Don’t let ‘miserable’ gang up on Ron Hart
I’m seeing some really overly dramatic people gang up on Ron Hart over silly observations of satire. It is easy to see that they have a common interest; they hate a conservative voice. These miserarble people go around lashing out at people they consider outside their political bias. Please don’t fall for this. Take advantage of their fragile mental health.
Allow Hart to continue to express himself, and let the nut jobs continue to speak what’s left of their minds. And here’s a new idea: Set up a new column called “Karen’s Collection” for all your best whack-o comments and put Hart in charge of a quarterly report on the best of the best.
Turner Echols
Joke at the expense of suffering is wrong
I’ve never written a “letter to the editor.” It’s not who I am as a community member. I’ve never cared enough to do so.
The statements in Ron Hart’s column about local wildlife enjoying eating migrants detained in a Central Florida facility is something I felt was wrong enough to call out. There’s a lot wrong in the world right now, but making jokes at the expense of those suffering is unacceptable. Please take the article down and issue an apology or something along the lines of “wealthy white guy realizes his joke was in poor taste, retracts article.”
Jamie McMillan
Crocodile tears over alligator joke
Leftie trolls were inorganically stirred up by perennial failed candidate, writer and agitator Allison Gorman about a joke. News flash, alligators do not talk. The week before, Ron Hart said, “Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida opened a detention camp … It is called Alligator Alcatraz. Trump came down on opening day to throw out the first busboy.” Brilliant, it makes you think how far we should go on deportations. Hart’s humor is smart, balanced, hits the mark and makes you think.
The left has controlled humor for years (late night and [TFP cartoonist] Clay Bennett are vicious to Trump and the right). The left cannot stand it when someone makes fun of them. One guy makes fun of them, and they try to cancel, dox and send him death threats. Free speech applies to all. TFP leans way left; Hart balances that. Some.
Liz Meyers
‘Joke’ no defense against hate speech
I am writing to express my anger and dismay that an institution so central to the health of our community would choose to publish racist and dehumanizing hate speech.
American democracy is beset by increasing polarization, the loss of civility in discourse, burgeoning hate speech and rising political violence. It is the role of the press to provide accurate reporting on the events of the day, promote civil debate and challenge corruption. When the press fails our community, it is citizens’ job to hold it to account.
Ron Hart’s recent “joke” in his recent commentary that the alligators of Florida are excited to eat immigrants is neither funny nor constructive. It is simply hate speech, which your institution chose to treat as something worthy of consideration.
Any person of integrity understands that “just joking” is not a defense. This is why we, as a society, teach our children not to bully. This is why “jokes” about raping women, gassing Jews or lynching Black people are not tolerated in any respectable forum.
Normalizing hate speech is precisely the problem. A right to vigorous debate is not what’s at issue. Immigration policy is not what’s at issue. The issue is whether your paper will take a stand against racism and apologize for its egregious mistake.
Erin White