There is little disagreement in this country about the offensiveness of wearing a swastika or a white hood along with KKK robes. Symbols of hate and white supremacy are not tolerated well in the United States.
The red MAGA hat, for many, is a similar symbol, and one restaurant owner in California is banning them from his place of business. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, the restaurant’s owner, tweeted:
‘It hasn’t happened yet, but if you come to my restaurant wearing a MAGA cap, you aren’t getting served, same as if you come in wearing a swastika, white hood, or any other symbol of intolerance and hate.’
“It hasn’t happened yet, but if you come to my restaurant wearing a #MAGA cap, you aren’t getting served, same as if you come in wearing a swastika, white hood, or any other symbol of intolerance and hate," the @Wursthall owner tweeted. https://t.co/uAvQZbechU #Resist
— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) January 31, 2019
The tweet has caused snowflake Trumpsters to cry foul, although these are the same people who insist that Civil Rights laws that prevent them from refusing to serve gay people are unconstitutional and discriminates against Christians. The debate comes at a time when those red MAGA hats are seen as a symbol of hate and intolerance to many people.
‘The hats — which were worn by some of the Kentucky high school students who ignited a national controversy over their behavior at an indigenous people’s march this month in Washington, D.C. — have become a cultural symbol that, for some, connotes meaning beyond political disagreement.’
One more reason we’re going to have to end up banning these MAGA hats in public spaces. They’re not intended as speech. They’re intended as a threat. https://t.co/z2QiIFbM6s
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) January 31, 2019
In response to the tweet, one MAGA hat-wearer wrote a lengthy article of protest. Social media strategist Ryan Moore wrote an opinion column for The Tennessean, where he said that he wears his MAGA hat often because:
‘Many people have wished me dead, made threats and often call me racist simply because I support the wall and the President of the United States. The color of a person’s skin has absolutely nothing to do with immigration or the wall. It is the Democrats who are obsessed with ‘people of color’ and gender. Republicans look at people for who they are not for their gender or skin color.’
A 'MAGA' hat wearing Trump supporter said white men are "most hated" group in US, Democrats are race-obsessed https://t.co/g41oajuGON pic.twitter.com/EaJZ2bqKBE
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 31, 2019
This is, of course, ridiculous. Refusing to acknowledge racist and sexist ideologies doesn’t mean you aren’t racist or sexist, it just means you’re so overly sensitive that you can’t be expected to examine your own biases. Lopez-Alt called out the op-ed in no uncertain terms.
‘MAGA hats are like white hoods except stupider because you can see exactly who is wearing them.’
Yes the MAGA hat represents racism and white supremacy. It's the new klan hood.
Check out my latest.https://t.co/zI47SdEAJ0
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) January 31, 2019
Featured image via Flickr by R. Nial Bradshaw under a Creative Commons license
