# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/141 "2019-01-23T05:27:58Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > In what world is wearing political apparel associated with the current US President noteworthy? In the world where the current US President routinely and publicly calls people who disagree with him or disapprove of him “traitors” and his political opponents “criminals”, “crooked”, etc., and fumes that anything negative that the media report about him is a pack of lies. This is not normal or typical. Wearing a MAGA hat is not comparable to wearing, say, a “Whip Inflation Now” button in the Ford years or some other standard Presidential-slogan insignia. Wearing a MAGA hat is declaring “I support Trump and I accept his version of reality”, even though that version is blatantly and unprecedentedly hateful and dishonest. No, of course wearing a MAGA hat isn’t an actual crime, nor should it be. But it’s symbolically announcing the wearer’s open enmity toward people who criticize Trump, and the wearer’s embrace of the “alternative facts” and dishonest spin that that enmity is founded on. Like any other bigoted hate symbol, MAGA gear should be regarded with wariness rather than trivialized or ignored. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/142 "2019-01-23T05:37:32Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Prolly. Do the Chiefs have permission from even one Native American tribe to use their imagery and customs? :dubious: Why would they need it? Do black people, or Native Americans, need permission from white tribal leaders if they want to draw a picture of a white person, or play classical or country music? Do the Minnesota Vikings need to beg for permission from the King of Norway? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/143 "2019-01-23T05:39:18Z")
_Has the media misrepresented the incident with the Covington Cathlic kids?_ I think the answer to that question is a resounding YES. ---
**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 23, 2019, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/144 "2019-01-23T05:59:23Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In the world where the current US President routinely and publicly calls people who disagree with him or disapprove of him “traitors” and his political opponents “criminals”, “crooked”, etc., and fumes that anything negative that the media report about him is a pack of lies. > > This is not normal or typical. Wearing a MAGA hat is not comparable to wearing, say, a “Whip Inflation Now” button in the Ford years or some other standard Presidential-slogan insignia. Wearing a MAGA hat is declaring “I support Trump and I accept his version of reality”, even though that version is blatantly and unprecedentedly hateful and dishonest. > > No, of course wearing a MAGA hat isn’t an actual crime, nor should it be. But it’s symbolically announcing the wearer’s open enmity toward people who criticize Trump, and the wearer’s embrace of the “alternative facts” and dishonest spin that that enmity is founded on. Like any other bigoted hate symbol, MAGA gear should be regarded with wariness rather than trivialized or ignored. Bigoted hate symbol? Oh goodness. Better tell Kanye that he’s a racist bigot. People need to stop projecting _their_ biased interpretations onto others. That’s been a problem with many of those subjects. People think their one interpretation is the one true interpretation. That doesn’t end well in religions or politics. The fact that a child was doxxed and threatened with violence and death on social media because of a hat and a smirk is madness. It’s absolutely absurd and insane that people on social media are overreacting, in many cases disingenuously mind you, over this. If I were Russia or China I’d be pouring _billions_ of dollars into stirring the pot. Social media and a hyper partisan atmosphere are far more dangerous to the West than a few more nukes or a carrier. People need to ask themselves if a hat, a flag, or a party affiliation is that triggering or that threatening do they feel comfortable being the desired audience for Russian and soon to be Chinese psy-ops? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/145 "2019-01-23T06:05:42Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > Why would they need it? Do black people, or Native Americans, need permission from white tribal leaders if they want to draw a picture of a white person, or play classical or country music? Do the Minnesota Vikings need to beg for permission from the King of Norway? [Cultural appropriation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation) > [@](#): > > Cultural appropriation, at times also phrased cultural misappropriation, is the adoption of elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture. Because of the presence of power imbalances that are a byproduct of colonialism and oppression, cultural appropriation is distinct from equal cultural exchange. […] > > According to critics of the practice, cultural appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or cultural exchange in that this appropriation is a form of colonialism: