I watch a lot of Late Night TV. Two and a half years ago, when the unthinkable happened and Trump was elected, it was comforting to hear these hosts give words to my opinions and capture how upset I was at that time. Almost without precedence the late night hosts unanimously expressed their anger and extreme frustrations at the State of OUR Union. I one hundred percent agree with them, however in the ensuing months I started to get uneasy, and I started thinking that their anger and their contempt almost seemed to rival the anger and contempt from our current political situation. And while I still share these hosts’ frustrations, and beliefs about what is happening in America and with this current President, their delivery can sometimes border on the same nastiness that continuously exists in this crazy time. It is definitely not as vile or hostile as this administration and its’ supporters, yet it still seems uncalled for. I don’t like to see anyone, especially those in power, lashing out in anger. It’s an abuse.
I go with the old adage – you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.
I am looking for people – all people – to behave decently towards others. I hate the name calling, and I hate the negativity that runs through so many. It is ugly any way you slice it. I’m still drawn towards a softer America, a kinder America. And looking for nicer people. We can be better than this. Let’s not drift from our humanity.
Then I found Trevor Noah. Actually a friend lent me his book , his autobiography – Born a Crime. It is a wonderfully compassionate book that tells the story of a ‘colored’ man growing up in South Africa towards the end of Apartheid and rising above hatred. I loved the book – and I started to YouTube Trevor Noah, and finally found a Late Night Host who shares all of the other late night hosts frustrations and yes – anger – but he expresses his feelings in a much more sensitive and thoughtful way. And he, while voicing all of our complicated feelings, gets his points across with kindness and compassion rather than extreme ugliness. So, for me, I can totally agree with him – yet – I don’t get as filled with anger. And I feel that he is so much more of a better person than the people he is condemning.