Joe Chandler might just be the most envied man in America. The Georgia-based artist is perhaps the only person in the country who has not yet been faced with the daunting prospect of four years under a Donald Trump presidency. At least not yet.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Trump pulled off one of the most shocking upsets in U.S. history, political or otherwise, yet somehow, despite a 24-hour news cycle that at times feels like it’s devoted entirely to Trump coverage, Chandler has managed to remain blissfully unaware of who won the election.
At home, where he works, Chandler totally blacks out the news, social media, and any other resource that might clue him in on our new, unsettling reality, Fox News reports. When he does leave the house, Chandler wears headphones and sports a sign around his neck that reads: “'I don't know who won and don't want to. Please don't tell me.”
“I divert my gaze from newspaper boxes … I don’t venture out very often, and when I do I wear my headphones and my sign, and people have been very respectful of my decision,” Chandler told Today over Skype.
Chandler says that his decision to remain in the dark has brought him an odd sense of peace. “Having subtracted myself from this political fracas and all of the mayhem of the digital media, I kind of found the center of the cyclone,” he said. “It is very peaceful in my bubble of ignorance.”
And while Chandler admitted to Today that he will eventually remove his blinders and learn the truth, we have a simple word of advice for him: Don’t.
