I enjoyed a substantive discussion with the folks at Southborough Public Library about political divisions in families during the Trump era, as well as how to deal with aging parents who make decisions that negatively affect their health and/or their finances, major themes explored in Louie on the Rocks.

Prior to the Q&A, I gave a 20-minute speech about the impact of our intense political divisions on not just our families but on our local communities as well. Here’s an excerpt:

My Louie character is a proxy for MAGA voters who see the world in which they grew up transformed into something they don’t recognize. Louie was a blue-collar worker who never went to college but who married and put his daughter through school. He thinks the world has left him behind and he’s angry about that. He lashes out against things that challenge his world view, that make him feel insecure, that make him feel less-than. 

Helen represents that middle-of-the-road person who wants to love and stand by Louie for the wonderful things he’s done, but who also chastises him for the homophobic things he says and for supporting a candidate whom she believes spouts hatred. 

The Lulu character is a proxy for progressive voters who just want to be free to live their own lives. They don’t understand why who they love or what kinds of food they choose to eat triggers some people. Lulu’s anger that her mother failed to cut Louie out of her life because of the hatred he espoused, echoes the feelings of a large portion of Democratic voters, particularly younger ones.

We’ve divided ourselves into camps. The MAGA camp, the anti-Trump camp. The pro-ICE immigration raids, the anti-immigration raids. … 

There seems to be no common ground any longer, no place to stand where someone isn’t hurling names at you. There seems to be no way for people to calmly discuss issues without the discussion sinking into black-and-white terms. 

We’ve been pushed into these camps as a response to the success of the MAGA movement and its leader. Their successful tactics – using anger, resentment, demonization, the it’s-us-or-them – have been co-opted across the world. 

I appreciated seeing friends and neighbors — and even my state representative! — in the audience, along with members of the Friends of the Southborough Public Library. Public libraries are our gems!