The point is, the act of vandalism was a symbolic act with a political purpose, to which, rightly or wrongly, the people added the desecration of the Eleusinian mysteries as part of an anti-democratic movement. While one incident sprang from political motives, the other was probably no more than arrogant rich Athenians acting out. The personal enemies of Alcibiades, and those who resented rich elitists, took advantage of political tensions to paint both incidents with the same brush.
This is a lesson we need to consider when looking at the Washington incident. That the boys were wearing MAGA hats and other Trump apparel — and allowed (if not encouraged) by their chaperones to do so while at the March for Life — constitutes a deliberate political act and a deliberate provocation. In our current context, it is impossible to separate the MAGA symbol from anti-immigrant and anti-minority views and policies. After all, what could “make America great again” mean other than returning America to its “ancestral constitution,” in which those like Phillips didn’t have a voice?
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