In a move that has ignited a firestorm of controversy, the manager of a Florida tavern recently took down a sign that many found distasteful and offensive, especially conservatives. Lou De Stout, the general manager of Harry’s Banana Farm in Lake Worth Beach, had put up a sign that read, “How do you miss a head that’s that inflated?” The sign appeared to mock the recent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
De Stout claimed the sign was meant to be humorous, a part of his regular routine of using humor to comment on hot topics. “You know, that sign is meant to be humorous, and I thought it was just another humorous sign, but, apparently, it struck a nerve,” De Stout told WPTV. He explained his approach to creating signs: “I go [with] whatever is the hot topic, and as soon as that happened to Trump, I knew that’s all that everybody was going to be talking about for the next two weeks.”
However, the timing and content of this particular sign proved to be highly provocative. The sign went up less than 24 hours after the assassination attempt on Trump, leading to an immediate backlash. De Stout reported receiving multiple threats of violence and arson, and his bar was inundated with negative Yelp reviews, effectively shutting down the business’s profile.
“After a while, I thought … I can’t have my staff being threatened for the things that I do. It’s not fair to them,” De Stout said. “Some of them are young girls. They have young kids, and it’s a great staff here. And I didn’t want to put them in harm’s way.”
In an effort to defuse the situation, De Stout replaced the sign with another that read, “Yeah, for Trump, so happy for him, you crazy bastards happy.” While this may have been an attempt to quell the outrage, it did little to address the deeper issue of respect and sensitivity.
Interestingly, De Stout mentioned that he had previously displayed a sign poking fun at President Biden, suggesting a pattern of provocative behavior aimed at stirring reactions from both sides of the political spectrum.
Not everyone found the sign offensive. Christopher Westcott, a customer at Harry’s Banana Farm, shrugged off the controversy. “I think some people take things too personally. Freedom of speech is freedom of speech,” Westcott said. “I don’t agree with the politics of everyone here, but so what? I’m not here to talk about politics.”
On the other hand, Trump supporter Rocco Talarico expressed his disgust. “Every time I pass here I get knots in my stomach. It’s disgusting what they put out all the time,” Talarico said. “Every time that something happens, they put the sign out. I’m totally against it.”
This incident at Harry’s Banana Farm is a stark reminder of the deep political divisions in our country. While free speech is a fundamental right, it also comes with the responsibility to consider the impact of our words and actions. Mocking an assassination attempt, regardless of the target, crosses a line that many Americans find unacceptable.
As our nation grapples with these challenging times, it’s essential to remember that respect and civility should guide our interactions, even when we disagree. Harry’s Banana Farm’s controversial sign serves as a lesson in the importance of thoughtful communication and the potential consequences of taking humor too far.
