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Here are my thoughts on the full length video that captures when and how the encounter with the MAGA school boys and the drumming Indigenous elder started and what was happening just beyond it. [thread]
#1: The Indigenous Peoples' event was happening completely separate from the March for Life event. This huge pack of MAGA gear-wearing school boys descended on the Indigenous People's event, not the other way around.
#2: Yes, other wacked out groups were there, in a stationary position, spouting their own brand of nonsense. The MAGA school boys group positioned themselves nearby and surrounded that particular wacked out group.
#3: Wacked out group and MAGA minis took turns engaging each other and tensions escalated.
#4: Indigenous elder Nathan Phillips and his drummers were drumming nearby.
#5: Noticing the tensions, elder Nathan decided to try to bring peace and calm by interposing himself and his drummers between the wacked out group and the MAGA minis, drumming out a song of unity in the face of oppression.
#6: This huge group of MAGAs, instead of dispersing, moving out of the way, giving these Indigenous People the space at their own rally, or respectfully listening, instead surrounded the elder. Swarming and engulfing him.
#7: Not respecting this elder's personal space, this smirking young MAGA put himself a mere foot away from this gentleman, his MAGA school friends encouraging him in his gross display of disrespect, white male privilege, and intimidation.
The chaperoning adults apparently joined in the taunting, the mockery, the disrespect.
Now... was the wacked out group wacky? Yes. Should the chaperones of this school-sponsored field trip full of MAGAs have allowed their charges to gather round and engage with said wacked out group? No.
Should these chaperones have moved their kids further down and out of ear shod and escalation? Yes. Should these chaperones have allowed and encouraged their kids to surround and taunt the indigenous elder when he tried to calm things? NO!
This full length video shows us even more about these MAGA minis and their chaperones. It shows how irresponsibly complicit their chaperones were in allowing it to happen and doing nothing to stop it when it did.
**Fast Forward 1hr 12 minutes into the video & you see the elder approach w/his drum & drummers & you see him step forward. You see the huge crowd of MAGAs fully encircle them.
Look closely and you'll notice he does not single out anyone. He does not step into the personal space of this young man.
You can see if you watch closely that before it cuts away and back toward the perspective of the wackadoos that the elder does not have anyone up in his face yet.
But from other videos it's clear this young man chose at some point to put himself within inches of this drumming elder and smirk his MAGA hat wearing self into viral infamy. And his chaperones did absolutely nothing to rein him in.**
So for all those seeking to "balance" the discussion and outrage regarding this young man and his school buddies' behavior out by dropping a link to this video as though it mitigates what was done, I ask you, what's to balance?
That these little MAGAs surrounded and smirked in the face of a drumming indigenous man while taunting and mocking him?? Does that truth tip the balance just a little too and uncomfortably far in a racist & appallingly disrespectful direction? And why even try to "balance" it?
The full video doesn't exonerate this young man or his irresponsible chaperones. So why is anyone even trying to excuse this little shit's and his enablers' behavior? Why? Who does that benefit?
Hint: Not this man with the drum and a song about unity in the face of this disrespectful school boy. And not anyone else doing their best to stand strong in the face of smirking oppression. [end thread]
Unroll please @threadreaderapp
