“Nate White, an eloquent and quick writer from England, wrote this magnificent response to ‘Why the British hate Trump‘. An excerpt:”
Trump lacks certain qualities that the British traditionally value highly.
For example, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no fineness, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honor, and no grace.
So to us, the stark contrast throws an awkwardly bright light on Trump’s restrictions. Besides, we like a good laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never said anything dry, witty or even remotely funny – not once, ever.
I don’t say it rhetorically, I mean it literally: not once, ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to British sensitivity – for us the lack of humour is almost inhumane.
But with Trump it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a coarse comment, an uneducated insult, a temporary cruelty. Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and never laughs; he only triumphs or ridicules.
And frighteningly enough, he doesn’t just speak in gross, slow-thinking insults – he actually thinks of them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and reflective malice.
There is never any underlying layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all in the surface.
Some Americans may see this as refreshing right on. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain, we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are brave underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.
Trump is neither brave nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.
He’s not even a spoiled rich man or a greedy fat cat. He is more of a fat white snail. And worse, he is the most unforgivable of all for the British: a bully.
He hits down – which a gentleman would never, should or could do – and every punch he aims is below the belt. He especially enjoys kicking the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they’re lying down.
…
He turns artlessness into an art form; he is a Picasso in pettiness; a Shakespeare in shit. His flaws are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on infinitely. God knows that there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of mean people as well. But rarely has the stupidity been so evil, or the wickedness so stupid.
He makes Nixon look reliable and George W Bush look smart.
The fact is, if Frankenstein decided to create a monster made entirely of human flaws – he’d create a Trump.
And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would pull out large tassels of hair and scream in anxiety:
– Oh my God… what the… has… me… created?
Rick Wilson coined an encapsulating phrase back in 2018
