Yesterday, I posted a spoof Onion article about the Carters, the former first family of the United States. They have been married for 76 years and change now. Additionally, it should be noted that Jimmy Carter, the former president, is now in hospice care. I knew all of this before posting the joke article, which was not meant with any disrespect. If anything, I thought it was a testament to the strength of their marriage. After all, I cannot think of literally any other case where a couple were married for nearly as long as that. So I did not think that a joke article about them deciding to split up was especially disrespectful. The fact that the idea seems ludicrous and laughable seems to me, in some strange way, to be a sign of the utmost respect of this undeniably admirable achievement. I hesitated just a little before posting it. Still, it was not entirely surprising when somebody took exception and felt that this was extremely disrespectful and in poor taste.
He said that it was in extremely poor taste.
I understand and respect your position. In fact, it was because of this that I hesitated posting this, knowing that Jimmy Carter is in hospice care at the moment. Just know that I have always held both of the Carters in very high regard, and I am not just saying that. I included a picture of the time when I took my son to see him in New York City as proof that I have long held the Carters in very high regard, and particularly Jimmy Carter. I have talked with my son about this, and have kept him abreast of the very sad news of Carter's declining health. In fact, while I unfortunately do not remember the days when Carter was actually the sitting president (I was a bit too young, it seems), I feel that he is a true American hero, and that is not something lightly said. To me, he truly embodies the very best of what Americans can offer. At a time when the country seems to be embracing frankly shallow and narcissistic values, the spirit of Carter's selflessness and giving resonated very strongly with me. Again, I wasn't old enough to remember the Carter years, but my suspicion is that his presidency was underrated. But he undeniably had the most successful post-presidency that this country has ever seen. From establishing the Carter Center and going to troubled regions around the world and negotiating peace, to promoting fair elections around the world, to fighting diseases in remote tribes in faraway lands, to helping to build homes for Habitat for Humanity here in the United States, I think that the Carters represent the very best that Americans can aspire to, and I take their model very seriously. Jimmy Carter is my personal role model. Respect is not strong enough a word to describe how I feel about him and Rosalynn. Reverence would probably be the more fitting word. Sometimes, I feel that he was almost too good for us, and that too few of us appreciate all that he and his wife did and represented. It was for this reason specifically that I took my son out of school once so that we could see President Carter together. It was not just because he was a former president, because I would not necessarily have done that for other presidents, but it was particularly because this was an opportunity to see Jimmy Carter, specifically. It also was not the only time that I personally made a point of seeing him. In fact, I even wrote an article for an online news site covering an address that Carter gave at Princeton University some years ago. So the farthest thing from my mind was to try and disrespect or diminish the Carters or their legacy. In some strange way - misguided and in extremely poor taste, perhaps, as you suggested, as this post may have been - I felt that this joke Onion headline underscored just how incredible and admirable the Carters are and have always been. After all, they have been married for more than three-quarters of a century, which again, serves as a wonderful model that we all can aspire to. All of that said, I do understand and respect how you feel, and I am sorry if it came across as crass or disrespectful Please know at least that this was exactly the opposite of my intentions.
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