Oh CNN.
On the network Thursday night, Don Lemon and his colleague Chris Cuomo engaged in another enlightening debate. This go around, they discussed whether or not it was appropriate for Trump supporters to keep wearing those red "Make America Great Again" hats. They discussed it at length. At one point, they even wondered if local establishments should be able to refuse service to anyone wearing one.
On CNN, an earnest discussion of whether a person wearing a MAGA hat can be legally denied public accommodations. https://t.co/x5PAjtEVvB pic.twitter.com/wYKSj4XnCk
— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 1, 2019
A restaurateur in San Francisco has already put this notion to the test and decided to forbid MAGA-hat wearing customers from enjoying his meals. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who owns the Wursthall restaurant in San Meteo, explained last week that he considers the MAGA hats comparable to Nazism and racism.
"If you come into my restaurant wearing a MAGA cap, you aren't getting served, same as if you come in wearing a swastika, white hood, or any symbol of intolerance and hate," he wrote on Twitter.
Lopez-Alt also finds it necessary to sometimes evoke Trump policies when he tweets one of his recipes.
In case anyone else needs some comfort after @realDonaldTrump’s crazy ranting about Iran, here is a recipe for Iranian gondi soup from @ChefEinat. The dumplings are made with chickpeas and chicken and are delicious. I love it. Especially in the winter.https://t.co/Ox3ObFwR4A
— J. Kenji “Individual Fun” López-Alt (@kenjilopezalt) January 30, 2019
But I digress.
For what it's worth, after a few days of backlash Lopez-Alt walked back his statement and apologized for his "fecklessness."
My message was intended to reject anger, hate and violence, and indicate that these shouldn’t be welcomed in our society and aren’t welcome in our community. It was meant to be directed at those who would try to bring messages of hate, violence, and anger into my place of business, no matter what form it comes in. It was aimed at these three elements rather than at a physical object, but I understand that many interpreted my words in a different context, and construed a message of hate directed at them. This was not my intent in any way, and I am sorry for my recklessness.
"Wursthall will continue, as it always has, to serve all customer regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual preference, gender orientation, disability, or political opinion—so long as they leave hate, anger, and violence outside of the doors of our restaurant," he clarified.
Perhaps everyone should take a breather. They're hats.