Andrea Ross

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

A British writer penned the best description of Donald Trump I’ve ever read:

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, 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. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. 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 crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. 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 plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.”

-Nate White

[Joyce Alene @JoyceWhiteVance]

Very pro-life

[Bob Lachance @R_RLachance]

@LakotaMan1 🙏

[Andrea Ross @AARoss9]

@UberFacts Johnny Got His Gun- Trumbo. Be prepared

[Orlando Pride @ORLPride]

Our Queen is (still) purple 👑

[Front Office Sports @FOS]

Claudio Reyna played for the USMNT.

Danielle Egan played for the USWNT.

They met when both U.S. teams were staying in the same hotel — and got married 3 years later.

Their son, Gio, is at the World Cup as the first-ever child of USMNT and USWNT players to represent the USA.

[Republican Accountability @AccountableGOP]

Tim Michels: "Republicans will never lose another election in Wisconsin after I'm elected governor."

He’s saying the quiet part out loud.

[Andrea Ross @AARoss9]

@UberFacts Electric Company and Mr Roger’s

[Andrea Ross @AARoss9]

@meidontcare @UberFacts Surgery- six weeks of zero mobility😱

[E60 @E60]

For years, NWSL players dealt with a league where a lack of basic protections and various forms of mistreatment were commonplace.

Witness the powerful story of the reckoning in women’s pro soccer and how everything changed.

#TRUTHBETOLD premieres July 25th

[Andrea Ross @AARoss9]

Steve & Bethany Tabacchi need our support!! https://t.co/gIsTlSLGF0

[BucciOT.Com @Buccigross]

Here’s the worldwide, clean, Digital debut of @espn’s @E60 masterpiece, “Unrivaled.” @Avalanche/@DetroitRedWings was the @ufc on ice. The fiercest rivalry in hockey history like you’ve never seen before. This trailer is so powerful it made my eyes wet by the last 20 seconds.

[Fred Guttenberg @fred_guttenberg]

4 years ago, my beautiful daughter Jaime was murdered by a student with an AR 15 in school. She was likely reading a book. 4 years later, the Florida legislature is working on banning books while trying to make it easier to get guns. Less books, more active shooter drills.

[Andrea Ross @AARoss9]

@emmaross234 @oliviaross1212 🕷😱

[Reuters @Reuters]

⚡️ Colombia seizes hundreds of arachnids being illegally smuggled to Europe

https://t.co/eQBg4PmFZW

[Andrea Ross @AARoss9]

@Griz @emmaross234 did you see this!!!

[GRiZ 🌈 @Griz]

The GRiZmas charity store is now open downtown detroit at 1301 broadway! It’s a big vibe in here ❤️💚 hope to see y’all 💚❤️

[Detroit Metro Times @metrotimes]

Taco Bell is testing their new vegan and vegetarian friendly "Cravetarian" menu in the Detroit area for the next month.

The menu is centered around Taco Bell's new planted-based meat alternative.

https://t.co/FG6ci5sx7t

[John B. Holbein @JohnHolbein1]

the spread of COVID-19 visualized