BONUS: How Town Meetings Saved Stars Hollow From Trumpism

Guest writer Thulasi Seshan on the unique small-d democratic politics of Stars Hollow

Welcome to another Gilmore Women bonus newsletter (for paid subscribers)! Thank you so much for your support of this newsletter — it means the world to us that we have found such a community here to give the careful attention to this show that we think it deserves.

Today, we have a guest essay from writer Thulasi Seshan, a political researcher and Gilmore Girls fan who wanted to zero in on why Stars Hollow’s politics are so fascinating, inspiring, and community-oriented — and how something as seemingly quaint as the Town Meeting is actually a rare balm in today’s hyper-polarized political environment.

If you are getting this issue, you’re already a paid subscriber. But a Gilmore Women subscription also makes a delightful gift for that feminist, critical, 2000s-era television-loving person in your life. Share the magic of Miss Patty’s gavel with your loved ones! — Maggie & Megan

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While Town Meetings allow Lorelai to brush up on her stand-up, they also serve a greater civic purpose.

How Town Meetings Saved Stars Hollow From Rising Fascism

by Thulasi Seshan

When I tell you the electoral politics of Stars Hollow can’t possibly be real, I know they’re not meant to be. Just as Michel Gerard could never really pull off that attitude and retain a job, and Rory Gilmore could never really make those grades at Chilton, a town like Stars Hollow would never actually be that liberal. (Of the three, I’d be most pleased if Michel’s reality were my own. Truly, goals.) But as another New England icon once said: “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” And we know that behind the magic, Gilmore Girls excelled when it showcased this sort of hidden truth. So what is that nugget of wisdom behind the political mystery of the Stars Hollows’ electorate? As I see it, the answer, like every other secret in town, is hidden away at Miss Patty’s.

Every time Miss Patty gavels the town to order, she creates democratic magic.

Miss Patty is the true democratic heart of Stars Hollow.

What makes Stars Hollow’s politics so baffling is that, per the geography of the show, the town is supposed to be in Litchfield County, Connecticut.