Last night, John Krasinski concluded an 8-episode web series entitled, “Some Good News.” The YouTube series, which launched shortly after the Coronavirus shutdowns began, instantly became a global phenomenon, spawning countless (very much approved) copycats around the globe. Krasinski’s episodes quickly became a weekly source of hope for millions of viewers around the globe, and each week featured something special, heartwarming, and tear-jerking. Different episodes featured: COVID hospital workers going to Fenway Park, a virtual Hamilton performance by the Broadway cast, a virtual Prom, a virtual graduation (which was extra special for me, since I graduated this past weekend from UVA, albeit virtually), and a wedding that featured the cast of The Office. Krasinski’s imagination and heart for the people of America and the rest of the world made this web series a rare source of light in a time when people desperately needed hope more than ever before.
As I finished watching the last episode, trying desperately to hold back tears to maintain my façade of stoicism in front of my wife, I was reminded of a scene from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, when Galadriel asked Gandalf why he had chosen Bilbo Baggins for the quest to the Lonely Mountain.
Galadriel: Mithrandir, why the Halfling?
Gandalf: Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... simple acts of kindness and love.
Never before have those words rang truer than they have today, and “Some Good News” has illustrated the truth of those words on a weekly basis. In every episode, the heroic people who have been changing the world for the better have been the ordinary people; the hospital workers risking their lives for others, the children who have found creative ways to bring smiles to the faces of others, the people who have defeated Coronavirus (and cancer) and brought hope to those living in despair, and the countless other ways in which people doing small acts of kindness and love to those around them, even virtually. Krasinski’s episodes have genuinely touched the soul of humanity and demonstrated the power of the simple acts of kindness and love.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the leaders we have elected to lead us through these crises. Donald Trump, as gifted an actor and entertainer as there is, has simply been incapable of bringing genuine hope to Americans that we can get through the twin crises of the virus and the recession. Trump’s bravado and attempts to mimic inspiration have fallen flat, especially when juxtaposed with the great rhetorical leadership of his predecessors: George W. Bush after 9/11, FDR after Pearl Harbor, JFK after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and Ronald Reagan after the Challenger Explosion. Trump’s bold and brash proclamations have usually been enough to rally his base, at least, but throughout this crisis, he has juggled dismissiveness of the virus, blame on everyone but himself, conspiracy theories, demagogic rants against the media and every other opponent he has, and false hope that never resonated with anyone. His daily press conferences, a far cry from FDR's Fireside Chats during the Great Depression, became daily circus acts that tried to take the place of his beloved campaign rallies, but culminated in the viral misunderstanding that Trump may or may not have mused about the possibility of injecting people with disinfectant. Usually, presidents are able to guide the country through these kinds of crises with inspiring words and genuine hope. Trump has unquestionably failed in that regard.
Returning back to the Hobbit example, Trump’s attitude seems far more in line with Saruman’s, that is only a great power that can defeat these crises: hydroxychloroquine, immigration bans, the strength of America’s economy, and even warm weather that will make the virus magically disappear. For all of Trump’s populist posturing over the last five years, he has truly failed to be any kind of champion of “the people” throughout these ordeals, and his focus has not been on protecting the people, but on protecting himself from the political fallout of these catastrophes. Trump has rarely, if ever, publicly grieved for the tens of thousands of lives lost from the virus (and, indeed, often spreads doubt about the veracity of their numbers), and his act has failed to pay him dividends this time, as he can no longer coast on the good economy and other conditions he inherited. This has been the ultimate test of his leadership and ability to unite the country and, thus far at least, he has failed dismally.
That is why John Krasinski’s show has been so important: it has filled a void in the American soul that, for the last 90 years, had usually been filled by the level-headed optimism of figures like FDR, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush (who made a video recently conveying the kind of message the American people have been craving from their president), and even Barack Obama. In a time when it has become so easy to give in to a fatalistic mentality that we are at the end of days, between the virus, economic depression, murder hornets, earthquakes, and everything else going on, Krasinski’s simple YouTube web series has fought back against the cynicism, nihilism, and despair, and given genuine hope to so many people that we can get through this together. And he has done it by focusing on the small acts of love and kindness done by the ordinary folk. In doing so, he has reminded us that “no matter how hard things get, there is always good in the world.” Or as Samwise Gamgee put it in The Two Towers, “there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”
I hope Mr. Krasinski does not take too long a break from this show, because these crises are far from over, but I thank him for bringing some genuine rays of light into this exceptionally dark time.
