The Impact of The West Wing On Me Anonymous

During a trip to the US, my father brought back a boxed set of The West Wing DVDs. While I planned to watch them during my school holiday as amusement, the show instead became an obsession and an education in itself.

My greatest passion has always been politics and global issues. I have a keen interest in joining the political process in my own country, India, and I see myself as a person concerned about the issues of the world at large as well. This zeal has existed in me for a long time, but it was in 2006 that I began to truly understand my passion. I attribute this to many things: reading books, newspapers, and magazines and talking to people who feel similarly (or radically differently!). But nothing has given me a better understanding of the deeper issues and the effects of politics than, strangely, The West Wing and its core characters.

The series deals with a Democratic administration led by an economist-President, and offers a glimpse into the workings of the White House. Delving into the relationships between the President, various senior staff members of the West Wing, Senators, lobbyists, foreign leaders and journalists, it is a political junkie’s delight. However, it offers me something more. It reflects my image of...