Nathan Phillips, Omaha Elder vs. white supremacy and toxic masculinity

[amilyn]

This story is not about me.

But, peripherally, it touches my experiences in ways that have been, for me, incredibly unsettling.

My FB is my space, and while I have endeavoured to keep the focus, as much as I can, on Nathan Phillips and his calm in the face of provocation, on his expression of STILL BEING in the face of the descendents of those who

Comments

[signeh]

Very well written and much to consider here.

Something about the incident is starting to feel "off" to me. The word I keep coming back to is staged. Look at what it has actually done: it drew attention to an anti-choice march, distracted us from Trump's so-called deal to end the government shutdown and the Democratic response, and very carefully walked a fine line between being offensive and something that might involve actual criminal charges. That feels planned to me.

I fear young men wearing that smirk too. I know it too well.

[amilyn]

I can imagine the boys being told it would be a good idea, encouraged, etc.

But this feels opportunistic to me, the focus on how Poor Widdle White Boys are SOOOO persecuted by all these Big Bad Liberals...it just gives a distraction that feeds the narrative this administration and movement wants to promote.

As someone said, all that's missing is the brown shirts...but this movements brown shirts are those red hats. Those smirks, though...they're a constant. And they're terrifying.

I don't think this was planned; I think these folks just grab onto anything that they can use when it becomes available...sort of like Dan Quayle's malapropisms were great distractions.

As an aside...are you on Dreamwidth? I've got cross-posting set up, but the majority of what's going on in terms of discussion and commentary is happening.

[a2zmom]

Thank you for posting this. James Fallows is one of our greatest writers.

As far as conservatives trying to pin this on Nathan Phillips, right. A group of young white teenage boys whose attire already aligns them with a racist felt threatened by a man old enough to be their grandfather. These delightful examples of prejudice knew exactly what they were doing.