cultural elements are copied from a minority culture by members of a dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context—sometimes even against the expressly stated wishes of members of the originating culture. This isn’t really as baffling as you’re making it out to be. And it’s certainly not comparable to, say, black people playing classical music, or to the use of a term for a group of medieval sea raiders as the name of a sports team. (Although note that if the Minnesota team had instead been called the “Swenskies” or “Bohunks” or some other mocking term frequently used by Anglophone Americans making fun of (white) Scandinavian or Central European immigrants, that **would** be offensive, and there would have been plenty of pushback from those ethnic groups about it.) It’s one thing to treat the long-dead medieval Vikings or ancient Trojans or Spartans as a mere symbol or mascot for modern sports teams in the western world, but it’s another thing to appropriate pieces of the ethnic and cultural identities of currently existing disprivileged minority groups for that purpose. ---
**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 23, 2019, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/146 "2019-01-23T06:06:03Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > In what world is wearing political apparel associated with the current US President noteworthy? Hatcrime and facecrime are silly silly silly concepts. It poisons discussions and divides more nowadays, and it is used to troll others who are the targets of his hate. As we can see it also normalizes his reprehensible insults and dog bullhorns among followers that were not into that kind of thing before. Trump really has the mierdas touch. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/147 "2019-01-23T06:16:27Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Bigoted hate symbol? Oh goodness. Better tell Kanye that he’s a racist bigot. [He’s been told.](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/kanye-west-s-slavery-remarks-free-thinker-or-racist-troll-1.3481817) > [@octopus](#): > > The fact that a child was doxxed and threatened with violence and death on social media because of a hat and a smirk is madness. I’m not in any way disagreeing with you that doxxing and threats are wrong. What I’m disagreeing with you about is your nonsensical claim that wearing a MAGA hat shouldn’t even be considered “noteworthy”. > [@octopus](#): > > It’s absolutely absurd and insane that people on social media are overreacting, in many cases disingenuously mind you, over this. But there’s nothing absurd or insane about pointing out that wearing a MAGA hat is advertising a hate ideology. Plenty of us are capable of objecting to the deliberate nastiness of MAGA ideology without wanting to doxx or threaten other people in consequence. > [@octopus](#): > > Social media and a hyper partisan atmosphere are far more dangerous to the West than a few more nukes or a carrier. Well, perhaps you should mention that to all the hyper partisans going around in their hate-symbol MAGA hats to proclaim their endorsement of the lying, shit-stirring, social-media-trolling, hyper partisan President. ---
**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 23, 2019, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/148 "2019-01-23T06:29:18Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > It poisons discussions and divides more nowadays, and it is used to troll others who are the targets of his hate. As we can see it also normalizes his reprehensible insults and dog bullhorns among followers that were not into that kind of thing before. > > Trump really has the mierdas touch. To paraphrase Allen Iverson “a hat, a hat, we talkin’ bout a hat.” C’mon now. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/149 "2019-01-23T06:51:48Z")
And if it had a swastika, still a hat? Obviously not. So, a hat can be a symbol, it can be a statement. The MAGA hat, for instance, clearly states “I am a hat resting upon a cranium that surrounds a vacuum”. ---
**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 23, 2019, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/150 "2019-01-23T07:02:40Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > And if it had a swastika, still a hat? Obviously not. So, a hat can be a symbol, it can be a statement. The MAGA hat, for instance, clearly states “I am a hat resting upon a cranium that surrounds a vacuum”. Reducto ad Hitlerum? At some point hyperbole and violent overreaction is going to go too far. But whatever, if hatcrime is the offense of the day is doxxing and threats of violence suitable punishment? