I have the television on for company when I work from home. It's my background noise, my friend, the person I speak to in the kitchen and the person I try to avoid. I don't pay that much attention to it, though my neurospicy brain lets a few things in. I keep an ear on the news. But generally, there's something playing softly on the telly in the background.
And before you ask, yes, I was the kid who did her homework at the kitchen table with the television on.
Anyway, I have a new preferred program to watch at the moment. The West Wing.
Yes, it's old. And yes, there are some problematic things about it now - like Josh's treatment of Donna is a bit sub-par for a few of the seasons.
And yes, it's idealistic.
But wouldn't it be nice if we had Jed Bartlett in the White House? When things seemed measured and reasonable. Wouldn't it be lovely to see competent, intelligent, caring people in roles of power.
And yes, this is where I got most of my knowledge about how the U.S. Government used to work. I'm not saying it does now. It feels like a dystopian bully pulpit at the moment. I mean, The Handmaid's Tale and 1984 were meant to be fiction, not handbooks.
And sure, this is all very left wing and idealistic, but it's nice to think that there are some good people in government, who believe in public service, for services sake, who can string a sentence together (okay, thanks to Aaron Sorkin).
But I'll continue to have The West Wing on in the background. It's certainly easier than watching the news.
I remember doing this during the first Trump presidency. It did help.
The West Wing is streaming on 9Now.
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