CNN Commentator Has Sickening Response to Teen Attacked for Wearing 'MAGA' Hat
When a 16-year-old boy was assaulted for wearing a MAGA cap in a Texas Whataburger, allegedly by a 30-year-old man named Kino Jimenez, this probably should have been a cultural moment where we all checked ourselves. After all, this was a teenager — not even an adult — being physically accosted simply for wearing a piece of political regalia. Surely nobody could rationalize this, right?
Oh, sorry. Forgot this was 2018. That means that everything — up to and including a 16-year-old having his hat stolen and a drink thrown in his face — is fair game.
First there were unverified reports from local San Antonio media, picked up by other news outlets, that the young man had been engaging in racist talk before the attack. Those wonderful unsubstantiated slices of blaming an underage victim seem to have come from a single witness and were somewhat retracted and heavily qualified by the original source, although other media outlets had no problem repeating what sounds like the same single-source account.
Whether or not that’s true, however, doesn’t matter to some people. In fact, one TMZ reporter thinks that a MAGA hat is reason enough for a 16-year-old to be assaulted. And CNN contributor Marc Lamont Hill thinks that’s hysterical.
It all began when Van Lathan — currently on the 15 minutes of fame clock for his contentious TMZ interview with Kanye West — said he was perfectly happy with anyone wearing the trademark piece of Trump paraphernalia being physically assaulted.
“Wish I could take the high road,” Lathan responded to the original video on July 4.
“But your MAGA hat reads like a swastika to me. So ummm … hmmm. Yeah. Maybe I’m no longer a decent person.”
Wish I could take the high road. But your MAGA hat reads like a swastika to me. So ummm … hmmm. Yeah. Maybe I’m no longer a decent person. https://t.co/OWYodBRtxB
— Van “#1 Voice in Wrestling Media” Lathan Jr (@VanLathan) July 5, 2018
Yeah, I’d agree with that last part.
Clearly a CNN contributor like Hill wouldn’t actually think that was acceptable, right? Well, have you watched CNN lately? If you have, you know that’s not out of their wheelhouse — and Hill, who’s already been hanging as far outside the CNN wheelhouse as one can get without being tossed overboard, thought this was hysterical.
😂😂😂
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 5, 2018
LOL a kid I don’t politically agree with got assaulted! That’s the very definition of hilarity. And, when some people said that maybe as uproarious as the CNN contributor and Temple University professor (because of course he’s a member of academia) found it, Hill doubled down, arguing that “it’s a little harder to feel sympathy when someone gets Coca Cola thrown on him” if he’s wearing political regalia he doesn’t agree with.
I actually don’t advocate throwing drinks on people. Not at all. But yes, i think MAGA hats (deliberately) reflect a movement that conjures racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. So yes, it’s a little harder to feel sympathy when someone gets Coca Cola thrown on him. https://t.co/ASlATau2PF
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 5, 2018
A veritable Maxine Waters, this Hill. Perhaps he can buy out the Red Hen.
Now, keep in mind that this all transpired before any of the reports came out that the group which the young man who was assaulted was with may have said racist things. I again reiterate that these reports are single-sourced and have been partially retracted, but their veracity is rather beside the point here. They just thought it was hee-larious a teenager who they didn’t agree with got assaulted by a man who’s allegedly 30-years-old.
And when called upon to defend their tacit endorsement of political violence against teenagers, what was their response? Well, the MAGA hat is pretty much like a swastika to them, so it’s totally defensible.
Of course, this is hardly surprising from Hill. In the wake of Trump’s election, Hill managed to grab a little slice of infamy by criticizing “mediocre negroes” like Steve Harvey who met with the president-elect, claiming they were part of his “exploitative campaign against black people.”
“They keep bringing up comedians and actors and athletes to represent black interests. It’s demeaning, it’s disrespectful and it’s condescending,” Hill said. “Bring some people up there with expertise, Donald Trump, don’t just bring up people to entertain.”
One doth not need to be a dog to hear that whistle regarding entertainers. Regardless, Hill is pretty much a consistent agent of intolerance. And, no matter what the truth may be about Hunter Richard, the 16-year-old victim of the assault, he certainly sounds a lot more open-minded than Messrs. Hill and Lathan.
“He has a right to his opinion,” Richard told the San Antonio Express-News regarding his alleged attacker. “I’m down for other opinions, and I’m open to conversations. Let’s talk through this and come to some sort of agreement or neutral ground.”
“Let’s have a conversation if you care so deeply.”
So who’s intolerant here?
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