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/151 "2019-01-23T08:24:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Name someone in the professional media that has called for murder. Erik Abriss, writer for [Vulture.com](http://Vulture.com) (which is an [offshoot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_(magazine)#Digital_expansion_and_blogs) of New York Magazine): “i don’t know what it says about me but I’ve truly lost the ability to articulate the hysterical rage, nausea, and heartache this makes me feel. I just want these people to die. Simple as that. Every single one of them. And their parents.” He was fired for it: [https://www.thewrap.com/vulture-writer-on-covington-students-i-just-want-these-people-to-die-simple-as-that/](https://www.thewrap.com/vulture-writer-on-covington-students-i-just-want-these-people-to-die-simple-as-that/) Disney Producer Jack Morrissey: “#MAGAkids go screaming, hats first, into the woodchipper” with an illustration: [https://www.dailywire.com/news/42518/disney-producer-apologizes-wishing-covington-boys-paul-bois](https://www.dailywire.com/news/42518/disney-producer-apologizes-wishing-covington-boys-paul-bois) There are a lot more who called for them to be punched as so forth rather than killed outright. Here’s a list, with sources, naming a few that was spread around conservative forums on Reddit. It’s a day old so they’ve probably found more since then: [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/aiccfs/this_content_is_being_shadowbanned_all_over/) Someone named Sarah Beattie, reportedly an SNL writer, publicly offered a blowjob to anyone who punches the smirking kid. Although, I’m having trouble confirming that she’s an SNL write because all searches on her name are overwhelmed with stories about this incident. [Actress Offers Sex Act to Anyone Willing to ‘Punch’ Covington Teenager](https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/gabriel-hays/2019/01/22/snl-writer-offers-sex-act-anyone-willing-punch-covington) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/152 "2019-01-23T09:17:52Z")
I myself brought up the MAGA hat not because it makes them bad people, but because the hat has nothing to do with their purported reason for being there. They were supposed to be doing a pro-life protest. Wearing a pro-life hat would make sense. But a MAGA hat shows they were really there for a pro-Trump message. And then they did say things that fit that. They pushed the “foreigners go home” message. They pushed a white supremacist message. And, like it or not, those were actually part of the “Make America Great Again” proposal. The MAGA hat was suspicious due to the reason for their protest, and then their actions confirmed the suspicions. Legit pro-life protesters would care more about pushing the anti-abortion message. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/153 "2019-01-23T09:33:58Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/aiccfs/this_content_is_being_shadowbanned_all_over/) /r/The\_Donald should tell you all you need to know about this post. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/154 "2019-01-23T09:38:45Z")
And, yes, Kanye West is a bigot. Did you not hear him saying “slavery is a choice”? And when everyone tells him that what he’s doing supports racism, he doesn’t care. He even said about Trump “racism isn’t a dealbreaker.” The guy has been acting like a racist lately. His only saving grace are people saying he’s just so out of touch that he doesn’t understand the implications of what he’s saying. Or, yes, that his mental illness and refusal to take the drugs are leaving him vulnerable to irrational thoughts. The guy largely doesn’t make sense anymore. There’s a reason why he’s gone from a guy that black people respect to being considered an Uncle Tom. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/155 "2019-01-23T10:06:42Z")
Meanwhile, I’ll just quote myself from the other thread on this… > [@Covington Catholic High (in case it hasn't been mentioned already)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/341): > > Having now seen more of the video… > > [New Video Shows MAGA Teens Are Just As Awful As Everyone Thought](https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/dont-doubt-what-you-saw-with-your-own-eyes-1831931203?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=theconcourse_facebook&utm_campaign=bottom) > > Jesus that’s a fucking mob screaming “WALL WALL WALL” at a tiny group of black preachers (who are being jerks) while wearing the modern equivalents of white hoods and mocking a veteran who comes in to try to break it up. Fuck all this nonsense about how it isn’t what it clearly is. > [@Covington Catholic High (in case it hasn't been mentioned already)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/345): > > Pretty much. From that same Deadspin article: > > Last night, the smirking teen, Nick Sandmann, was identified in **a statement issued in his name by the publicity firm his parents hired for him** , in which he suggested that he was in fact the victim in the situation. > > (Bolding mine). > > Digging deeper: [Covington Catholic video: RunSwitch PR helped Nick Sandmann](https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2019/01/21/covington-catholic-runswitch-pr-helped-student-in-controversial-video/2638400002/) > > Asked about its role, RunSwitch released a statement saying that the firm "has been retained by the Sandmann family to offer professional counsel with what has become a national media story. We are working with the family to ensure an accurate recounting of events which occurred this past