# 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:** 12
**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, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/221 "2019-01-21T18:18:15Z")
The student just stood where he was standing. I don’t see anything wrong with that. He wasn’t under any kind of obligation to make way and there was plenty of room for Phillips to walk around him. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/222 "2019-01-21T18:20:07Z")
> [@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? Next year the Kentucky Catholics and school officials who can’t be bothered to attend the protest themselves, but send kids instead, will also include upstanding adult chaperones. I would further wager that the Protest Placeholder Kids will be admonished to try and avoid trouble. ---
**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, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/223 "2019-01-21T18:22:28Z")
As I see it Phillips had a choice between: a)walking around Sandmann b) banging his drum a few inches from Sandmann’s face Perhaps it’s just me but it seems that a) would be a lot less confrontational. Is there a reason why Phillips could not do that? ---
**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, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/224 "2019-01-21T18:24:59Z")
I think the current argument is missing the intention of the Indian Vet. His intention, which looks pretty clear to me from watching extended videos, is to keep a bunch of smug white boys and two Black Israelite bigots from coming to blows. He intentionally walks into a crowd of white boys to defuse a tense situation. I feel his actions were heroic. Later, when he was asked by the Washington Post to describe his actions, he didn’t mention his own heroism, because culturally Indians don’t brag, but did mention that these white boys were shitty, which I accept without question, having met the types of shitty white boys that come to DC for this annual event. ---
**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, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/225 "2019-01-21T18:30:49Z")
[![](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) I think this bit is also important. One of the men with Phillips started yelling at the students and Sandman tries to calm things down motioning to the students to stop engaging. ---
**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, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/226 "2019-01-21T18:34:05Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > The student just stood where he was standing. I don’t see anything wrong with that. He wasn’t under any kind of obligation to make way and there was plenty of room for Phillips to walk around him. I think the young man made a poor choice. If he had done what this friends did and made room for the drummer (who was obviously trying to wade through the crowd prior to the unnecessary stand-off, as your video shows), we probably wouldn’t even be talking about this. In just about every culture I know of, young people typically show deference to old people. A young person has the right to not follow this practice and they have the right to wear the smirkiest smirk while doing it, but they also open themselves up to charges of disrespect. I actually hate that this thing has become “viral”, but you’d have to be a damn fool to see all those cameras and still act the way that kid acted. He wanted to be an attention whore for no good reason, and now he’s paying the price for 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, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/227 "2019-01-21T18:38:00Z")
Perhaps Sandmann should have moved away but Phillips still had no business banging the drum near his face. And that other man yelling at the students was not helping matters either. Like I said, I do see Sandmann trying to calm things down when he gestured to his classmates. On the whole I think he behaved well and certainly better than any other party in this incident. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/228 "2019-01-21T18:46:51Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > [https://youtu.be/0JMkzakXgIY?t=212](https://youtu.be/0JMkzakXgIY?t=212) > I think this bit is also important. One of the men with Phillips started yelling at the students and Sandman tries to calm things down motioning to > the students to stop engaging. Your You-Tube vid says something different. It has a narrator say that Sandman _claims_ to have tried to calm things down. I believe that. I believe that Sandman made that claim. I don’t believe that Sandman necessarily tried to calm things down in a credible manner, certainly not a highly effective manner. Your post is misleading. As for your last post, Phillips was standing his ground. If there’s a performer in a public space -never mind an elderly performer- normal people don’t position themselves within inches of them. Smiley Smirkface had plenty of room to back up. Look, teens do stupid shit.[1] The problem is when poor judgment is reinforced by the adult community. Right? Right? [1] Though some do less stupid things than others. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/229 "2019-01-21T18:50:52Z")
Is this a “stand your ground” thing? The teen had no obligation to move, the old man should have stepped aside. The boy stood his ground, and therefore it was the old man’s fault? ---
**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, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/230 "2019-01-21T18:51:38Z")
I think Sandmann was clearly trying to calm things down with that gesture, and that speaks well for his intentions regardless of its effectiveness. Perhaps he should have backed up but there was still plenty of space for Phillips to walk around him. Banging the drum near Sandmann’s face was absolutely uncalled for and in no way did Sandmann force Phillips to do that. ---
**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, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/231 "2019-01-21T18:55:10Z")
Simple question: Was Phillips right to bang the drum near Sandmann’s face ? Yes or No? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/232 "2019-01-21T19:06:28Z")