As I finished watching the last episode, trying desperately to hold back tears to maintain my façade of stoicism in front of my wife, I was reminded of a scene from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, when Galadriel asked Gandalf why he had chosen Bilbo Baggins for the quest to the Lonely Mountain.
Galadriel: Mithrandir, why the Halfling?
Gandalf: Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... simple acts of kindness and love.
Never before have those words rang truer than they have today, and “Some Good News” has illustrated the truth of those words on a weekly basis. In every episode, the heroic people who have been changing the world for the better have been the ordinary people; the hospital workers risking their lives for others, the children who have found creative ways to bring smiles to the faces of others, the people who have defeated Coronavirus (and cancer) and brought hope to those living in despair, and the countless other ways in which people doing small acts of kindness and love to those around them, even virtually. Krasinski’s episodes have genuinely touched the soul of humanity and demonstrated the power of the simple acts of kindness and love.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the leaders we have elected to lead us through these crises. Donald Trump, as gifted an actor and entertainer as there is, has simply been incapable of bringing genuine hope to Americans that we can get through the twin crises of the virus and the recession. Trump’s bravado and attempts to mimic inspiration have fallen flat, especially when juxtaposed with the great rhetorical leadership of his predecessors: George W. Bush after 9/11, FDR after Pearl Harbor, JFK after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and Ronald Reagan after the Challenger Explosion. Trump’s bold and brash proclamations have usually been enough to rally his base, at least, but throughout this crisis, he has juggled dismissiveness of the virus, blame on everyone but himself, conspiracy theories, demagogic rants against the media and every other opponent he has, and false hope that never resonated with anyone. His daily press conferences, a far cry from FDR's Fireside Chats during the Great Depression, became daily circus acts that tried to take the place of his beloved campaign rallies, but culminated in the viral misunderstanding that Trump may or may not have mused about the possibility of injecting people with disinfectant. Usually, presidents are able to guide the country through these kinds of crises with inspiring words and genuine hope. Trump has unquestionably failed in that regard.
Returning back to the Hobbit example, Trump’s attitude seems far more in line with Saruman’s, that is only a great power that can defeat these crises: hydroxychloroquine, immigration bans, the strength of America’s economy, and even warm weather that will make the virus magically disappear. For all of Trump’s populist posturing over the last five years, he has truly failed to be any kind of champion of “the people” throughout these ordeals, and his focus has not been on protecting the people, but on protecting himself from the political fallout of these catastrophes. Trump has rarely, if ever, publicly grieved for the tens of thousands of lives lost from the virus (and, indeed, often spreads doubt about the veracity of their numbers), and his act has failed to pay him dividends this time, as he can no longer coast on the good economy and other conditions he inherited. This has been the ultimate test of his leadership and ability to unite the country and, thus far at least, he has failed dismally.
That is why John Krasinski’s show has been so important: it has filled a void in the American soul that, for the last 90 years, had usually been filled by the level-headed optimism of figures like FDR, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush (who made a video recently conveying the kind of message the American people have been craving from their president), and even Barack Obama. In a time when it has become so easy to give in to a fatalistic mentality that we are at the end of days, between the virus, economic depression, murder hornets, earthquakes, and everything else going on, Krasinski’s simple YouTube web series has fought back against the cynicism, nihilism, and despair, and given genuine hope to so many people that we can get through this together. And he has done it by focusing on the small acts of love and kindness done by the ordinary folk. In doing so, he has reminded us that “no matter how hard things get, there is always good in the world.” Or as Samwise Gamgee put it in The Two Towers, “there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”
I hope Mr. Krasinski does not take too long a break from this show, because these crises are far from over, but I thank him for bringing some genuine rays of light into this exceptionally dark time.