If there's one thing I've learned over the course of the past 4 presidential election cycles it's that the American people are incredibly ignorant. No caveat. We're just dumb. Stupid. Idiotic. Completely and utterly foolish. Our level of ignorance reaches nearly orgasmic proportions, perfectly illustrated in the slew of Just Plain Crappy elected officials making the rounds on every issues from gun control to climate change to taxes.
But after watching The West Wing I've had a change of heart. It's not that all the ignorance has been suddenly washed away with idyllic feelings and caricatured warm fuzzies. It's just that I've realized that despite the likes of McCain, Ryan, and Fox News, there truly are good people out there who, for whatever reason, get into the realm of politics because they actually (surprisingly) care about making things better for Americans. I think specifically of the civil servants, the assistants and interns and secretaries and even vanilla staffers, quietly working diligently in their offices or subcommittees, amidst marble halls or lacquered wood polish floors.
It's because of characters -- yes, fictional characters -- like Sam Seaborn or Toby Zielger. Joshua Lyman. Even POTUS Bartlet. Actors playing roles, but they give me perspective to understand that even when we lose, it's not for lack of trying or lack of commitment. It's because we're trying to find a way to work together. In the face of overwhelming stupidity.
I guess you could call that pessoptimism.