weekend.” > > So yeah, while a 16-year-old maybe could have written that, we know that this kid’s parents _hired a fucking PR firm to run damage control_. > > Holy fucking shit. > > Can you imagine being so fucking privileged that when a picture of you being an asshole goes viral, your parents will hire a PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING COMPANY to help manage your image. That they not only have the money to be able to afford to hire a PR firm, but are so interested in coddling their brat that they’ll _actually fucking do it_. > > [This is how you get Affluenza, kids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Couch). This is why this particular strain of bully wins. Also, let’s not forget that their bad behavior was not limited to being a rowdy, racist mob. They were also horribly misogynistic and _definitely_ looking for trouble. Here’s testimony from someone else who was there: > > [@](#): > > Powerful testimony from Chase Iron Eyes bearing witness to what really happened: > > -Black israelites were kicked out earlier by the native americans. > > -Maga kids were roaming around accosting passers-by, seeking people to harass long before they crossed. > > From what it looks like: > > -The black israelites were harassing people and being confrontational - they suck, and are also horrible homophobes btw. > > -The maga kids were also harassing people and being confrontational. > > -Nathan Phillips was attempting to defuse their encounter. > > Some more details: > > \*\*-The situation was out of hand for a while and the adults with the covington group were encouraging their hostile behavior. > \*\* > > What Chase Iron Eyes described was consistent with other footage of the covington group before their encounter there - there’s footage of them roaming around harassing women’s march attendees. And here’s that footage: > **[MAGA hat boys 'filmed harassing girls' before troubling stand-off with Native...](https://www.indy100.com/news/maga-hat-boys-covington-catholic-harassing-women-washington-nathan-phillips-twitter-video-8739981)** > > A video has emerged on social media reportedly showing the Covington Catholic High School boys 'harrassing' young women, said to have taken place before the viral moment with the Native American protestor happened. A young woman posted a video to... And here’s one of them screaming “it’s not rape if you like it”. [https://millennialpolitics.co/new-covington-catholic-footage-shows-teenager-yelling-its-not-rape-if-you-enjoy-it/](https://millennialpolitics.co/new-covington-catholic-footage-shows-teenager-yelling-its-not-rape-if-you-enjoy-it/) Oh, and there’s the whole “blackface” thing. > **[Covington Catholic High School students ‘wore blackface’ to pep rallies](https://www.indy100.com/news/convington-catholic-high-school-blackface-students-pep-rally-basketball-8740116)** > > Covington Catholic High School has landed in even more hot water after photos and video have emerged showing students wearing blackface to sporting events.This comes after students were filmed taunting Native American Vietnam war veteran Nathan... Which one of the shitheads at that school defended by saying, “We always dress up like that for basketball games”, which, as far as defenses go, is pretty fucking weak. So yeah. The media fucked up. It dropped the ball badly. But it didn’t drop the ball by making villains out of poor innocent high-schoolers. [It dropped the ball by apologizing](https://rewire.news/article/2019/01/22/white-washing-white-supremacy-media-rushes-to-excuse-covington-catholic-students/), by pretending this was anything but a gang of rabble-rousing, shit-stirring, racist, misogynistic thugs out for trouble, by falling for the spin of the public relations firm Sandmann’s mom hired for her son, as if this story couldn’t get any more fucking embarrassing. And in reward for their actions, they’re getting booked to mainstream talk shows and invited to the white house. Nicely done. Obviously, death threats are wrong. Obviously nobody should be threatening violence on the school. But… I have trouble feeling any degree of outrage over that, because this school needs to be burned to the ground. It is the result of a broken culture actively breaking those who come out of it. There are countless stories swirling around about just how awful the culture there is - how sexism, racism, and homophobia are enabled and endorsed, how bullies are empowered, and how children there are taught to hate and never face backlash for it. And these kids are a result of that culture. And because they’re rich and white, and _their parents have a direct hand in enforcing that culture_ (who hears “your son was part of a racist, misogynistic mob harassing people and looking for trouble” and thinks, "Shit, I’d better hire a PR firm so that my kid doesn’t face any backlash from this?!), they will never, ever face consequences for their actions. Sandmann’s punishment for this was being invited to the [Today Show](https://www.today.com/news/nick-sandmann-encounter-native-american-elder-nathan-phillips-i-respect-t147217) and [possibly the white house](https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/news/2019/01/22/trump-reportedly-invites-covington-catholic-students-to-white-house/2650406002/). What lesson do you think they learned from this? Nobody should face online death threats, but as of right now, that is literally the only consequence these little shitheads are going to take from this, so excuse me if my outrage meter is running at less than 100%. Or, to paraphrase one media creator I’m a big fan of: “I get death threats on a daily basis without being a total shithead, and I’ve never been invited on national television to talk about it.” (He gets death threats for writing articles and making videos on gaming that gamergaters don’t like.) ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/156 "2019-01-23T10:09:35Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > /r/The\_Donald should tell you all you need to know about this post. The list has sources for everything and it stands for itself. It is irrelevant where it was posted. It is posted in conservative forums on Reddit because it is reportedly being deleted by moderators elsewhere there. (This is credible, as in the last year or two there has been widespread left-wing censorship of the main “neutral” forums there such as r/news. Politically controversial threads often have thousands of deleted comments and archiving sites show that many of them are innocuous posts that break no rules.) I could have posted the list myself here, but I’m not going to take the time to reformat the links for the SDMB. This is Great Debates. Make an argument or get out. “These facts are not true because the person who posted a link to them has been spiritually contaminated by viewing something written by a Trump supporter” is not an argument. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/157 "2019-01-23T10:16:37Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > The list has sources for everything and it stands for itself. It is irrelevant where it was posted. It is posted in conservative forums on Reddit because it is reportedly being deleted by moderators elsewhere there. (This is credible, as in the last year or two there has been widespread left-wing censorship of the main “neutral” forums there such as r/news. Politically controversial threads often have thousands of deleted comments and archiving sites show that many of them are innocuous posts that break no rules.) And you could not pay me to click on that link, or to buy into this ridiculous conspiracy theory. > [@](#): > > This is Great Debates. Make an argument or get out. “These facts are not true because the person who posted a link to them has been spiritually contaminated by viewing something written by a Trump supporter” is not an argument. Look up, there’s your argument. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/158 "2019-01-23T10:26:41Z")
From that [ReWire article](https://rewire.news/article/2019/01/22/white-washing-white-supremacy-media-rushes-to-excuse-covington-catholic-students) I linked above: > [@](#): > > [https://rewire.news/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dxct0m8WoAAiBiD-375x250.jpg](https://rewire.news/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dxct0m8WoAAiBiD-375x250.jpg) > > I am not sure I see the nuance here. The notion that this was OK at a formal school function tells us all we need to know about the lessons these kids learn from their parents, “teachers,” coaches, and community. The same lessons Kavanaugh got: Act with impunity because we will protect you. > > That impunity is what the country saw during the Kavanaugh hearings. It is what we see every time a white police officer or other agent of the state goes uncharged or is acquitted for killing an unarmed person of color. It is what we see and hear in the rush to show sympathy and find “nuance” in the actions of entitled white boys and men, and in the dismissal of the experience of a Native elder. It is what women see every day in trying to access health care. Intimidate with impunity, and we will protect you. > > The only “motivated reasoning” that’s been deployed is by those who find a need to excuse male white behavior, no matter what. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/159 "2019-01-23T10:39:51Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > … Obviously, death threats are wrong. Obviously nobody should be threatening violence on the school. … That’s a great bit of advice. Where have I seen someone threatening violence on the school? Oh, that’s right, two pages ago in this very thread, this was quoted: > [@Covington Catholic High (in case it hasn't been mentioned already)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covington-catholic-high-in-case-it-hasnt-been-mentioned-already/828090/36): > > Jesus christ, that’s horrifying. What we seem to have here is a school which actively breeds the worst of society. Can we nuke it from orbit? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210/160 "2019-01-23T10:45:50Z")
EDIT: that’s bait, never mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-media-misrepresented-the-incident-with-the-covington-cathlic-kids/828210.md?page=9)