scijessreads

I am a West Wing fan from day 1. I watched the show when it aired at home (all my friends and I did, we were very much the nerd group). We watched relevant episodes/clips in my senior year Civics class. I still re-watch it every year or two. The tech may age, but the ideas and the struggles do not. The show is a reminder of how politics can be when people actually want to work to make our country better, even with opposing viewpoints. It’s fantasy, to a degree, but also a glimpse at what could be when our elected officials take responsibility for what they do in the name of “we the people.”

So, it should be no surprise that I immediately bought the new book from former West Wing actors detailing the behind-the-scenes of the show, and highlighting the ideals of service that were the backbone of every episode.

I do tend to always use a West Wing quote in my online personas. Even here, you can see one. I am forever “tempting the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing.” So much of my foundational dreams of how I see our country were sparked by this show. It is on my own personal Mount Rushmore of entertainment.

And in the spirit of the West Wing and our current season of U.S. political life, I also made a few reminders about how things we see as readers can also very much be shaped by what happens on Pennsylvania Avenue and in those halls that surround D.C. What we may see as a fun diversion and way to escape daily life, can actually be much more important than we think. What we read, who we read, and what we share is just as political as anything else.