Millions of Americans who strongly support Donald Trump, and who criticize detractors as overly soft, melting snowflakes, themselves get very, very offended and up in arms (sometimes, literally) when they are viewed as stupid for supporting a known scam artist and bigot. They try to suggest that liberal snowflakes simply don't get the truth behind Trump's message, or that they really do not see the world as it really is.
The irony of that, given the fact that so many of them appear to be very resistant to indisputable facts, seems lost on them.
What also seems lost on them is how they not only a minority inside of this country, but in fact, a tiny minority in the world at large. You see, it's not just liberals inside of the United States that simply fail to see the attraction that approximately 35 percent of Americans have towards Trump. Indeed, the vast majority of the rest of the world views that man as a joke.
Trump is the source of ridicule around the world. Australians seem to love to imitate him in a way that makes look and sound like a complete moron, and sometimes make Alec Baldwin look like a lightweight by way of comparison. And I have mentioned numerous times a journalist from New Zealand who truly captured the essence of Donald Trump. That would be Paul Thomas of the New Zealand Herald and here is what he said back in 2015, well before Trump's rise to the presidency was a reality, and looked anything but a foregone conclusion:
Trump is the source of ridicule around the world. Australians seem to love to imitate him in a way that makes look and sound like a complete moron, and sometimes make Alec Baldwin look like a lightweight by way of comparison. And I have mentioned numerous times a journalist from New Zealand who truly captured the essence of Donald Trump. That would be Paul Thomas of the New Zealand Herald and here is what he said back in 2015, well before Trump's rise to the presidency was a reality, and looked anything but a foregone conclusion:
“Trump personifies everything the rest of the world despises about America: casual racism, crass materialism, relentless self-aggrandizement, vulgarity on an epic scale. He is the Ugly American in excelsis.”
Then, once Trump was actually elected to the White House, he had to meet with foreign dignitaries. The Pope looked outright sick after meeting with Trump, and several leaders of European nations that had been traditionally allied with the United States, politically and economically, as well as militarily, publicly announced just hours after meeting with Trump that they no longer felt that the United States was a reliable partner. Imagine how bad you have to be to get other major world leaders of nations that are considered your allies to risk the still existing political, economic, and military alliances and connections and suggest that you are a sign that the United States as a nation can no longer be trusted as a reliable partner. That's saying something!
But they said the same thing about the British, so surely, the British must feel some connections with the United States, and with the man who Americans elected as their leader, right?
Well, a British writer, Nate White had a most hilarious response to the question, "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?"
Well, a British writer, Nate White had a most hilarious response to the question, "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?"
It goes on for a bit, and is fairly lengthy. It is not a quick two or three line read, like that quote from Thomas. But here are some short quotes of White's description of Trump (my personal favorite, that Trump is a "Jabba the Hut of privilege," was something that I already used in the title of this particular blog entry):
"He is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit."
Yup. And here's White describing how the British cannot appreciate what passes as Trump's humour (had to use the British spelling):
"We like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever."
White goes on:
"He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty."
Also, let is not forget the fact that the British flew a balloon showing Trump's likeness as a crying baby over the streets of London during an official Trump visit there. Let us also not forget that in Ireland, some members of the Irish Parliament wanted to ban Trump from coming to the country, feeling he was a symbol of racism and division. I wonder where they got that idea from?
Okay, so apparently, Australians and New Zealanders do not like Trump, and think lesser of Americans for electing him into their highest office. Europeans do not seem to think highly of him, either, and that includes the English speaking countries there.
Surely, not everyone hates Trump though, right? Maybe they are just too far away, both geographically and culturally, and just do not understand, or "get," Americans, or Trump, specifically.
Okay, so apparently, Australians and New Zealanders do not like Trump, and think lesser of Americans for electing him into their highest office. Europeans do not seem to think highly of him, either, and that includes the English speaking countries there.
Surely, not everyone hates Trump though, right? Maybe they are just too far away, both geographically and culturally, and just do not understand, or "get," Americans, or Trump, specifically.
I have mentioned before that if there are any people in the world who know the United States, and understand Americans, it would be Canadians. After all, they are our neighbors to the North. It is similar in size, they have similar lifestyle and culture. They even sound similar to Americans, in terms of accent. That country has similarities in terms of geography and history, as well. Plus, they get American television and entertainment, including new channels, directly. After all, 90 percent of Canadians live within 100 miles of the American border, which also means that the vast majority of Canadians have visited the United States, probably quite a few times. So, yes, they know Americans. Frankly, I believe they know Americans better than Americans know themselves, because Canadians also have much more of an outside perspective, and with that, objectivity, than Americans do. That allowed them to remain highly critical of what many Americans came to accept as normal, such as the Vietnam War, the invasion of Iraq, and Donald Trump.
