There is no more conservative value than “respect your elders.” See Ten Commandments. We could add “show good manners”. It is clear that these values were not present among the boys in this video of teenagers taunting a native American elder. It apparently never occurred to them that “respect other human beings whose traditions are different from your own” is also an inherently American value.
There is an ugliness in this video, a wave of deep-seated anger that we know well. It reminded me of a quintessential image of young Nazi soldiers taunting an old Jewish man. Others have compared it to the hatred towards those seeking integration in the 1950s. I also imagine a mob of drunken young men surrounding a defenseless woman.
We must call out the lack of decency and stop it in its tracks or we will devolve into an ugly people. All good people, regardless of politics, have a duty to speak out against hatred, cruelty, and intimidation. It forms the core of what makes us civilized. Free speech and assembly, even if protected by law, can still be revolting.
Here’s a link to the video by Kaya Taitano, via Storyful https://nyti.ms/2Hl4Wyl