The illusion of head shots to our nation’s leaders on a punch card does not encourage healthy dialogue for our broken nation…
The Black Forge Coffee House in Pennsylvania has recently come under fire for its controversial punch cards that they use for their rewards system. The cards feature the faces of Republicans—to include President Donald Trump—and the holes are punched through the foreheads of the pictures insinuating a head shot to our nation’s leaders. The owners of the shop claim that they do not want to see any harm come to the President or any of the others that are pictured on the punch cards. They just feel the need to take aim at them for not agreeing with their politics.
While the business has had the punch cards for two years, adding President Trump has sparked outrage from people across the country. According to the owners, the shop receives many calls and threats from areas all across the United States. Still, despite my wholehearted disagreement with the punch card, by the letter of the law, the owner is protected by the First Amendment’s freedom of speech. That does not mean, however, that equal representation should not exist.
In a world where protests spark over what groups feel is intolerant language stemming from something as small as pronoun usage, it’s stymies me every time to see individuals actively choose to stir controversy. Perhaps adding Trump to the card was done purely as a marketing stunt, or it’s just incredibly one-sided and shows that this coffee shop would like to silence the voices of those who do not fall in line with the liberal agenda. This has become increasingly problematic in the United States for those who have conservative views. Many Republicans feel that it’s necessary to hide in the shadows out of fear of being accused of things like racism or homophobia. This coffee shop does their fair share of business and their clientele either appreciate the punch cards or remain indifferent.
For those who feel like this is an attack on President Trump, they are forced to make the choice of whether or not to patronize the coffee shop based upon their ideals. I’m still confused as to why a mom and pop coffee shop would want to make headlines for something like this. Then again, I’m sure their business has gone up after they added President Trump to their punch cards and it became known through publicity. I remember during the 2008 Presidential Election, 7/11 featured disposable coffee cups that featured both political parties so that customers had the choice to show support for either Barack Obama or John McCain. It showed that the chain wasn’t promoting one side and encouraged the exchange of political ideas and dialogue. Conversely, the very nature of having punch cards where the hole is made through the forehead of a political figure shows not only aggression but violent tendencies, bringing into question the concept designer’s mental stability.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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