Former President Bill Clinton believes this “democracy is fragile right now,” and he spoke candidly on Saturday at A+E Networks and the History Channel’s History Talks about the issues “tearing us apart.”
“What’s more important? Our common humanity or differences?”He was a bit rambling on the stage. “And what works better to build the kind of future we all want? Does cooperation work better, or is everything a zero-sum game?”
He replied to the rhetorical question with, “Life is not a zero-sum game. Football is a zero-sum game — I’ve already watched one game today. I hope it’s not true, but it may be true that saving our democracy is just a zero-sum game because democracy is fragile right now.”
In an hour-long conversation with Chelsea Clinton, Tom Hanks, Jose Andrew, and moderator Chelsea Clinton joined the former president. They discussed their humanitarian efforts as well as their concerns and hopes for the future of the country.
Chelsea made one thing clear — young people alone should not be responsible for the future of the world. “I loath the framing that young people are going to save us,”She said. “With all due respect, what the fuck are adults doing?”
An aghast Hanks said this as the crowd cheered. “She said ‘fuck.’”
Hanks, speaking with the reverence and authority of a history professor, argued that educating people about true historical events can help to get the public to care about — and advocate for — important causes in their own community. He said that being a storyteller comes with great responsibility. In short, he doesn’t support artists who feel inclined to bend, bow or break from reality.
“I do non-fiction entertainment,”Hanks said Hanks who has played real-life characters such as Captain Phillips or Mr. Rogers, Walt Disney, and Captain Sully Sullenberger. “[It’s] the best of entertainment because that comes with a degree of education.”
But while adapting stories for movies, TV, podcasts or documentaries, Hanks said there’s a obligation to ensure the truth doesn’t end up getting “crowded out”It is not worth telling a good story.
“When we come across inconvenient facts that we don’t want to talk about because it may take away from purity of protagonist… I say, ‘Oh, what you want to do is alternate history. You want to have an alternative fact.’”
He continued, “Because I’m the boss, I can say things like, ‘Rather than make something up, why don’t you — why don’t we, I’ll say that — come up with a way to make up what really happened fascinating?”He said otherwise. “You can fall into this other way where every movie ends up being some version of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ and everything works out.”
Andres inspired the crowd to cheer as he exhorted the government to make food a national security problem. World Central Kitchen is his food relief charity that has distributed hundreds of millions to those in need.
“I’m sorry, but fuel isn’t the most important enemy. Weapons aren’t the most important commodity. The most important energy we need to take care of is the energy that moves humanity forward. And that is food.”
He demanded that the White House take action. “Americans, right now, are hungry. We can do better. Let’s make sure, in bipartisan way, that Republicans and Democrats declare that we will never again have food deserts in America.”
The otherwise serious conversation was lightened by Hanks’ joke about his dream of playing Andres in a film. “I’ve been recording him to get the accent down,” Hanks said, mimicking the inflection of the Spanish chef’s speech. “I can’t cook, but I’ll read cookbooks until the cows come home.”
Andres approves of the casting choice for his part. But, “he has to get his accent right.” Already, Andres is charmed by Hanks’ efforts. “I’m falling in love with him every time he says, ‘Jose.’ I’m married, but…”