To the editor: As a senior performance artist and “sidewalk therapist” self -proclaimed for politically exhausted since 2016, I fully agree with the premise of this article (“Why older Americans are Trump's biggest nightmare”, “ May 8). Inspired by Lucy from “Peanuts”, I installed a stand everywhere in Los Angeles, offering a space to evacuate people. What emerges the most is the age of those who stop talking – most are over 50 years old. I met incredible people, many of whom are angry, frustrated and just need to be heard.
What sometimes frustrates me is the way young people often pass and claim that I am invisible. However, the experience was deeply enriching. In these tense and polarized times, I learned that having a sense of humor is essential to survive madness. My stand can be simple, but the conversations I had there reveal how desperate people are to connect – and how powerful listening.
Denise McCanles, West Hollywood
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To the publisher: Thank you for the insightful play on the older Americans Protestant against the Trump presidency. As I am one of these elderly people, Joni Mitchell's plaintive refrain of his 1970 song “Big Yellow Taxi” came in mind: “Do you not always seem to do that you do not know what you have” until he left? »»
Paul Horgan, Huntington Beach
