, 13 tweets, 4 min read Read on Twitter
So I want to talk about the video of the kids and the Native man from this morning: I thought it was dumb and disrespectful when I saw it. Kids tend to do dumb and disrespectful things, but adults should have stepped in. At the same time, I don't like to focus on kids.
As the day went on and I started seeing major media figures highlighting it, some reporters trying to identify the kids, and others suggesting violence against them, the more uncomfortable I got with this story. I wanted the kids to face consequences, but not a mob.
These kids should learn a lesson, not have their lives ruined over a viral moment of them acting dumb. The main kid in the video was a primary target for a lot of big accounts. However, now that I've seen the full video, I'm even more annoyed at the mob.
Forgetting the tweet, here is the video. You can clearly see that the native guy chose to go into the crowd. The kids were still behaving childishly, but it was Phillips who chose to go up to and drum in the face of the kid who was standing there:
Yes, he was smirking and he could have moved, but does this kid really deserve to be expelled or have his life destroyed for it? I think people should treat others with respect. That failed here and I don't mind consequences for the kids, but let's keep it in proportion.
I definitely think the full video makes Phillips look much less like a victim. I don't know if he thought they were joking around or what, but an adult should know better and not try to intentionally escalate such a situation.
So apparently a lot of the outrage stems from The Washington Post taking Phillips' version and printing it, despite it being contradicted by the video. He approached the kid, not the other way around. And he could have gone around him or turned around at any time.
Seriously, I urge reporters to watch the video. It clearly doesn't match up to Phillips' description. I guess the "wall" chant could have happened outside the video, but his claim that the kid was blocking him is clearly made up. He chose to stand there.
Not that the truth matters now that tens of thousands of people have already gotten a specific version via WaPo. Hopefully the school at least actually watches the full video before it decides on appropriate punishments.
So here is an extended video that shows the conclusion, which makes the point even more. The kids end up walking away and then Phillips' grandson starts yelling "we won" and they all celebrate. This is a childish display from all sides.
Yes, I don't know who these activists were, but they were shouting blatantly racist and homophobic slurs at the kids. I'm surprised no one covered it.
Hopefully everyone can move on with their lives, but I will say it is frustrating that I had to watch multiple youtube videos to get the truth because the account printed by one of the biggest newspapers in the country and spread by countless blue checks all day was not reliable.
UPDATE: Since WaPo chose to only print the Phillips' version of the events (which was contradicted by video), here is a statement from one of the students involved (which actually mostly tracks with the video):
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