I don’t know about kids these days, but when I was young, I was taught to respect my elders. Even if I disagreed with them, I still showed them respect.
Nathan Phillips is a Vietnam veteran, a Native American activist and an elder of the Omaha people. On Friday, Mr. Phillips was taunted by a group of young men from Covington Catholic High School as they chanted traditional songs at an event. Wearing MAGA hats, one of the boys involved is seen standing inches from Mr. Phillips with an arrogant smirk on his face. Other boys were chanting “build the wall”.
This is the consequence of having you know who in power. These young men did not get the idea to taunt Mr. Phillips and others like him from thin air. He is enabling these young men to believe that because they are Caucasian and male, they have the right to treat Mr. Phillips as they did. Shame on them, shame on their parents and shame on their school for allowing these young men to believe that such treatment is acceptable.
In 2019, we think that we have moved on from the prejudice and hate of the past. We think that we treat each other as human beings, regardless of labels or identity. But the sad reality is that prejudice and hate are still part of our culture. Until we face both head on, they will remain as a stain on our collective humanity.
Writergurlny 