I normally try to write about something bright and cheerful, something funny or something maybe even insightful. That was my original plan for this column, but a couple of things have happened recently that I'd rather focus my attention on.
Last week, The Weekly Vista received communication from someone (pro-Trump) who felt the political cartoon in the Jan. 4 edition of our paper was disrespectful towards President Trump. A few days later, The Weekly Vista received communication from a different person (anti-Trump) who felt a column in the paper edified President Trump. Both people threatened to cancel their subscriptions to the paper.
Apparently, it needs to be said that the items that appear in the editorial section reflect someone's opinion. The Weekly Vista is not in the habit of censoring opinions. The letters we run are not chosen by committee or edited for content. The columns and cartoons that appear are relevant to current events -- local and regional -- and also reflect someone's opinion. We run them all in an effort to represent the vast viewpoints of the community.
Because we are not all of the same mind, our opinions are bound to differ from time to time. If that time comes for you while you are reading this publication's editorial section, then -- with all due respect -- I humbly invite you to turn the page. If you are a subscriber to The Weekly Vista, then you know that it is filled with wonderful information and stories about the community, things that are informative, necessary and helpful. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
In one of these communications, I was reminded that many people in Bella Vista voted for President Trump, thereby winning him Arkansas and, effectively, the presidency. Your vote may have helped win your candidate the election, but it didn't win anyone the power to censor what appears in the newspaper. Moreover, President Trump is not the first Commander-in-Chief to be roasted by media, and he won't be the last. By the way, the vote wasn't unanimous. There are plenty of people in Bella Vista who do not care much for our new leader and who will cheer anything that challenges his tactics, character or policies.
If you are in this latter group, then it's important to reconcile within yourself that Donald Trump IS the President of the United States of America and will hold that office for at least the next four years. During this time, you are bound to see many more people -- especially in a state like Arkansas -- express their appreciation for him and that for which he stands. The Weekly Vista won't be the only publication that prints it, and it will do no good to stick your head the sand, wishing it weren't so.
The only person that can really affect what appears in the media about Donald Trump is Donald Trump.
When his Twitter feed about his plans and policies to make this country great again have dwarfed his retaliatory and degrading tweets directed toward people and television shows, then I believe we all will start to see him earn the respect so many want to simply acquiesce because of the office he holds.
I suppose it's a matter of perspective. For the past eight years, I've seen many variations of disrespect hurled toward Barack Obama and the office he held. I was disgusted by some of the comments I read, and I've hung my head in shame after viewing some of the social media posts and political cartoons -- one of which ran in the Democrat-Gazette and depicted Obama as some big-eared, big-lipped, monkey-like character. While I admit to being initially enraged, I realized that all presidents have been and will be made fun of by the media, and I had to learn to turn the page.
There's a high probability many of those who defend President Trump today and feel like the world owes him more respect are the same ones who generated, shared, and/or laughed at those irreverent depictions of President Obama. I suspect there's a higher probability that they weren't sitting on a high horse then defending the office of the POTUS or threatening to cancel subscriptions. The offended and the offenders change with perspective.
So, if your view of this country is shared by the many citizens who often complained that not enough respect was shown to the Obamas during their tenure in the White House, then I invite you to lead by example during the Trump years. Show your peers what you meant when you said that we should all respect the office regardless of our feelings about the office holder.
And if your view is shared by the many who support President Trump's vision to make this country a better one, then I ask that you acknowledge that that vision includes the whole nation, not just the part that voted for him. Remember that those who feel differently than you are still relevant to the success of the plan.
Our country is fractured and hurting, not because of what "they" are doing in Washington, but because of what we are doing to each other right now. It doesn't matter whom you voted for. The bottom line is that we must move forward -- together, as one nation.
It's time for us all to turn the page.
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Robert Honeycutt is the office manager at The Weekly Vista. His email address is [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 01/25/2017