To the editor: As a senior performance artist and “Sidewalk therapist” self -produced for politically exhausted since 2016, I agree with the premise of this article (“Why the largest Americans are Trump's largest nightmare,” May 8). Inspired by Lucy of “Peanuts”, I established a stand in all angels, offering a space for people to vent. What stands out is the age of those who stop to speak, most are over 50 years old. I have met incredible people, many of whom are angry, frustrated and only need to be heard.
What sometimes frustrates me is how young people often happen and pretend that I am invisible. Even so, experience has been deeply gratifying. In these tense and polarized times, I have learned that having a sense of humor is essential to survive madness. My stand can be simple, but the conversations I have had there reveal how desperate people are to connect and how powerful listening can be.
Denise McCanles, West Hollywood
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To the editor: Thanks for the perspective of the major Americans who protest the presidency of Trump. As I am one of those older people, Joni Mitchell's complaint of his 1970 song “Big Yellow Taxi” came to mind: “Don't you always seem that you don't know what you have until it has gone?”
Paul Horgan, Huntington Beach
