Stories by Brenda Looper

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: It’s my fight too Any time we head into a month designated for recognition of a specific group (Black History Month, Women's History Month, etc.), there's usually some dissent on social media about celebrating ... June 7, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Its real purpose People may think I exaggerate the effects of politics on our lives. And yet, it's so hard to find an area where it hasn't stuck its grimy fingers. It's worse than toddlers with jam hands. ... May 31, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Find your people If you're lucky, you have a lot of friends. If you're very lucky, you have a small group of friends who are more like family than anything else.I "found my people" officially last ye... May 24, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Taking a troll Last Wednesday, a friend (I call him Snek Man) DM'd me, quite concerned with what he was seeing on the newspaper's website."Wow, you got somewhat torched in the comments of your column to... May 17, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: It’s just logical Whataboutism, red herrings, ad hominem attacks and other logical fallacies were alive in the comments that followed my column about recent shootings last week, as well as the attitude that's kept ... May 10, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Life on the edge Friday night, about the time I was settling into bed at a friend's house after having enjoyed a night out at Argenta Community Theater's production of "Cinderella" (where another fri... May 3, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: The cat’s meow I could probably easily write about the departures of Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Don Lemon from CNN. However, I don't have cable, and even if I did, I wouldn't watch the cable "news... April 26, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: On writing better Everyone needs an editor.I can assure you that for every story of a writer done wrong by an editor, there are at least three editors over in the corner raging and cursing a long list of writers who do... April 19, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Reality bites It's hard not to get frustrated with social media when you're firmly grounded in reality.Not your preferred reality, where everything that could possibly upset you is hidden from sight, but ac... April 12, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: To be understood Despite living out in the country south of Fort Smith for the first 19 years of my life, I've never had much of a Southern accent. That came in handy for what I intended to do (broadcast news) sin... March 29, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Such scaredy-cats Spending time with fur-nephew Charlie always puts me in a better mood, especially so as the seasons change (though that's more by the calendar than the actual weather so far; little dude's bee... March 22, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Time after time Time is weird. It crawls when you're doing something you don't want to do (especially if it's something you have to do, like register your car at the revenue office). When you're doing... March 15, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Women of honor At a party to celebrate a friend's birthday this past weekend, I was struck by how many strong women were on that balcony.(Yes, the awkward hermit went to a party, but true to form, stuck mostly w... March 8, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Losing faith One of the best ways to lose your faith in humanity is to check social media after a notable public figure has announced a health struggle. Sure, you're free to say just about anything (as long as... February 22, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: It’s an outrage! I didn't watch the Super Bowl. I haven't in a long while, even for the commercials (besides, the EDS "Herding Cats" commercial from 2000 will always be the best one in my view). I in... February 15, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Still off-track What's normal anymore?I keep telling my friends I need to get back to my normal routine, but I'm not even sure what that looks like, not that I was ever really normal. My life has been up in t... February 8, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Out of the gutter Back when I was on the night copy desk, my boss would cringe a bit when I told a green new hire that one of the copy editor's jobs is to "think dirty before the readers do."But seriously... January 25, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Down, not out That one-two punch really knocked me for a loop, and during my birthday week.I had started feeling ill the previous week, starting with a headache and nausea. I had thought it was just a migraine, so ... January 18, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Woulda, coulda At 11:30 Friday night, I finally was able to turn off my laptop and go to bed.I could have gone to bed earlier, had the Republicans in the House been able to recognize that they needed at least three ... January 11, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Gets our GOAT Eventually I'll submit a word or phrase to be banished by Lake Superior State University and it will actually be picked. Not this time, though.Apparently not enough people were annoyed by the over... January 4, 2023

