The New Gas Chambers

A few weeks ago on X, formerly Twitter, there was an account managed for the Sesame Street character Elmo. A post was made on that account that simply said this, “Elmo is just checking in. How’s everybody doing?” That message received over 200 million views, prompting thousands of people to unburden themselves.

They told Elmo about their broken relationships, about their career and financial struggles, about other personal problems that have created sadness in their lives. There’s a lot of unhappiness in America. Even President Joe Biden chimed in telling us all to be there for one another, to help our neighbors, and, most importantly, ask for help when we need it. In other words, if you’re sad, talk to someone besides Elmo.

Here’s the problem, if you’re sad, you need to be careful who you talk to because you’re not going to get the same advice from everybody.