In the current chaos of the Trump Administration’s attacks on democracy, people often ask me “what can I do?”  My initial reaction is “turn it off.”  The constant 24/7 news cycle has been increasing listeners’/viewers’ stress levels for years, made worse by a peculiar fascination for latching onto everything Trump – his hair, ankles, marriage, if he has a bullet scar on his ear, sycophantic cabinet members, almost equally sycophantic corporate and world leaders.  It’s reality TV expanded to fill every hour and every reporter’s notebook (assuming some reporters still use old-fashioned notebooks rather than putting everything on their devices). Whether one relies on MSNBC, Fox, or some other network or social media, there is great relief when silenced.  Not switched to another outlet.  Silenced. 

Some researchers have indicated that, after years of visual and aural bombardment from electronic devices, our brains have become accustomed to cacophony.  One’s ability to concentrate on tasks can be affected (example: trying to write this column!) and, for those who have grown up with electronic devices, the ability to communicate in person rather than via device often is lacking or less developed.  The rise of Artificial Intelligence can exacerbate that effect.  No wonder there are so many questions and concerns about the use of AI.  Truth already is endangered; AI can make it worse.

Mr. Trump wants to make America great again, but his concept of America seems to include erasing many of the aspects that led to America’s greatness.  Our history is filled with examples of great strides forward and ugly steps back.  History cannot be written, or rewritten, to exclude things someone finds embarrassing or hard to explain. Slavery is horrible and inhumane, but it is part of our American experience that no laser surgery or pen can, or should, erase.  Trump’s focus on the Smithsonian museums, undoubtedly the best museum system in the world, is wrong-headed and dangerous, to the nation and our democracy.  The Smithsonian reflects our history, art, architecture, science, and so many other aspects of America and its role in the world.  Its exhibits take a long time to put together because of the intense research needed to educate and explain how and why something occurred.  That same kind of research has uncovered history, such as the 1921 Tulsa massacre, that was buried intentionally by government and society in decades past.   

For many people here and abroad, the concept of America was what they saw in the movies…heroes on horseback, bad guys with guns, women in beautiful costumes, elegant movie sets and fancy cars, streets paved with gold, etc. People went to the movies to escape the worries of the day and enjoy a couple of hours in a darkened theater, courtesy of the Hollywood studios.  It was the job of the writers and directors to spin up stories that would sell stars and tickets.  Reality didn’t matter but, for many moviegoers, what they saw on the screen framed their understanding of the America dream.  

I like old movies, the craft, the camera angles and the costumes. The stories – comedy, drama, romance, westerns – are fun to watch and contemplate what was going on when they were made, but they should not be considered historically accurate, by the president or anyone else. When I’m looking for respite from the news cycles, an old movie is just the ticket, but I know the news cycles still will be there when “The End” appears on the screen.  So will the stress, despite turning it off for a few hours.