C. a “thing.” My point is that the adults in the room would say do not engage with the protestors who are looking for exactly that. Don’t feed the trolls. It’s basic. But you’d rather go after the guy with the drum. The one guy. One guy. One. He just stood there with a drum but let’s attack his past. That makes his being there with a drum fraudulent.

The march. I confess I am not sure of the message of the march, but I am thinking the march was to have the state tell women what they can do with their bodies via law, not encourage them. (I am fine with encouraging.)

Trump is not evil incarnate but simply a person who, after being caught bragging about going after a married woman, (and grabbing others – who “let you do it”) said he was sorry (that he was taped – and other times said he was too smart to be taped) and it was locker talk. Locker talk. As though it is common in masculine environments to say such things. How nice to know that. To know that men behind closed doors generally speak that way. Locker talk. People purposely voted for him knowing who he was. I do not know how anyone with a mother, sister, or daughter could vote for Trump knowing what everyone knew before the election. He’s a disgusting pig. Not evil incarnate. Just a disgusting pig.

No, Trump is _not_ evil incarnate. That would be Stalin or Hitler or Pol Pot. Or maybe Kim Jong Un – who Trump says he is “in love” with. Said this _after_ a young man – US citizen – was returned to his parents at the edge of death. And he did die. But he was a vegetable and his parents didn’t really get to say goodbye. For stealing a poster at a hotel. Trump is “in love.”

Trump said positive things? I missed that part. I didn’t miss the part that illegal immigrants are rapists. (But some are okay.) We learned recently that Trump companies let go many illegal immigrants after several years of employment.

I know that if I lived in 3rd world rife with gangs and crime I’d do the same as these families and kids who struggle to find a better life. These are families with children. Children. Children. Children. Let’s take them from their parents, lose them in the system – that will send a message. There’s just something that really really upsets me about that to the core. What on earth could that possibly be? Oh – I remember now. It’s children.

These are children.

Okay and about those rapists crossing the border (but some are okay). Pilgrims did the same thing when they came here. I am pretty sure they didn’t have papers when they left the Mayflower to settle. And we have a holiday for them. A holiday.

And I do not mind the hats and the opinions they convey. They are comical to me. Cliche. They are saying our country sucks and Trump will change it. Hmm.. let’s assess. It’s been two years with a GOP congress. Are we “great again” now? Stock market tanked last year and trade deficit with China is up and federal deficit is up (after going down). Farmers need over $10B of direct bailout money owing to trade wars.

I know I am just listing facts as I perceive them and not changing minds. I wish I _could_ change minds. But if minds are not changed by what was known before November 2016 then they won’t be changed now. For Petes sake, he said he had a secret plan to get rid of ISIS in 30 days. That’s rubber room stuff. Who could take this clown seriously?

Trump is the nadir of the body electorate. It is America’s darkest hour and a shame that will always haunt us as a nation.

God bless Nancy Pelosi, the grandmother who is the “grabbers” match (and then some).

I guess we are all in agreement that Trump is not “evil incarnate”,
I’ll make note of our unity on that point!

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