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Another year gone The end of the year always brings up thoughts on the previous 12 months and what we hope will be better in the year to come. And, if you're so inclined (I'm not), resolutions for what you hope... December 28, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: What’s important A reader recently reminded me of a Christmas column I wrote that she enjoyed, so I thought I'd share an updated version of what was originally published Dec. 20, 2017.Some things have changed sinc... December 21, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Words up The last couple of columns have been devoted to Words of the Year from the biggies, Merriam-Webster (gaslighting) and Oxford Languages (goblin mode). This week, it's dictionaries that don't ge... December 14, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Goin’ goblin Oh, how I would love to take credit for Oxford Languages' announcement of "goblin mode" as its Word of the Year. Alas, my pointing people to the site last week to vote for either "g... December 7, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Word of honor I really don't like getting political; I'm cranky enough on my own, but add politics as now practiced? Yeesh.But then Merriam-Webster has to go and make "gaslighting" its Word of the... November 30, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Give thanks Giving thanks all year-round has been my goal for a while now, though I'm not quite as diligent about it as I could be. Most of the time those thanks are between me and the people involved. This t... November 23, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Early call Not all of my votes in this past election did much good, but I can be proud of them since I did my research. I voted early, as did a friend who ended up having to be out of state unexpectedly on Elect... November 16, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: One year later "Remember, remember, the fifth of November."--nursery rhymeSaturday was a rough day for me. A year ago Saturday, the youngest of my three brothers became a covid statistic.The day was made a... November 9, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Release valve I can't pretend to understand the U.K. government. I can say, though, that its scandals seem to be more entertaining than ours (though maybe that's more because we don't live there). Some ... October 26, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: How evolved! I've long been a believer in evolution, biological and otherwise. Biological evolution is any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations; that could be a butterfly e... October 19, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Informed voters Those who know me well know I despise politics as practiced today, which is why I don't identify with any party. A lot of that is because we were spoiled for riches, politics-wise, when I was a ki... October 12, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Falling in love October has long been one of my favorite months, though lately it hasn't been so kind to my sinuses. Those of you with chronic sinusitis know exactly what I mean. Kleenex and Vicks get a lot of su... October 5, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: The art of opinion Though my experience in the opinion side of the newspaper only goes back 11 years, my love for one specific endeavor within has been decades-long.Through history classes in school (elementary, high sc... September 28, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Know difference More than half of my career has been spent on the news side of journalism, so I’m a bit of a zealot when it comes to the difference between facts and opinion.In college, professors like Dr. Joel... September 21, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: A herd of words One of the best things about online dictionaries is that they can be updated more often than the old print editions, and with expanded definitions since they're not limited by the space constraint... September 14, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Still cautious Sometimes it’s tough coming up with column topics, especially on a long holiday weekend when you’re thinking more about recreational marijuana for dogs that play the banjo … wait, n... September 7, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: A broken system I've never had much money. It's not that I haven't tried, but that I grew up pretty poor, and I happened to choose an occupation (local journalism) that traditionally doesn't pay a who... August 31, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Reality bites A text from a friend and former colleague, along with Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan's final column, got me to thinking.I know ... dangerous.The friend wondered, about an ad promoting... August 24, 2022

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Voted down price cap | An age of disconnect | It's not Darwin's fault Voted down price capIf you live in the state of Arkansas, more than likely you know someone who is diabetic or pre-diabetic. The estimate of Arkansans with diabetes is 360,000, or 14.8 percent of the ... August 24, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Finding joy in pain We all like to think that we would never take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, but we're human. It happens. Uppance comes for all, and we get a little thrill when it's not us.Schadenfreu... August 17, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Grammar grouch Migraines are never fun. Some people have migraines far worse than mine, and all I can do is salute them and marvel at their ability to withstand them without threatening to disembowel everyone in the... August 10, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Lovely as a tree When I was a kid, there was a spot at the edge of our yard where I'd sometimes curl up and read a book. It was near one corner of the property, with a little opening between the Bridal Wreath spir... July 27, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Bullying, ‘politely’ When I was in college, I checked out and read virtually every behavioral science book the campus library had, especially those having to do with serial and mass killers. I wanted to understand what co... July 20, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Taking liberties Back when I was in the office on a regular basis, I would sometimes get calls from someone who called himself an old Republican redneck (though he refused to give an actual name; I suspect I know who ... July 13, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Freedom for all The past weekend has been one of a lot of thought. Unfortunately, some of those thoughts aren't exactly appropriate for a family newspaper.I love this country. But right now, this is not the count... July 6, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Always learning In talking to a friend Sunday evening after returning from my nephew's wedding, I noted how important it is to never stop learning. In that spirit, I learned quite a few things over the weekend.&b... June 29, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Code of silence My nephew is getting married this weekend (congratulations, Dalton and Amanda!) and I had a big dose of Vitamin C(harlie) last week, so I don't really feel much like carping. And no, Charlie, you&... June 22, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: No comment I had to remind myself last week not to read the comments on news sites, or as a friend calls it, "the bottom half of the Internet."But I just can't help myself sometimes, and then I&#39... June 15, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: It’s past time I was determined not to write about mass shootings in my column again, though I've spoken about them on Facebook and on my blog. It tends to stir up the trolls who generally offer the same insults... June 8, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: With attribution Occasionally I'll get a letter from a reader that needs to be answered in a column. Last week, I received this letter from Carolyn Johnson of Little Rock:According to the guidelines for having a l... June 1, 2022