# Covington Catholic High (in case it hasn't been mentioned already) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090 "2019-01-20T02:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/201 "2019-01-21T17:42:18Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Does the exact number really matter. Judging from the [photo](https://reason.com/blog/2019/01/20/covington-catholic-nathan-phillips-video)in this article maybe 3-4 inches from his nose? 1. He isn’t banging any drum at that time. 2. A photo doesn’t show who walked up to who, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/202 "2019-01-21T17:43:02Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > If I’m walking down the street and someone doesn’t get out of my way, in fact stares me in the eyes with a smirk on his face, and his friends surround me, yeah, I’m about to get attacked. I don’t need an experiment to show that because I’m not some moron desperately trying to deny simple reality. Is it your practice to wake on a street, stop in front of someone and bang a drum a few inches from his face? If it is, my sincere advice would be to stop. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/203 "2019-01-21T17:44:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1. He isn’t banging any drum at that time. > 2. A photo doesn’t show who walked up to who, does it? Of course he is banging the drum. No it doesn’t because that is not what you asked. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/204 "2019-01-21T17:48:20Z")
> [@Elmore](#): > > Then you’re an asshole. Cyber bullying kills. This is cyber bullying on an international level. No, the only asshole here is the guy who pretends to care because he thinks he gets an internet advantage from it, but doesn’t even have the strength of character to pretend to care when it’s someone with different political views who’s being attacked. I bet you don’t really care either, you’re just not honest about it. If I’m wrong and you actually do care (enough to do more than whinge about it on the internet), then I promise I’ll be pleasantly surprised. But I bet that won’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/205 "2019-01-21T17:50:30Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Is it your practice to wake on a street, stop in front of someone and bang a drum a few inches from his face? If it is, my sincere advice would be to stop. Actually he walked in and allowed himself to be surrounded as to become a lesson to those punks, and as it turned out, **he did succeed** in defusing the MAGA bots. My sincere advice is to tell the ones going for trolling behavior to stop and also advice their sons and daughters to follow the advice of Mr. Phillips. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/206 "2019-01-21T17:50:54Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Is it your practice to wake on a street, stop in front of someone and bang a drum a few inches from his face? If it is, my sincere advice would be to stop. Your argument has shifted from “the young thug wasn’t confrontational” to “the young thug was confrontational, but the elderly veteran was playing a drum, so what can you expect”? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/207 "2019-01-21T17:50:57Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Of course he is banging the drum. No it doesn’t because that is not what you asked. Of course he is banging on the drum? That is a still photograph-are you seeing movement and hearing drumming when you view it? You have claimed over and fucking over again that the Native American War Vet walked right up to this punk and started drumming inches from his face, so of _course_ it matters how they got this close-are you ignoring your own narrative when it becomes inconvenient? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/208 "2019-01-21T17:51:54Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > If I’m walking down the street and someone doesn’t get out of my way, in fact stares me in the eyes with a smirk on his face, and his friends surround me, yeah, I’m about to get attacked. I don’t need an experiment to show that because I’m not some moron desperately trying to deny simple reality. You’d feel that way if a mob were blocking a street and beating on cars as well? Or would that be a proper protest because without confrontation and inconvenience messages aren’t heard? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/209 "2019-01-21T17:57:31Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > You’d feel that way if a mob were blocking a street and beating on cars as well? Or would that be a proper protest because without confrontation and inconvenience messages aren’t heard? Precisely what relevance does this have to the discussion of how a young thug instigated a confrontation with an elderly veteran who was trying to make peace? ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/210 "2019-01-21T17:59:58Z")
Actually it is clear from the still that the drumstick is moving but here is the [video](https://twitter.com/UberFacts/status/1086722320046178306)which confirms that he was in fact drumming a few inches from his face. I have also seen a video which shows Phillips walking towards the student. I will post it if I find it but what he is doing in the above video is already inappropriate. He had no business continuously banging the drum inches from the student’s face. ---
**Author:** ![l0k1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@l0k1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l0k1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/211 "2019-01-21T18:00:17Z")
I curious what negative consequences people think Smirky McCracker is going to suffer. I think it’s pretty clear that, worst case scenario, his smirk becomes a shitty meme. If rich white boys from private schools can get away with rape, assault, murder, all the drugs, and never have to answer for an of it, what do you think is going to happen? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/212 "2019-01-21T18:02:13Z")
oh noes! Drumming! The ultimate signal of a showdown or that war hath been de-klared! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/213 "2019-01-21T18:04:08Z")
You don’t need to start worrying until the drumming _stops_. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/214 "2019-01-21T18:06:11Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > Precisely what relevance does this have to the discussion of how a young thug instigated a confrontation with an elderly veteran who was trying to make peace? This thread is at 5 pages now? Why don’t incidents where real violence and real inconveniences, such as a highway being shutdown due to mobs of protesters, get 5+ Pit pages? Oh, that’s right, those people aren’t triggering the virtue signaling left with a red ball cap. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/215 "2019-01-21T18:06:17Z")
> [@l0k1](#): > > I curious what negative consequences people think Smirky McCracker is going to suffer. I think it’s pretty clear that, worst case scenario, his smirk becomes a shitty meme. If rich white boys from private schools can get away with rape, assault, murder, all the drugs, and never have to answer for an of it, what do you think is going to happen? Given that I’ve seen a seizing of the narrative by the rightwing types and their attempts to shift blame of actions onto a) Phillips, who is already being given the Heather Heyers treatment or b) The BHI, who genuinely nobody gives a rat’s ass about I suspect there will be few consequences. Maybe smirkboy will get some discipline, but its obvious from his version that he thinks he did no wrong, and I’m sure all the rightwing internet will give him support to convince him of that. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/216 "2019-01-21T18:09:11Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > This thread is at 5 pages now? Why don’t incidents where real violence and real inconveniences, such as a highway being shutdown due to mobs of protesters, get 5+ Pit pages? Oh, that’s right, those people aren’t triggering the virtue signaling left with a red ball cap. Is this way of admitting that your question was completely irrelevant? In that case I accept your apology. Ps if you want a thread about highway shutdowns then go start one, asshole. Your unique brand of threadshitting will drag it out long past 5 pages, I assure you. ---
**Author:** ![l0k1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@l0k1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l0k1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/217 "2019-01-21T18:11:33Z")
I specifically asking about Smirky, because I see so many people leaping to his defense and lamenting the children. So, I’m curious. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/218 "2019-01-21T18:15:47Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0JMkzakXgIY/maxresdefault.jpg "Native American elder Nathan Phillips, teen Nick Sandmann give versions of encounter") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JMkzakXgIY) This video sort of shows what was going on. Phillips was gradually walking up the stairs and some of the boys were making way for him. You can see Sandmann in the grey coat standing. As Phillips moves up he just continues to stand there. Phillips says Sandmann is blocking him but there is plenty of room around him for walking up. He could have easily walked around him which is what he should have done but instead for some reason chooses to bang his drum close to Sandmann’s face. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/219 "2019-01-21T18:16:56Z")
The drummers did walk over to the crowd of youth, but that particular smirk-faced youth made the choice to stand right in front of that guy. The old guy didn’t get in his face. The youth got up in his. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/220 "2019-01-21T18:17:32Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > what he is doing in the above video is already inappropriate. He had no business continuously banging the drum inches from the student’s face. Yes, you’ve now been reduced to arguing that the elderly Vietnam veteran brought the confrontation upon himself. Which I assume means that you are aware that a confrontation happened, which I assume means you are aware that the young thug was involved in a confrontation. Which, it turns out, is progress. So congratulations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090.md?page=12)