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MAGA hats are offensive and there’s nothing we can do about it
At the Quartz [qz.com]:
The most controversial accessory in the United States looks simple enough. A straightforward phrase: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” An ugly design: barely legible text printed on blinding red fabric, in a font that looks like it was last used in 1996.
Innocent enough. But,
On Friday, some kids wore these hats, went to an anti-abortion rally, and mocked a Native American man. People were offended [vox.com]. The kids felt bad about it. Maybe. “In hindsight I wish we could’ve walked away and avoided the whole thing,” said Nick Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School student whose smirking face has become the image of this whole controversy.
Oh, this is what it is about! We read on:
That was probably never a real option. “Walking away” and “avoiding the whole thing” became difficult the moment the kids decided to wear those damn hats. That’s because the MAGA hat is more than a hat. It’s also a symbol, representing a concept larger than its constituent parts. And that concept is one that freaks people out. Not only that, but the people who wear MAGA hats are often aware of this.
The hats are tied up with the concept of “triggering,” a favored trolling strategy among the so-called “alt-right.” To trigger someone is to push their political buttons. Using a racial epithet, for example, is an obvious and harsh trigger. But triggering is most satisfying to trolls if the thing that sets it off as innocuous as an ugly baseball cap. Then those who get triggered look ridiculous. It’s just a hat, for christ’s sake! You can’t deal with a stupid hat?!
Alt-headgear. Alt-hats. Alt-hate hats?
I can say that, personally, as a brown guy who sometimes has a large, terrorist-looking beard, if I see someone with a MAGA hat on, I become a bit afraid that they will tell me to go back to my home country (Michigan) or punch me in the face. So yes, the stupid hat triggers me. And the reaction to the smirking kid’s viral video shows me that I am far from alone.
Nothing we can do about it. Just say "no" to MAGA hats!
