The news that Sen. John McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer has been greeted with a deserved bipartisan outpouring of sympathy. But in their efforts to honor the legacy and fighting spirit of an American hero, many well-wishers are reacting in a way that is counterproductive and unhelpful to those faced with a horrible disease.
In an effort to be gracious to his 2008 opponent, former President Barack Obama tweeted, “John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever known. Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John.” President Trump, who once infamously criticized McCain for getting captured, also released a statement describing the long-time senator as a “fighter.” Similar sentiments proliferated social media after the sad news broke. “John McCain has a brain tumor and based on his history of fighting like hell, I almost feel bad for the brain tumor,” one Twitter user wrote, encouragingly.
