Editing The West Wing (section)

===Social influence===
Despite acclaim for the veracity of the series, Sorkin said, "our responsibility is to captivate you for however long we've asked for your attention."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec00/sorkin_09-27.html |title=Extended Interview: Aaron Sorkin |publisher=[[PBS]] |date=September 27, 2000 |access-date=September 23, 2011 |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105001110/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec00/sorkin_09-27.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Former White House aide Matthew Miller noted that Sorkin "captivates viewers by making the human side of politics more real than life—or at least more real than the picture we get from the news." Miller also noted that by portraying politicians with empathy, the show created a "subversive competitor" to the cynical views of politics in media.<ref name="Miller"/> In the essay "''The West Wing'' and the West Wing", author Myron Levine agreed, stating that the series "presents an essentially positive view of public service and a healthy corrective to anti-Washington stereotypes and public cynicism."<ref name="Levine"/>

Dr. Staci L. Beavers, associate professor of [[political science]] at [[California State University, San Marcos]], wrote a short essay, "''The West Wing'' as a Pedagogical Tool". She concluded, "While the series' purpose is for-profit entertainment, ''The West Wing'' presents great [[pedagogical]] potential." ''The West Wing'', in her opinion, gave greater depth to the political process usually espoused only in stilted [[talking points]] on shows like ''[[Face the Nation]]'' and ''[[Meet the Press]]''. However, she noted that the merits of a particular argument may be obscured by the viewer's opinion of the character. Beavers also noted that characters with opposing viewpoints were often set up to be "bad people" in the viewer's eyes. These characters were assigned undesirable characteristics having nothing to do with their political opinions, such as being romantically involved with a main character's love interest. In Beavers' opinion, a critical analysis of the show's political views can present a worthwhile learning experience to the viewer.<ref>Beavers, Staci L. "''The West Wing'' as a Pedagogical Tool." ''PS: Political Science & Politics''. December 24, 2001. Reprinted in ''The West Wing: The American Presidency as Television Drama''. Edited by Peter C. Rollins and John E. Connor. 2003.</ref>

While it aired, ''The West Wing'' offered viewers an idealist liberal administration that provided a sort of catharsis to those on the left who felt that their political beliefs were largely forgotten or ignored in the era of the Bush administration. Writer [[Hédi Kaddour]] remarked that ''The West Wing'' "show[ed] what [liberals] would have liked to have seen and had: a different American administration, closer to our desires as people more or less on the left."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kaddour |first=Hédi |title=From Dream to Invention: 'The West Wing' |journal=MLN |volume=127 |number=5 |year=2012 |pages=1071–1095 |jstor=43611282 |doi=10.1353/mln.2012.0136|s2cid=162039301 }}</ref>

One of the stranger effects of the show occurred on January 31, 2006, when ''The West Wing'' was said to have played a hand in defeating a proposal backed by [[Tony Blair]]'s government in the [[British House of Commons]], during the so-called "''West Wing'' Plot". The plan was allegedly hatched after a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] watched the episode "[[A Good Day (The West Wing)|A Good Day]]", in which Democrats block a bill aimed at limiting stem cell research, by appearing to have left [[Washington D.C.]] but actually hiding in a congressional office until the Republican Speaker calls the vote.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1509435/Blairs-whips-fooled-by-West-Wing-plot.html |title=Blair's whips fooled by West Wing plot |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=February 2, 2006 |access-date=June 21, 2023 |last1=Helm |first1=Brendan Carlin |archive-date=June 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604192101/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1509435/Blairs-whips-fooled-by-West-Wing-plot.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:White House Big Block of Cheese Day 2015 promo.webm|thumb|thumbtime=1:51|A promotional video for the White House's 2015 Virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day", featuring cast of ''The West Wing'']]
A number of episodes referred to a practice of the administration having one day each year on which they accepted meetings with people or groups who would not normally receive an audience with high-level White House staffers, referring to the event as "Big Block of Cheese Day". The name came from the fact that President [[Andrew Jackson]] had a large wheel of cheese placed in the White House from which the public were invited to eat during a reception,<ref name="Trex 2014">{{cite web |last1=Trex |first1=Ethan |title=Andrew Jackson's Big Block of Cheese |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/27228/andrew-jacksons-big-block-cheese |website=[[Mental Floss]] |access-date=January 18, 2015 |date=January 26, 2014 |archive-date=January 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118174645/http://mentalfloss.com/article/27228/andrew-jacksons-big-block-cheese |url-status=live }}</ref> while discussing issues of the day with politicians.<ref name="Begley 2015">{{cite magazine |last1=Begley |first1=Sarah |title=The White House 'Big Block of Cheese Day' Is Back |url=https://time.com/3671796/white-house-big-block-of-cheese/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=January 18, 2015 |date=January 16, 2015 |archive-date=January 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117150553/http://time.com/3671796/white-house-big-block-of-cheese/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, the White House announced that it was to host an online Q&A with [[Obama administration]] officials and staff, called a Virtual "Big Block of Cheese day", on January 29, 2014.<ref name="Lindsay 2014">{{cite web |last1=Lindsay |first1=Erin |title=The First-Ever Virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day" – The White House is Open for Questions |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/01/29/first-ever-virtual-big-block-cheese-day-white-house-open-questions |access-date=January 18, 2015 |date=January 29, 2014 |archive-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121212844/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/01/29/first-ever-virtual-big-block-cheese-day-white-house-open-questions |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |url-status=live }}</ref> The event was promoted with a video featuring stars from ''The West Wing''.<ref name="Hall 2015">{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Ellie |title=The "West Wing" Cast Reunited For A Video About The White House's "Big Block Of Cheese Day." |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/the-west-wing-cast-reunited-for-a-video-about-the-white-hous |website=[[BuzzFeed]] |access-date=January 18, 2015 |date=January 16, 2015 |archive-date=January 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120001510/http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/the-west-wing-cast-reunited-for-a-video-about-the-white-hous |url-status=live }}</ref> The event was repeated on January 21, 2015,<ref name="Wall 2015">{{cite web |last1=Wall |first1=Alex |title=Big Block of Cheese Day Is Back, and It's Feta Than Ever |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/01/16/big-block-cheese-day-back-and-its-feta-ever |access-date=January 18, 2015 |date=January 16, 2015 |archive-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121033032/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/01/16/big-block-cheese-day-back-and-its-feta-ever |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |url-status=live }}</ref> again promoted by stars from the show.<ref name="Hall 2015"/> On April 29, 2016, [[Allison Janney]] appeared in character as C.J. Cregg during a White House press briefing to call attention to the issue of substance abuse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/29/politics/allison-janney-cj-cregg-white-house/index.html |title=C.J. Cregg makes a return to the White House |publisher=[[CNN]] |first=Julia |last=Manchester |date=April 29, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2017 |archive-date=January 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103001135/http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/29/politics/allison-janney-cj-cregg-white-house/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJCBiH6l4AI |title=4/29/16: White House Press Briefing |date=April 29, 2016 |last=The Obama White House |access-date=February 26, 2025 |via=YouTube}}</ref>