PBS News Story on First-Time Trump Voters Prominently Displays Longtime White Power Tattoos

[Earth_First]

Last night, PBS NewsHour ran a story on the Tilly family of Fayetteville, North Carolina. The Tillys do not have a history of being active in politics, but various members of the family—both old and young—are being motivated to vote or work for a campaign for the first time by Donald Trump.

If you can put aside the fact that the Tillys are rallying behind Trump, this is a small but almost heartwarming story of a family choosing to engage with democracy. That’s also if you can put aside the fact that Grace, one of the central characters in the story, has large white power tattoos on each of her hands.

Above, you see Grace phone banking for Donald Trump, with the Celtic Cross tattoo on her right hand. Despite the tattoo being in plain view of PBS’ cameras, the story never acknowledges that it is interviewing a walking white power billboard. The Anti-Defamation League explains that the Celtic Cross is one of the most “commonly used white supremacist symbols.”

In another shot, we see Grace’s left hand, which bears the number 88:

Per the ADL’s website, “88 is a white supremacist numerical code for ‘Heil Hitler.’”

http://gawker.com/pbs-news-story-on-first-time-trump-voters-prominently-f-1765284316

[bravenak]

1. The KKK love Trump.

[Coventina]

2. OK, I accept the "88", that's well-known. But the Celtic Cross?!?!?

I refuse to accept that as being a white supremacist symbol.

They do NOT get to co-opt that and I have NEVER heard of it being a "commonly used white supremacist symbol".

[Earth_First]

4. There is a lot of celtic and runic imagery among the white supremacy organizations...

Even the SPLC acknowledges the imagery in tattoos among white supremacists.

It's unfortunate that it's been co-opted, I agree.

[Coventina]

6. I refuse to accept that. I have a Celtic knot tattoo and Celtic cross stickers all over my car.

I have more than one Celtic cross necklace and tons of Celtic jewelry (as well as Asian, Native American, Hawaiian, and other cultural jewelry).

I never in a million years would have ever imagined such a thing. As I said - I've never even HEARD of this until now!!

I'm shocked and angry.

[Hugin]

9. Aw, I too am sorry this has been done.

I'm heartened to hear your resistance to the racist revisionist reassignment and capture of religious symbols.

It has been like this for awhile, ever since getting a swastika tattoo became a means to insure oneself of perpetual pariah status. It's yet another dog whistle.

[Odin2005]

12. I'm of Scandinavian ancestry and the Neo-Nazis' appropriation of Norse symbols...

Never ceases to piss me off.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

5. Their version of it does not look like a true Celtic Cross

It looks more like a gunsight or the Zodiac Killer's stamp.

[Coventina]

7. OK, I just googled the image and it in no way resembles a traditional Celtic Cross.

I don't even get why it's called a Celtic Cross.

I wouldn't look at that symbol and think "Celtic Cross", ever.

[KittyWampus]

13. neither would I, and you are not alone at the anger over the misappropriation.

[Coventina]

16. It makes me angry that they even call it that! I mean, it really looks like a gunsight symbol.

This whole thing is just blowing my mind!

So, Celtic and Nordic imagery is dog-whistle for white supremacy now?

Are people who are readers/members of ADL & SLPC going to assume I'm a bigot if they see my car/jewelry? (My tattoo is not generally visible to the public).

Is Bluetooth going to have to change its logo? (It's the runic symbol for Harold Bluetooth - whom they named the company after).

I'm infuriated.

(not yelling at you, just expressing my frustrations in general)

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. It is part and parcel of the white identity movement

which is heavily christian and a subset of it.

[Coventina]

19. Which still makes zero sense to me. I was raised Presbyterian

and I will tell you that there is a boatload of stuff WRONG with that belief system - but ethnic bigotry was not one.

Sexism? Yes, for sure.

But the Presbyterian church here in the USA, at least, has prided itself since the Civil War, on being color blind.
And now are pro-LGBT.

That these mental morons in the White Power movement think that somehow Celtic Christianity is on their side is completely bewildering to me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. As I like to tell people...

the only thing in common that the White Identity Christian faith has with the rest of Christianity is well, the name. After that, not one thing.

Locally I pissed one off, apparently the fact that Christ was a Jew (and at the very least olive skinned) is well, a jewish conspiracy or something.

[Coventina]

21. LOL, yeah, that's a good one!!

[Initech]

3. What would Adolf do?

[Jenny_92808]

8. It is their symbol to promote racism

"In Germany, a "stylized" Celtic cross was adopted by a prohibited political party (VSBD/PdA) leading to a ban of the symbol if used within a context of promoting racism"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_cross

[Enrique]

10. PBS has responded

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2016/03/17/pbs-adds-editors-note-to-address-controversial-tattoos-of-trump-supporting-north-carolina-subject/

PBS has slapped an editor’s note on the story to address the issues:

Editor’s Note: At several times during this campaign the NewsHour has featured video packages of voices of voters, profiling different families and their views on the candidates and how they have arrived at them. These reports have been presented without reporters’ narration. It is true that this storytelling style requires the audience to draw its own conclusions about what they see and hear, but we believe the audience is able to do so.

In this case, a debate about Grace Tilly’s tattoos has started online. As you can see in the comments section posted with this story, Ms. Tilly argues that these tattoos are not representative of neo-Nazi positions but are connected to her family’s Celtic religious beliefs. That is what she told our producers as well. Others among our online commenters vehemently disagree.

The headline on this transcript has been updated to more accurately represent the video segment.

That headline now reads: “Tar Heel family explains why they support Trump”

A previous version read: “Tar Heel family illustrates why Trump appeals to the South”

To the point about the absence of reportorial narration in the story: That’s true, but the statements of the Tillys in the story are clearly responding to questions from PBS. Why not just include a response to the question: “What’s up with your tattoos?”

More to come on this story.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

11. If you look at her Facebook page, she "liked" "American White History Month"......

....and "David Lane (white supremacist)".

https://www.facebook.com/grace.tilly.7

And yes, that's definitely her. Same exact chest tattoo.

I can't think of a reason why you'd like the page of a out and about white supremacist if you weren't one yourself.

Her husband Farron "liked" "Certified Whiteboy Clothing", which I hoped against hope was tongue in cheek ironic but after seeing the page it was pretty obvious it was white supremacist propaganda:

https://www.facebook.com/ccdsk


He also liked "Nordic Beauty" and "I love being white", and lots of anti-government far-right militia type ideology.

[Enrique]

14. no, it's about her Celtic religious beliefs

Trump has a tremendous Wiccan following.

[ecstatic]

15. Interesting that they're white supremacists that didn't bother to vote

against President Obama in 2008 and 2012... Or were they "radicalized" during Obama's second term? Either way, I'm very troubled by the type of trash Trump is resonating with.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. When Trump said, I am getting new voters to the polls

these people are perfect examples, We have almost anecdotal evidence of this. My feeling, it is far larger than people realize.