So, when Canadians get disgusted with American excesses, it seems particularly meaningful to me. After all, Americans can make the argument that others who are critical of the United States do not understand the country, or this culture. But Americans cannot claim that Canadians do not get or understand them or their history, because they do. Better even than most Americans do, I would argue.
And the truth is this: Canadians have never thought worse of Americans than they do right now, in this glorious era of Donald Trump.
“More people now disapprove of U.S. leadership than approve,” said Jon Clifton of Gallup. “This historic low puts the U.S.’s leadership approval rating on par with China’s and sets a new bar for disapproval.”
“More people now disapprove of U.S. leadership than approve,” said Jon Clifton of Gallup. “This historic low puts the U.S.’s leadership approval rating on par with China’s and sets a new bar for disapproval.”
How bad was it?
Well, according to an article last year from Alexander Panetta of The Canadian Press, the drop in trust and approval of what passes for American leadership is very dramatic (it should be noted that this was within one year of Trump taking office):
The number of Canadian respondents who said they approved of the job performance of the U.S. leadership dropped 40 per cent in one year, followed by slightly less dramatic dips in Panama and Costa Rica, with the other U.S. NAFTA neighbour, Mexico, showing a decline of 28 per cent.
All that winning!
And all that respect that Trump promised Americans he would earn for the country around the world. Shockingly, it almost appears as if Donald Trump was - gasp! - lying! As if he were promising something that he could never possibly deliver.
Those numbers are bad, of course. But Canadians - liberals and conservatives alike - simply do not seem to like Trump himself. Again, here is a bit from Panetta's article:
Those numbers were backed up by another new poll Thursday. Angus Reid said a mere 13 per cent of Canadians surveyed had a positive impression of the Trump presidency, versus 70 per cent who saw it negatively, with the numbers declining from earlier surveys. Trump received the highest approval in Alberta, where 29 per cent viewed him positively, and 16 per cent had mixed feelings.
By the way, Alberta is Canada's most conservative province. Yet, under 30 percent of people there held a positive impression of Trump, which is significantly lower than it is here in the United States.
Still not convinced that even conservative Canadians? Well, take a look at what a former Canadian Prime Minister said about Trump!
Kim Campbell not only used to be the Prime Minister, but she was the first ever, and so far only, female Prime Minister in Canada's history. Usually, heads of states, former or otherwise, are quite measured in how they express themselves. Often, they have to be, given the status that they reached, which gives their words and actions a special level of attention.
But there is just something about Trump that rubbed her the wrong way, just like it did with the Pope, and with those European leaders who announced that they no longer trusted the United States anymore after meeting with Trump.
Well, according to an article last year from Alexander Panetta of The Canadian Press, the drop in trust and approval of what passes for American leadership is very dramatic (it should be noted that this was within one year of Trump taking office):
The number of Canadian respondents who said they approved of the job performance of the U.S. leadership dropped 40 per cent in one year, followed by slightly less dramatic dips in Panama and Costa Rica, with the other U.S. NAFTA neighbour, Mexico, showing a decline of 28 per cent.
All that winning!
And all that respect that Trump promised Americans he would earn for the country around the world. Shockingly, it almost appears as if Donald Trump was - gasp! - lying! As if he were promising something that he could never possibly deliver.
Those numbers are bad, of course. But Canadians - liberals and conservatives alike - simply do not seem to like Trump himself. Again, here is a bit from Panetta's article:
Those numbers were backed up by another new poll Thursday. Angus Reid said a mere 13 per cent of Canadians surveyed had a positive impression of the Trump presidency, versus 70 per cent who saw it negatively, with the numbers declining from earlier surveys. Trump received the highest approval in Alberta, where 29 per cent viewed him positively, and 16 per cent had mixed feelings.
By the way, Alberta is Canada's most conservative province. Yet, under 30 percent of people there held a positive impression of Trump, which is significantly lower than it is here in the United States.
Still not convinced that even conservative Canadians? Well, take a look at what a former Canadian Prime Minister said about Trump!
Kim Campbell not only used to be the Prime Minister, but she was the first ever, and so far only, female Prime Minister in Canada's history. Usually, heads of states, former or otherwise, are quite measured in how they express themselves. Often, they have to be, given the status that they reached, which gives their words and actions a special level of attention.
But there is just something about Trump that rubbed her the wrong way, just like it did with the Pope, and with those European leaders who announced that they no longer trusted the United States anymore after meeting with Trump.
Kim Campbell tweeted earlier this year about Trump that “he really IS a motherf**ker.”
She was doing this in response to Trump's own tweet about how Congresswoman Rashida Talaib had called Trump a "motherfucker."
Campbell deleted this tweet, but not before it was retweeted 2,000 times. Also, she has not really backed down or apologized. As coverage of this story spready, Campbell said:
“If you don’t get the reference to the comment by Congresswoman Talaib—can’t help you.”
