The Covington Threat To Freedom of Expression Is Not What You Think

By now, you’ve seen every possible story and video angle and re-interpreted story/video angle and re-hashed commentary on said story/narrative/video angle/et cetera about the MAGA Hat Teens and the Native American Elder, Nathan Phillips, and the Black Hebrew Israelites spewing their usual nonsense — and your particular perspective on that situation is likely already cast in bronze, never to be moved until we excavate our history.

But I’m not here to talk about smug smiles or media ineptitude. I’m here to talk about the First Amendment—freedom of expression—and how it relates to this whole fiasco. Because frankly:

Individual rights should apply equally across the board, and regardless of your read on the Covington scenario, it’s clear that inequality was still rampant in the action, and the fallout.

In short, this whole situation—and the reaction to it—has been completely disingenuous. Let me explain.

Imagine a group of rowdy black teenagers had confronted a white Evangelical on the street.

As a thought experiment, reverse the dominant races in that initial confrontation between the Covington Catholic Boys and the Black Hebrew Israelites. How would the media—particularly, but not exclusively on the right—respond in…