Ask Dr. J - Hope

Published in the April-June 2026 Edition
By Janan Broadbent, Ph. D.

Last week when I read Former Rep. Barney Frank’s obituary, I remembered all the times I had seen him on TV or read about his speeches. He was witty, extremely intelligent and a fighter. Then I thought of all he may have gone through, keeping his sexuality a secret for years and then the attacks on him for it.

Today, as I read the nasty comments that seem abundant whenever there is some speech or book or article that is anti-MAGA, I note the abuse that seems to follow at the author.

That old saying of the world going to hell in a handbasket has been around a long time, but these last few years have given new meaning to it and in my opinion, because of the embolden given to the negative, arrogant and even violent ways with which it is exacerbated.

Let me remind you, dear readers, and myself, that there are many more of us who want to see decency return, who treat others with respect, who have compassion for the other human beings but also, at times, start to lose hope of better days. Then we come across common or insignificant deeds that regular human beings take on: Like my friend who started a gofundme account for a homeless veteran in his neighborhood and collected $7500, like the repairman who told me, after he fixed what I called him for, and pointed to another issue for which fix he would not charge me “because I should’ve checked it.”

RIP Barney Frank! RIP Jesse Jackson! “Keep Hope Alive!”