I’m still amazed by the collective insanity that so much of the media succumbed to regarding the Covington Catholic kids. It looks even more ridiculous in retrospect than it did at the time. All these feelings projected onto literal children who did nothing newsworthy.
The libel suits are a sideshow. “Was this actionable?” is not really the main problem with taking some private citizens (minors!) and making them, individually, the famous avatars of whatever you’re upset about. But I’m not sure I’ve really seen any reflection.
Partly it reflected the Jacobin-style effort to identify and excommunicate holders of “immoral” ideas even in the general public (minors!) and partly it reflected mental dysfunctions held over from the Kavanaugh hearings — better stop the private school kid now! Anyway, very bad.
More broadly, the political discourse’s use of children in service of political and social causes has been extremely unhealthy of late. I have done my best to ignore Greta Thunberg and the Parkland kids and whoever else and I’d suggest you do the same.
I find it galling that adults have gotten into public arguments about at least two of the Parkland kids’ college admissions. That I *know* anything about their college admissions makes me want to take a shower. None of this is news!
People have completely lost the idea that some things are not matters of public concern. Nick Sandmann surely has moral attributes. But they are unknown to me, they are not my business, and I should not make public guesses at them based on his facial expressions.
Nor, for that matter, should I make them based on his being white and affluent.
