HuffPost readers know that news is personal, and they’ve never been shy about voicing their opinions. But in the last couple of weeks, the number of people commenting on our stories has climbed by 13%.
We want to hear our readers’ thoughts and stories — and it’s clear that you want to hear from other readers, too. A round-up of thought-provoking comments was one of the top-requested features in a recent poll of members.
So our editors scoured the stories with the most comments so far this month to select remarks that cut through the noise and made us think, helped us see things from a different perspective, started conversations, or even changed our minds.
Comments have been edited for clarity, spelling and punctuation, and length.
“As much as I disagree with everything this man has ever said and all the people he has hurt with his beliefs, I wish him a speedy recovery.” – Cel Savard
“Find what this man says repulsive, hypocritical and obnoxious. But I wouldn’t wish that awful disease on anybody. Hope he gets well.” – Raul Hernandez
“He was occasionally vile. He could also be funny, generous, and the loyal opposition.” – Will Thomas
“Anyone who stands up for the Constitution for the country and for the rule of law is a true patriot. This is who we truly are. Vindman is a hero. Republicans know this. And it’s eating them alive.” – Greatbear215
“Those were honorable things, but he was subverting the will of the country and the president and should have been removed, and he was. He was subverting the foreign policy of the country and the administration. That deserves removal. If he wanted to set policy, he should run for president.” – John Sterling
“The system is not broken. It worked just as intended. Impeachment was intended for the worst of the worst infractions. Infractions so heinous that even the president’s own party could not avoid convicting him. This was a political stunt by the House, and it failed. Move on.” – Marc Soules
“Is the system broken when it comes to impeachment? Yeah, it is broken. Unfortunately, it is a political process, not a legal process. It is not about justice, facts, evidence, and whether someone is guilty or not. It is about fitting a political narrative and getting votes. It is a political game between two sides that really do not care about the people and this country.” – Ron Thomas
“Pelosi’s response was measured. Ripping up his speech was visual and said much more than words could ever do. Trump set the scene by snubbing her handshake offer to be cordial; she wrapped it up with her finale. It is war, folks. My money is on Pelosi.” – Geoff Bennett
“While Speaker Pelosi should not have torn up her copy of the speech, President Trump should not have turned away without shaking her hand. Although he may not have seen her gesture for a handshake, he should have proffered his hand upon passing her the speech at the outset. But that is how divided we are today.” – Jack Gately
“This debacle should wake us up to the importance of having all voting machines with paper trails. If the paper doesn’t match up, then a recount should be done using the paper ballots instead. Recounts should be mandatory in the event of irregularities. Moscow Mitch does not support this. WHY?” – LaurieanneP
“It’s pretty refreshing that HuffPo and other media are covering this blatant bias against Sen. Sanders. It was pervasive in 2016 and it’s just nice that it is finally getting called out in a more widespread way.” – Eric Swanholm
“Cable news is no freer from the pressures on for-profit corporations than is any other industry.” – Tom Bryne
Community Conversation Spotlight
As part of a series about Black hair, HuffPost asked readers: Do you think depictions of Black hair have evolved over the last decade?
Here are our favorite responses:
“I love natural hairstyles, but I have always taken issue with hairstyle choices being a ‘movement.’ Black women are the only women who have society dictate what they should do with their hair. All women color, straighten curly hair, curl straight hair, add extensions (or not) and, almost never wear their hair in its ‘natural’ state, and no one criticizes them for their choices. But not Black women. Nope. Everyone has a voice in what we do with our hair. It is sickening!” – Catrice Allen-Reese
“Hair is hair. Just because you have hair that is type 4c doesn’t mean you should have to burn it into submission to look like type 1a hair. You shouldn’t be penalized because your hair ‘looks ethnic,’ aka natural. And you shouldn’t be berated if you do use hair products to make your hair straighter or curlier. Nobody should forking care. It’s 2020, haven’t we all moved past that by now? We certainly should have.” – Libby6