Gary Johnson's error

Recently, For New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who is the Libertarian Party's candidate for President of the United States this election cycle, erred by asking "What is Aleppo?" when asked in an interview with regards to how he would address the crisis going on in that Syrian city. As a result, he was mocked on social media and the news went wild with his error.

Now, I am not a libertarian by any means and I oppose the Libertarian Party but honestly, Johnson's error really is not a big deal. For one thing, he was at least willing to ask what Aleppo is rather than give a nonsense answer to cover up not knowing. Granted, the Syrian crisis is something that he, as a candidate for president, should be familiarized with but Johnson isn't a fool - he is the type who would educate himself on the matter.

At any rate, Johnson's flub pales in comparison to all the racist and misogynistic garbage that the Republican nominee for president has spouted for well over a year now. It seems deeply unfair that a one-off error for a small-party candidate earns them ridicule in the media but long-term bigotry from another candidate continues unabated and relatively unconfronted.

On the bright side for Johnson, it likely brought publicity to his campaign. He has been polling between 10% and 12% and is arguing to be included in the presidential debates.