Snippets from The West Wing that Resonate Right Now

Little gems from TWW still sparkle after all these years, and some are really hopeful

The TV show called The West Wing was a phenomenon. During most of its seven seasons, it won just about every award possible, and then there were the individual awards. Brilliant, crisp writing, and superb acting, fast-paced action, and smart and blitzy humor… it was all there. I still watch the complete series in a sort of continuous loop and have done so for years now. And I still find little pieces — snippets, really — that jump out rather like a new facet of a whispered thought.

I loved much about the show, and one thing that really appealed to me is what I would call the “hopeful” patina that was always present… that people who are called upon to govern can refuse to become jaded or cynical, or refuse to entirely forget why there are there — they can reach and dream and hope for their populace. I guess I’ve always liked true believers, and TWW was chock-full of true believers.

To be sure, there are people who believe in many things I do not. Some truly believe that white people are superior to non-white; others that hatred is normal; some that men are superior to women, and that the latter are here for limited purposes having to do with a sometimes inconvenient but enjoyable reproductive system; and there are others who truly believe that American patriots cannot be female, LGBTQ, Muslims, or even from other countries. I truly believe that’s all bosh and thank heaven I am not alone. I am not alone in reality and not alone based on TV series fiction, par example, The West Wing.

I have in mind one brief scene from Season 4, Episode 15 (link below). To give the background: At the end of a long and dangerous day involving genocide happening in a country called Equitorial Kundu, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) updates his senior counselors and takes a moment to appoint Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) as his Deputy Communications Director.

The clip is only about four minutes long, but it contains stellar dialogue and acting, and two things that for me are remarkable: first, that there are mothers standing in front of tanks in resistance to the genocide, and so “we’re going to go get their backs”; and second, the notion that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world… that we should never doubt that, and also why we should never doubt it.

Let’s explore the second of these two things in a little more detail—because the concept of how a small group of thoughtful and committed people can change the world is part of the very fabric of America… it’s how we came to be a country, one that in fact changed the world.

Bartlet: I ask people who work for me to believe one thing. That a small group of thoughtful and committed people can change the world. Do you know why?

Will Bailey: Because it’s the only thing that ever has?

Well, there it is, folks. To be sure, large or small groups of committed people — even deluded and misguided people — can change “things” for a time, often for the worse. But all the positive world-changing events began with committed and thoughtful people, often in tiny groups indeed. Think Paul Revere and his small group. Think of our Founding Fathers, whose commitment and thoughtfulness brought us to declare Independence from Britain and then gave us a blueprint for the Grand Experiment we all continue to live to this day — aye, and all the freedoms we have and some wholly misunderstand and pervert.

As I’m finalizing this, two quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt popped into my head. Many of her epigrams are just about perfect, and the ones I have in mind seems to fit just now and for this article. The first is: great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. The second is: a woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water. Mothers standing in front of tanks, indeed; ideas by great minds…certainly.

America began first as an idea, conceived by a small group of committed and thoughtful people — real people with a real idea that changed the world. Many people suffered, and many died, to bring about that change, and many still suffer and die all these years on to protect, nurture and grow the idea that brought about the change. A small group of committed and thoughtful people; and they did not just change “things.”

Young people out there…take a few minutes to search for all Ms. Roosevelt’s epigrams and see what a remarkable, strong, thoughtful and committed woman back then had to say. Everyone else, if you’ve never watched The West Wing, try some of the episodes…you may get hooked, in a good way.