This image went around the world. A boy and an older man are facing each other. The man has the features of a Native American and plays an ethnic tambourine. The boy smiles (mocking). It's white. Worse. He wears the red cap MAGA, Make America Great Again, Trump's motto.
What's happening?

The media verdict, mainstream e social, it is unmistakable. He is a white supremacist who enjoys humiliating yet another POC (Person of colour/member of an ethnic minority). “Baby Trumps mock Native leader", the newspapers write and the news is relaunched all over the planet, Including Italy (the title is from Corriere.it).

Bene, it is a sensational fake news that is shaking the information system made in the USA. The episode became confirmation of the media's approximation; of the prejudice and hypocrisy of those who often proclaim themselves champions of anti-racism; and how, for social and media, in America today there is still the wrong skin color: the white.
Let's get to the facts: il video (edited) went viral a few days ago. An elderly Native American man is seen, Nathan Phillips, playing the drum surrounded by a multitude of shouting boys. They are the students from a Catholic school in Kentucky, Covington. They are all white and many wear MAGA hats. One of the boys, Nick Sandman, it's right across from Phillips. He's practically the only one doing nothing. He just smiles.
A pious soul, not knowing American political and social dynamics, he would find it, after all, a video of very little interest. Instead in today's America, it's dynamite. Social media goes wild and the media follows suit. “Boys in MAGA hats bully Native American elder during indigenous rights march”, writes the highly authoritative New York Times. “The video of American teenagers insulting a native sparks outrage”, is the BBC title. “Teenagers make fun of Native American”, CNN reports.
Native Nathan Phillips, among other things, an ex-Marine veteran, he is immediately reached and interviewed. His story is poignant and tear-jerking. He talks about how he just wanted to reach the Lincoln Memorial when he was "surrounded and blocked" by the gang of youths. “They shouted at me and launched the usual Trump slogans – he says – Let's build the Wall, they told me".
Open up heaven. “The blatant display of hatred and intolerance on the part of these students is a sign of how every standard of decency has collapsed under this administration”, tweets a congressman (the tweet has been removed).
Il Washington Post comes to identify a link between the Covington boys and the Catholic church in general: “The Catholic Church's shameful history of abuse against natives”.
Think of the pressure unleashed on these kids, all minors. The National Review says that, with their behavior, and “as if they had spat on the crucifix”. They call them worms, snakes. They receive death threats. And of course the cause of their blatant racism involves parents, school and teachers.
The hatred of tolerant and liberal America is particularly focused on the smiling boy, Nick Sandman. “I want his name. They should be disgraced,” he writes comedian Kathy Griffin, famous for displaying Trump's severed head on one of his shows. Actor Ron Perlman (Hellboy's), she writes to him lovingly: “To the little shit in this picture, Your punishment will be a lifetime of remorse.".
And it's incredible how many personalities usually show off tolerance, antimilitarism and pacifism did not hesitate for a second to incite physical violence against a boy from 15 years: “Have you ever seen a more punchable face than this guy's?” he tweets, amid general applause, the intellectual of Iranian origin Reza Aslan.
A collaborator, quite foul-mouthed, del Saturday Night Live show, publicly offers “a blowjob to anyone who punches the guy in the Maga hat in the face”.
The boy's face it is placed alongside that of newly elected Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and exposed to public contempt. “Here is the oppressive face of patriarchy!”. The collective hysteria deflates after about 48 ore, when it becomes evident a (quasi) everyone that they had made a gigantic mistake. It wasn't difficult. It was enough to see the video in its entirety, listen to the other party, look for a minimum of evidence.
First the Native American, Nathan Phillips, a militant activist, he lied across the board. In this video you can clearly see that it is Phillips who suddenly appears, with his tambourine, and to go towards the group of boys. The Lincoln Memorial is in the background. Phillips cuts straight and goes towards the guys. Just no one tries to stop him from going to the memorial.
Other even more bizarre details emerge. The original video was shot by a self-styled group of “Israeli African Americans” who were also visiting Washington. It's a group with pretty toxic views on women and homosexuals. At a certain point we see that they are the ones interacting with the group of Covington students, with quite heavy epithets. “Your president is a real fagot” shouts one of the black Israelis.
Outrage at these homophobic phrases? Not received. Instead the network wants to punch a boy in the face 15 years, who says nothing but smiles mockingly. Clearly the real reason, unexpressed, it's another. “How dare this guy walk around with a Trump hat?”
Now the conservatives, President in the lead, they celebrate what (rightly) they consider it a major slip-up by the liberal press. Il New York Times he expressed a heartfelt and convincing mea culpa, others less. The most irreducible, type Vox o Buzzfeed, they are digging into the social life of each of these kids to look for a compromising phrase or piece of evidence... something that proves that yes, they were really big racists. Someone responds to the tweet by Reza Aslan with a German poster from the 1930s, depicting the caricatural grin of a Jew. “This was also a beatable face…”
And in Italy? It's worth it, knowing the facts now, to read what he wrote again, indignant Republic: While the group mocks and bullies an elderly man […] one of the boys challenges him with a look and a pleased smile […] wearing a cap with the unmistakable MAGA motto [HORROR].
The Indian's noble words of forgiveness follow (the only one in this story to have lied shamelessly) and assurances that students will definitely be punished and expelled. Corrections, clarifications, apologies? At the moment, Nothing.
Stefano Varanelli, 24 January 2019
source – https://www.nicolaporro.it/follie-usa-la-fake-degli-indiani-buoni-e-dei-bianchi-cattivi/