I was reading a piece on Gawker tonight about Aaron Sorkin's new HBO series, "The Newsroom," and the writer ripped some pages of the script that were released to shreds. The author seemed to have an issue with the idealism of newscasters gone by. When I read the excerpts I have to honestly say, I kind of liked them, but I'm an optimist and I want to live in a world where presidents make speeches like the one above. I dream of a world where people are impassioned and fight against the bad guys. It's one of the things that helps me get through the day - thinking there are people like that out there. Hope always springs eternal.
Sorkin, best known for "West Wing," "A Few Good Men," "The Social Network," ( for which he won an Oscar) is famous for his rapid-fire dialogue and his famous walking and talking scenes. I love his writing, and I love the message of right winning over might. Heck, I want Andrew Shepard (aka Michael Douglas) to actually BE my president, but alas he can't.
I know it's not realistic to want to live in an idealized world, but if for a couple of hours during a movie, or an hour during a TV show I can pretend that news people want to tell the truth, or a president stands up to the bad guys, I'll take it. Because apparently, in Sorkin's words, I can't handle the truth. Yes, I went there.
I won't apologize for always hoping for the best, and yes, often feeling let down by the worst, but I feel writers like Sorkin give us hope, and remind us of who we can be when we're at our best. The man himself is flawed as we all are, but if given a chance to have an Andrew Shepard or a Jed Bartlet as my president, heck yeah, I would take it. Just as no lawyer is Atticus Finch, the real presidents we have can never live up to these ideals, but ideals are important if for no other reason than giving us something to strive for.
I will keep watching Aaron Sorkin's work, and I will keep dreaming. To do otherwise would be giving up hope. And well, I just can't do that.
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