> [@Dacien](#): > > So here we have the first victim. > > [https://twitter.com/PikePlaceTechie/status/1087117202749378560](https://twitter.com/PikePlaceTechie/status/1087117202749378560) > > This is just terrible in every possible way. Funny, some other kid named Nathan Sandman came forward and said it was him. Which one is lying? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/233 "2019-01-21T19:08:19Z")
Republicans: ATTACK VETERANS!! THEY ARE BAD!!! ---
**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, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/234 "2019-01-21T19:09:31Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > I think Sandmann was clearly trying to calm things down with that gesture, and that speaks well for his intentions regardless of its effectiveness. > > Perhaps he should have backed up but there was still plenty of space for Phillips to walk around him. Banging the drum near Sandmann’s face was absolutely uncalled for and in no way did Sandmann force Phillips to do that. Again, ignoring the MAGA hats in the group is disingenuous, [I do think that Mr. Phillips had other reasons to confront the MAGA supporters](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/us/politics/wounded-knee-trump-warren.html) with what it should be described as non violence and with results that we should all take into account. (Again: non-violence does not mean no confrontation ever) Regardless of how he became surrounded, it turned into a situation where the ones around Mr. Phillips were the ones that had more chances to step back, and to learn in more ways than one that wearing symbols that are already tainted to cause discredit to whatever they tried to push forward in that manifestation. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/235 "2019-01-21T19:12:21Z")
From an article quoted earlier: > [@](#): > > A parent of a Covington Catholic sophomore, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of safety concerns for his family, said his son, who attended the event, said the students were shouting school chants to drown out harassment from the black men. When it worked, the students were “hyped up and high-fiving each other,” he said. This may be a dumb question, but why the hell did they default to school chants? I mean, we’re talking a Catholic school here, right? Catholicism has a millennia-long treasure trove of hymns to choose from, many of which emphasize love, peace, and fellowship. Just saying, if I were a Christian chaperon on a trip like this, I’d lead my kids in [Lord of the Dance](https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&client=firefox-b-1-ab&ei=DBlGXMaeC834_Aa9noD4Dw&q=lord+of+the+dance+lyrics&oq=lord+of+the+dance+lyrics&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.3417.4429..4572...0.0..0.97.638.7......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i67j0i20i263.Ion3Xz2T7o8) or [In Christ There Is No East or West](https://hymnary.org/text/in_christ_there_is_no_east_or_west_oxenh) or even freakin’ Kum Bah Yah. I’m certain that Catholics, even if they don’t use these particular hymns, have their own equivalents. So why the fuck not use those to defuse the situation? It’s not like Native Americans have a monopoly on songs of peace, they shouldn’t have had to step in to remind the Catholic kids about peace and love. Edit: AMAZING GRACE, fercryinoutloud. Why school chants? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/236 "2019-01-21T19:18:03Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Right. Those kids, especially Smirk Boy, look like the Republican version of Westboro Baptist: putting on MAGA apparel and hoping to be assaulted so Mommy & Daddy can file a lawsuit. We can start calling them Red Hats, like the Brown Shirts of Germany. Covington Christian’s website is down. But somebody on Twitter (and now I can’t find the tweet) posted a picture from the front page of their website showing a kid flashing white power signs. ---
**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, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/237 "2019-01-21T19:22:42Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > We can start calling them Red Hats, like the Brown Shirts of Germany. > > Covington Christian’s website is down. But somebody on Twitter (and now I can’t find the tweet) posted a picture from the front page of their website showing a kid flashing white power signs. Like Nazi brown shirts? Asashi is that you? ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/238 "2019-01-21T19:25:15Z")
He was banging his drum and the kid planted himself in front of him, smirking, not wincing. Why should have Philips stopped banging? If I had to guess, the old man assumed the boys would disperse as he made his way through the throng. That would be the natural reaction if you entered a crowd as a small procession of individuals; people will make way for you. Instead, the boys thronged around him. His execution was poor but he had the right idea. An adult should have stepped in long before things got to that point and sent all those idle teenagers into more open pastures. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/239 "2019-01-21T19:43:01Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Covington Christian’s website is down. But somebody on Twitter (and now I can’t find the tweet) posted a picture from the front page of their website showing a kid flashing white power signs. [https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9H33GZbkACAJ:https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/19/1827797/-Covington-Catholic-high-school-basketball-team-celebrates-win-by-making-white-power-gesture+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us](https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9H33GZbkACAJ:https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/19/1827797/-Covington-Catholic-high-school-basketball-team-celebrates-win-by-making-white-power-gesture+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/240 "2019-01-21T19:51:12Z")
[They like blackface, too.](https://heavy.com/news/2019/01/covington-catholic-blackface-videos-photos/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090.md?page=13)