I kind of knew what the reaction was going to be when I editorialized in support of the Flyers' decision to remove the statue of Kate Smith and stop using her version of "God Bless America."
Let's just say it was not a popular move with readers.
I'm all for giving equal time.
Our Facebook page exploded. Last time I looked there was north of 250 comments posted. I'm still looking for one that agreed with me.
That's why our op-ed page and Sound Off column the last few days has been full of voices being raised to take issue with our stance.
You can read an example here.
That's the whole purpose of an op-ed page - and one of the essential aspects of a community newspaper.
Think of it this way. It's kind of like a marketplace of ideas.
I have mine. I don't have the only one.
One of the biggest misconceptions about what journalism - at least the way I practice it - is that I somehow manage to slant the news to skew to my way of thinking. The reaction to the Kate Smith editorial proves that's not the case.
Do I have a bigger megaphone than most people? Absolutely.
But I have "an" opinion.
Not the only one. Not necessarily the best one. Sometimes maybe not even the correct one. And the day I decide not to listen - and honor - other opinions is the day I hope the door closes behind me in this racket.
Notice that word I used there.
Honor.
There's not a lot of it used today as we unload on each other on Twitter and Facebook.
I've been called a lot of names the past few days.
You will never see me respond in kind.
Doing that is easy.
Having real discussions - especially about difficult topics like race relations - is hard.
That's what makes them - and this newspaper - worthwhile.
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