And remember, Campbell was a member of Canada's Progressive Conservative party. She lost an election to the Liberals, but she was considered a conservative. You know, kind of like Trump supporters claim to be. Yet, there is just something about Trump that she cannot stand, and makes her lose her civility.
Many in the United States have not been blind to this loss of civility. Some people on both sides wish that we can return to a time when civility was universally recognized, and even political differences could be respected, and conversations could remain civil. Yet increasingly, there are also people on both sides are okay with the loss of civility. Obviously, the election of Trump showed that many conservatives were willing to give up the pretense of civility, likening it to politics as usual. And many Trump detractors are suggesting - with some reason - that there can be no civil response when the political discourse by supporters of Trump and his political allies is increasingly hostile and extremely polarizing, to the point that it borders on hatred and inciting violence.
Indeed, this is a fact that the rest of the world sees all too clearly, but which Americans often seem to miss. Not just Trump supporters, either. There are, indeed, many Americans who believe that Trump is merely an aberration, that he is some kind of a freak accident, and that once Trump is gone, the nightmare is over.
This is a form of peculiarly American naiveté that we can no longer afford. In fact, our political problems have been growing now for many decades, and it has been leading to this moment, and this situation, for decades, step by step. Trump is merely the literal face of the Ugly American character that has, in fact, always been a part of the country. Too many Americans believe in American exceptionalism, even though what we have done politically over the past four decades, and the inevitable slide in our standard of living and in our standing in the world that has resulted from it, is not exceptional at all. In fact, it is pathetic, and we could hardly have done worse as a nation without it being undeniably obvious that there is a major problem with the country.
It does not take a real measure of genius to understand that there is something wrong, and it did not start, nor will it end, with Donald Trump. He is more of a symptom than the disease, frankly. And until we Americans see this as clearly as the rest of the world clearly sees it, this problem will just continue to grow and grow.
Here is the article about the low approval ratings of Trump - and the United States more generally - among Canadians:
She was doing this in response to Trump's own tweet about how Congresswoman Rashida Talaib had called Trump a "motherfucker."
Campbell deleted this tweet, but not before it was retweeted 2,000 times. Also, she has not really backed down or apologized. As coverage of this story spready, Campbell said:
“If you don’t get the reference to the comment by Congresswoman Talaib—can’t help you.”
And remember, Campbell was a member of Canada's Progressive Conservative party. She lost an election to the Liberals, but she was considered a conservative. You know, kind of like Trump supporters claim to be. Yet, there is just something about Trump that she cannot stand, and makes her lose her civility.
Many in the United States have not been blind to this loss of civility. Some people on both sides wish that we can return to a time when civility was universally recognized, and even political differences could be respected, and conversations could remain civil. Yet increasingly, there are also people on both sides are okay with the loss of civility. Obviously, the election of Trump showed that many conservatives were willing to give up the pretense of civility, likening it to politics as usual. And many Trump detractors are suggesting - with some reason - that there can be no civil response when the political discourse by supporters of Trump and his political allies is increasingly hostile and extremely polarizing, to the point that it borders on hatred and inciting violence.
Indeed, this is a fact that the rest of the world sees all too clearly, but which Americans often seem to miss. Not just Trump supporters, either. There are, indeed, many Americans who believe that Trump is merely an aberration, that he is some kind of a freak accident, and that once Trump is gone, the nightmare is over.
This is a form of peculiarly American naiveté that we can no longer afford. In fact, our political problems have been growing now for many decades, and it has been leading to this moment, and this situation, for decades, step by step. Trump is merely the literal face of the Ugly American character that has, in fact, always been a part of the country. Too many Americans believe in American exceptionalism, even though what we have done politically over the past four decades, and the inevitable slide in our standard of living and in our standing in the world that has resulted from it, is not exceptional at all. In fact, it is pathetic, and we could hardly have done worse as a nation without it being undeniably obvious that there is a major problem with the country.
It does not take a real measure of genius to understand that there is something wrong, and it did not start, nor will it end, with Donald Trump. He is more of a symptom than the disease, frankly. And until we Americans see this as clearly as the rest of the world clearly sees it, this problem will just continue to grow and grow.
Here is the article about the low approval ratings of Trump - and the United States more generally - among Canadians:
World’s opinion of U.S. hits new low under Trump — especially in Canada: poll by Alexander Panetta of The Canadian Press, January 28, 2018:
https://globalnews.ca/news/3973172/donald-trump-us-world-approval-canada/
Former Canadian Prime Minister Calls Trump a 'Motherf**ker' Kim Campbell's post was retweeted upward of 2,000 times before it got deleted. by Mack Lamoureux, January 7, 2019:
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5zzzp/former-canadian-prime-minister-calls-trump-a-motherfker
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