By Stacey Wells ’15

Americans often strongly voice their opinions about controversial issues, but it would be more beneficial if they would stop overreacting to every little thing. During the NFL Playoffs, McDonalds aired a commercial that depicted different towns and their local McDonald’s signs. The signs contained messages, such as ‘We Remember 9-11,’ ‘Boston Strong’ and even personal messages like ‘Happy 95 Birthday Woody We Love You.’ Most of the messages referenced tragedies to advertise McDonalds as a restaurant that promotes patriotism and strong communities. While many saw this commercial, smiled and moved on, others vocalized their opinion that the restaurant inappropriately utilized American tragedies. While these people are understandably looking out for America’s best interests, the commercial was meant to support communities and remember catastrophes—not devalue them. It was never meant to offend anyone. Besides, it is completely acceptable for fellow Americans to reference these events; ignoring them will not make them disappear. Sometimes criticism is better left unsaid, and in this case, some people need to relax and go eat a burger.