Good-bye to 'Humans of NY'

I started following the Facebook page of "Humans of New York" a few years ago. I loved the photos, especially those of the little kids (Today in MicroFashion... followed by a picture of a fashionably-dressed little boy or girl with such hope and joy in their eyes as they smiled for Brandon Stanton's camera.)

In my upstairs library, I have three of Brandon's books, all of which I've looked through again and again, loving the photographs of people and children I've never seen and will never meet, and (especially in Brandon's second volume) reading the sometimes heart-wrenching stories of the ups and downs of the people that Brandon meets on the streets of New York.

A few months back, Brandon wrote an editorial on his 'HONY' Facebook page which decried the presidential campaign of Donald Trump in such a way that it was just filled with distaste and loathing, in my opinion.  I read every word of that essay, not liking any part of it, but after all, HONY is Brandon's page and he can write what he wants and, first and foremost, we are all entitled to our own opinion.  That editorial was Brandon's opinion of the Trump candidacy. Fine.

The other day, however, Brandon's page had another diatribe against Trump that I read every word of, and then read it again. It was the second reading of Brandon's words that sealed the fate of HONY in my eyes. In short, we are all entitled to our own opinions of people, places, situations, and things. Freedom of Speech is one of the tenets on which this country was built. However, no one has the freedom nor the right to tell, actually tell, other people how to vote. No one. Period.

I was surprised that Brandon would use the HONY forum to take advantage of his readers and followers by telling them how to vote.

I have taken Humans of NY out of my 'favorites' file and I don't plan to visit Brandon's HONY Facebook page again.  I will keep my Humans of New York books on my library shelves and I will page through them from time to time when I want to be reminded that not everyone walking along the streets of New York has their head in the clouds as they stare at The City from a penthouse view.