# Has the media misrepresented the incident with the Covington Cathlic kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 22, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210 "2019-01-22T17:23:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/81 "2019-01-22T21:46:47Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/82 "2019-01-22T21:51:06Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The bolded part is disingenuous: it isn’t the hat, it’s the message on the hat that is met with disapproval. I suspect that you knew this, but were writing deliberately so as to create a false picture of what is being met with disapproval, in a pathetic attempt to re-write what happened and the positions of the people involved. It’s an obvious and really poor attempt at spin or PR control and should have no place in a serious discussion, IMO. Hahahaha. The old man, and his entourage, targeted the teenager for wearing a hat that the old man didn’t approve of. The teenager didn’t do anything wrong. The teenager was simply standing in a place that the old man, and his entourage, wished to occupy. The bullies on the internet, hollyweird, and in the lame stream media, chose to attack the teenager for doing nothing but standing silently on a very large staircase. How you chose to advocate for online bullying is up to you. How you chose to advocate for lame stream media reporting is also up to you. OTOH, the discussion continues. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/83 "2019-01-22T21:57:00Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Hahahaha. The old man, and his entourage, targeted the teenager for wearing a hat that the old man didn’t approve of. The teenager didn’t do anything wrong. The teenager was simply standing in a place that the old man, and his entourage, wished to occupy. The bullies on the internet, hollyweird, and in the lame stream media, chose to attack the teenager for doing nothing but standing silently on a very large staircase. So you’re still on the attack then? “Old” man? “bullies”? “entourage”? “A hat he didn’t approve of”? Could you use more loaded language that details your attitudes and prejudices, please? Your position is unclear due to your subtle use of neutral and non-inflammatory terms. :rolleyes: My Og, you won’t even be honest about the message on the hat; you’re still trying to insist that it was just a hat that was a problem. If you can’t discuss this honestly, why should anyone engage with you? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/84 "2019-01-22T22:10:36Z")
Can we start with the premise that this school was bussing underage students across the country to rally for the school’s political causes? Because right there, something already doesn’t smell right. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/85 "2019-01-22T22:25:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Can we start with the premise that this school was bussing underage students across the country to rally for the school’s political causes? Because right there, something already doesn’t smell right. I don’t think so, or unless we’d automatically apply that to for example the activism of the Stoneman Douglas HS kids over gun control. If someone can point factually to particularly dominant or disproportionate behind the scenes involvement by adults in a particular case of ‘underage’ student socio-political activism that’s one thing. But you seem to conclude it from the very fact the kids were there. That would seem particularly hard to sustain consistently especially from a generally leftward POV where youth political activism, and not 100% cut off at any particular minimum age, has tended historically to factor more heavily than it has on the right. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/86 "2019-01-22T22:25:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Can we start with the premise that this school was bussing underage students across the country to rally for the school’s political causes? Because right there, something already doesn’t smell right. I thought bussing in people from other states for political purposes was something that Republicans said that Democrats did… I guess it’s just that Republicans think “we do it so they must do it too”. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/87 "2019-01-22T22:26:52Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > I don’t think so, or unless we’d automatically apply that to for example the activism of the Stoneman Douglas HS kids over gun control. :dubious: O rly? Did MSD HS sponsor and pay for the kids’ activism at all, let alone in another state than Florida? I don’t recall ever reading that. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/88 "2019-01-22T22:35:05Z")
[QUOTE=Snowboarder Bo;21445834What “restraint”? You aren’t being clear here.[/QUOTE] Again, the guy was being an asshole walking into a bunch of kids who he obviously hates for just being white and wearing MAGA hats and beating his damn drum in their face. [QUOTE=Snowboarder Bo;21445834Yes; they do. To not do so is racist.[/QUOTE] No. It. Isnt. Chiefs fans and local tribes have gone over this several times over the years. Nobody is mad and many locals indians are also Chiefs fans and go right along with it. [QUOTE=Snowboarder Bo;21445834No, he wasn’t. Characterizing him as an asshole for doing something in public is prejudicing the discussion. He had every right to be there and to bang his drum. He did not impede anyone’s travels, but his were impeded.Only after they prevented him from walking thru.Cite? Don’t worry: I know you’re talking out of your ass here and have no cite other than what’s in your head. U.[/QUOTE] No, the guy deliberately walked over and walked thru those kids who were doing nothing wrong but standing there waiting for their bus and minding their own business. The guy’s intent WAS to provoke and anger. Being a vet and NA does not give one a pass. You want a source. Watch the damn video. Instead of talking all he did was beat that stupid drum and yell. Again, the kid showed great restraint in his provocation. He should be admired, not get death threats and be attacked by the likes of people who SHOULD support free speech. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/89 "2019-01-22T22:41:07Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > And hey: this isn’t about me. It’s about those kids and that guy, and since you started this thread, it’s also about your defense of those kids. Your darn right. I dont like teenagers being attacked for wearing the wrong hat and for not having the right politics. They were attending a pro life rally. Some were wearing MAGA hats. They were standing there. What else were they guilty of that deserves death threats and having their school closed down? ---
