Whatever Wednesday

Political Potpourri

So, what do I think about the controversy involving the Covington Catholic students? I'm glad you asked.

The initial video snippet certainly looked indicting, & many group & people on both sides quickly condemned the students. However, there was much more to the story. A subsequent, lengthy video of the entire incident revealed a whole other side. The student were being taunted by another group of adults. Nathan Phillips' presence was not benign.

This morning I read an article by David French on National Review Online. Titled, "Nathan Phillips Interview with CNN Is Full of Falsehoods, Inconsistencies, & Nonsense," it offers a detailed look of the interview, which portrayed Phillips as virtually an innocent bystander & literally a peacemaker. French totally deconstructs Phillips' narrative & comments & is worth your read, if you can find it. Here's an excerpt.

"I've been to dozens of high school football & basketball games. In the South a least, this is what student bodies do. They shout. They dance around. They get loud. And if they're being taunted by racists, it actually seems like a constructive response to hate speech. Don't engage, have fun. But then came Nathan Phillips, he walked into their midst, he sang words they didn't understand, & then he spewed falsehoods in the national media. Why are so many progressives taking his word as true? Because he's telling the story they want to heart, not because he's telling the truth."

To summarize:

• These students were being taunted by another group of adults.
• Nathan Phillips forced his way into the confrontation.
• He was NOT trying to work as a peacemaker.
• The students may have responded indelicately, but they also may have responded as typical high school students.
• Progressives prefer to see these young men as haters.
• The media has given Phillips a forum that he does not deserve.
• The media has only served to feed the true haters. [Covington Catholic had to shut down on TUE 1/22, due to threats.]
• The students may, at worst, have acted immaturely.
• The media, at worst, continues to advance a narrative that seeks to paint "the other side" as bigoted & prejudiced.This narrative is more important than reporting the facts.