Veronica Ampey

Twin mom, HS Athletic Trainer, Travel Agent, SCUBA diver, DST diva, tennis hacker, avid reader. she/her/hers

[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

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@HealthyRoster Fa la la la la I’d ❤️a tall peppermint mocha, almond milk and yes to the whipped… with a biscotti 🎄

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@BigB_TheeAT Hope you had a great birthday 🥳🎂

[Ricky Davila @TheRickyDavila]

I have literally watched this amazing truth bomb by Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett over a dozen times. We need more of this.

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@AnonymousAT2 It was great! I enjoyed seeing friends and attending some or good sessions!

[NATA SSATC @NATA_SSATC]

Today is National School Nurse Day. It is always important to collaborate with other healthcare providers on site. Make sure you stop by and give them a thank you.

#knowyournurse

[PGCPS @pgcps]

It’s School Nurse Day! Many thanks to our amazing nurses for keeping our learners’ minds and bodies healthy! #SND2023

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@drsonyawhitaker When you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready. I’m sure you rocked it.

[MLFootball @MLFootball]

BREAKING: There’s an active shooter at Michigan State University. At least 5 have been shot and students have been told to "Run. Hide. Fight."

Please pray🙏🙏�

[DCATA @DCATA2014]

Happy Black History Month!!! #BHM #DCATA

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@anniepirate84 @D3_MAATA @AmyFraleyHand Oh Wow 🤩 thank you @D3_MAATA

[EDAC @EDACNATA]

November is National Gratitude Month. To coincide with this, EDAC would like to help you give you a special shout out to someone who helped pave the way for you on your professional journey.

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

#D3Renews #DCATA

[TheHub.News @karenhunter]

Why do we accept the scraps from someone else's table? Even if we make those scraps delicious, it's still scraps/trash. Don't we deserve the choice meats?
Is it time we grow and stop using the N-word?

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@AnonymousAT2 I’m at a small HS that doesn’t have football, but all of my outdoor sports team take their own water and it’s my expectation that visiting teams do the same.

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@BigB_TheeAT Happy birthday Breyah🥳

[EDAC @EDACNATA]

It is truly inspiring to see one of the trailblazers of women in the profession being honored in this fashion. Marsha Grant Ford made history by being the first black Latina woman to be certified as an Athletic Trainer.

[Dr. Sharon Malone, M.D., FACOG, NCMP @smalonemd]

Jesus Christ!!!! The Supreme Court actually did it. Words I thought I would never say—Roe is overturned. If this doesn’t motivate people to vote, I don’t know what will. #AbortionRightsAreHumanRights

[Veronica Ampey @AmpeyVeronica]

@DakotaStandard I concur. Unfortunately, the January 6th insurrection seems to indicate that there are way too many people in this country that do not feel he is among the worst presidents in history.