**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 22, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/90 "2019-01-22T22:46:13Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > What else were they guilty of that deserves death threats and having their school closed down? Which of the professional media did that, again? Where is the list? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/91 "2019-01-22T22:49:19Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > No, the kids didnt do a damn thing wrong. They should NOT be shamed. They should be held up as heroes for standing their ground, showing restraint, and holding onto the beliefs. Their “beliefs” are shameful. So, there’s that. Wearing a MAGA hat is a shameful act. I have never seen one in real life, but it tells me something about the person who would wear one. Especially during a school sponsored event. > [@](#): > > Tomahawk chops and doing indian war chants - you call that racist? Damn, what rock do you live under? Didnt you watch the [Chiefs vs Patriots game last sunday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4P6z_DTHf8)? I’m from Kansas City and its the normal chant for the Chiefs and other teams. Watch that attached video and you will see a stadium of 30,000 Chiefs fans doing it. > > Is everyone of them also a racist? It’s a racist thing to do. I don’t care if it’s in Atlanta, Cleveland, or Kansas City. It’s disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/92 "2019-01-22T22:53:12Z")
Black Hebrews? Wtaf? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/93 "2019-01-22T22:54:06Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > What else were they guilty of that deserves death threats and having their school closed down? I don’t believe there were any death threats and the school closed itself. So what’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/94 "2019-01-22T22:54:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Can we start with the premise that this school was bussing underage students across the country to rally for the school’s political causes? Because right there, something already doesn’t smell right. “Bussing underage students”? Seriously? Sending students on field trips to Washington, DC? Here? In the U.S. of A.? That’s can’t be right. Oops, I mean, that can’t be correct. Do you have a cat? Have you changed your litter box? Have you changed the cat’s litter box? FYI - the internet doesn’t transmit odors. Whatever you’re smelling is on your end of the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/95 "2019-01-22T22:56:10Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > “Bussing underage students”? Seriously? Sending students on field trips to Washington, DC? Here? In the U.S. of A.? That’s can’t be right. Oops, I mean, that can’t be correct. Here you are, not being honest again. Why do you insist on mischaracterizing things? And why should anyone continue to engage with you, except to point out your lack of honesty? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/96 "2019-01-22T22:58:01Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Their “beliefs” are shameful. So, there’s that. Wearing a MAGA hat is a shameful act. I have never seen one in real life, but it tells me something about the person who would wear one. Especially during a school sponsored event. Credit goes out to the school for nixing their first choice: “Grab 'Em By the Pussy” hats. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/97 "2019-01-22T23:00:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > WHO HERE HAS SAID THEY WANT ANYONE MURDERED? I don’t think anyone has even claimed the blow job yet. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/98 "2019-01-22T23:01:10Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > …Context for the following quote was that another poster advocated “elbowing” the teens, since groin or throat-punches are not subtle enough and may land you in jail: > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by elucidator > > Lets see, Amazon… Elbow pads, quite a selection, some affordable. Ah! Here we go, elbow pads, for ten dollars. That can be fitted with stainless steel spikes, set of four for five dollars! You got me, hoss, too many for me, I fold. Fooled some folks, but not you, you see right down into the bloodthirsty black core of my being! Yep, that’s me, I wanna see blood and guts and gore and veins in my teeth, eat burnt bodies. I am become Death, the destroyer of whirlies… ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Erudite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ancient\_Erudite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Erudite)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/99 "2019-01-22T23:04:23Z")
Another take on it. > **[I Failed the Covington Catholic Test](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/julie-irwin-zimmerman-i-failed-covington-catholic-test/580897/?fbclid=IwAR2rg45by3PhppjYjxfVh683n8mfvNuPVs6HsSczbb9w5PU5Cw0uPKX2TzU)** > > Next time there’s a viral story, I’ll wait for more facts to emerge. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/100 "2019-01-22T23:07:16Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So you’re still on the attack then? “Old” man? “bullies”? “entourage”? “A hat he didn’t approve of”? Could you use more loaded language that details your attitudes and prejudices, please? Your position is unclear due to your subtle use of neutral and non-inflammatory terms. :rolleyes: > > My Og, you won’t even be honest about the message on the hat; you’re still trying to insist that it was just a hat that was a problem. If you can’t discuss this honestly, why should anyone engage with you? I keep forgetting to ask your permission for what I can, or can not, post. Perhaps if you wrote your requirements on a sticky note, or a Post-It, and placed over your screen, or tuck it into one of your usb ports, I may promise to give your concerns all due consideration. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210.md?page=6)