Your morning update from Salon.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I will be on vacation for much of the next week. Crash Course will return on Thursday, Feb. 19.

Under Donald Trump’s leadership, Americans are more pessimistic than ever. But there’s reason for hope. Read more.

Optional musical accompaniment to today’s Crash Course. 

Despite the famous nickname, It’s hard to live in New Orleans.

The city government is astoundingly corrupt. Its people are remarkably poor. Crime is way down from a ‘90s peak, but it is still high compared to almost any other city in the United States. The public schools have been sold off to grifters. The old housing stock is crumbling and barely insurable. The infrastructure is in even worse shape.  

Despite regular boil-water advisories and blackouts, the rent keeps increasing. I can see the ground outside through the floor in my kitchen and still count myself lucky. I was frequently trapped inside my former apartment by street flooding.

Right now, we’re running headlong into the part of the year that makes all of that strife worth it: the final days before Mardi Gras. While parades have been a regular occurrence since Epiphany on Jan. 6, the last week of Carnival season finds the city criss-crossed by the routes of neighborhood walking krewes, Mardi Gras indians and decked-out float parades.

The party spirit is unavoidable and infectious. Strangers open their doors to the street and offer food and drinks to costumed passers-by. Part-time neighbors along parade routes swap gumbo and beers, passing stuffed animals they catch to kids they don’t know. Impromptu games of catch with purple, green and gold foam footballs break out over the top of passing double-decker floats. The unspoken connection between all of the city’s residents is brought to the surface as the day-to-day order is flipped on its head. It’s awesome to experience for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who descend on the city each year. It’s even better for those of us who’ve earned the release.

Through a bit of serendipity, this year’s Mardi Gras happens to fall at a time when many Americans can grok the feeling of putting all their bad feelings aside in service of a celebration. The Winter Olympics have given us all the chance to put aside internal political divisions and everyday anger to root for the guy or girl who is from where we’re from. 

In Minnesota, under much sadder and more stressful circumstances, friends and neighbors felt the joy of coming together in the street everyday with a common goal. As ICE turns tail, the lingering high spirits will hopefully push Minneapolis to come back stronger and more connected than ever.

It’s astounding what’s possible if we all orient ourselves toward a common goal. It’s worth trying to hold on to that feeling of togetherness after Ash Wednesday or the closing ceremony. As we trudge through the grimmest part of the year and the continued outrages of the Trump administration, try to remember what we’re capable of.

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