What In God's Name Makes America Great? A Conversation About a Teenager, a MAGA Hat, and a Native American with a Drum

Last Friday, Nick Sandmann and Nathan Phillips stood face to face for a few moments. You’ve probably seen the picture: Nick, a high school student on a school field trip, is wearing a red MAGA hat; Nathan, an older Native American, is beating his drum.

In so many ways, what happened on the Lincoln Memorial steps last Friday, and how people reacted to what happened, is a rich window into our current cultural moment.

Chris and Shayna ask, What In God’s Name was going on? What can we learn? What conversations can we have?

You may not like everything Chris and Shayna have to say in this show. In fact, Chris and Shayna may not have liked everything each of them had to say to each other, DURING the show. And that’s OK!

Join us in conversation—respond to what you like, and what you don’t like. Send us an email, maybe we’ll read it on the show. Leave a comment on Facebook.

Conversation, dialogue, creative disagreement: ALL OF THESE ARE SO IMPORTANT NOW!

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Our email: whatingods@ribeye-media.com.

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Here are timecodes to help you navigate through today’s show:

00:52    If you are listening to us for the first time, Chris explains that we’re not on the red team or the blue team.

02:25    A quick recap of the events at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday, January 18, 2019.

03:24    Chris wants to begin with the hat. What does a MAGA hat symbolize? How do we negotiate (or come into conflict about) differing interpretations of a symbol?

06:50    Chris offers a defense of Nick Sandmann, based on his age. To what extent does the young man get a “pass” because of his youth? How do boys learn healthy uses for their male power? Shayna raises the question of respect. If Nick and the others were being disrespectful towards Nathan Phillips, what led to that?

11:11    Chris advocates for not throwing the baby out with the bathwater: there are great cultural treasures that we inherit from Western, European civilization. Are cultural conservatives correct in perceiving hostility toward Western civilization from the political left?

15:12    Chris introduces the “rush to judgment” part of the story. Searching reflections ensue on white privilege, systemic racism, and how best to seek change. Chris and Shayna have different perspectives and find their way back to common ground.

19:22    The conversation turns to how pundits reacted to the video, and Chris reads some of NYT columnist Frank Bruni’s observations. Something is amiss with media in our cultural moment. What is amiss? Frank Bruni says, “Instead of bucking political tribalism in America, we ride it.”

22:33    Shayna introduces the idea of false prophets. Where are the false prophets in our culture?