In 1989, I saw Detroit beat LA in the NBA Finals. My ticket cost $25, or $67 in today’s money. I see the cheapest Game 3 ticket for Knicks-Spurs is going for $6,000…89 times the inflation-adjusted price I paid 37 years ago.
America, what happened?
https://t.co/00p7ifoW9L
*BRITISH WRITER PENS THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF TRUMP*
Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?" Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:
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 or female – 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 most 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.
The Soho Society is objecting to *every* new bar/restaurant licence in what is supposed to be the centre of London’s nightlife. More planning/licensing insanity.
I asked them to come on my Sunday LBC show: "We will absolutely not be taking questions from journalists". Of course not.
https://t.co/0UfHJs9Klg
@barneyronay The point you make is valid. The game was tight and that’s allowed - it’s the comment on children’s cartoons and enjoying slop on your phone. By saying this you imply that because I got bored watching that match I enjoy He-Man and Tik Tok. It’s snobby
I think if you didn’t enjoy that final it’s fine - not everyone has to like everything. But football has always looked a bit like that. It can be gruelling. And it’s ok to just prefer more instant things, like children’s cartoons or slop on your phone, no need for judgement
@Kish_P14@CallumBradke Do you not think Robertson will play a key off field role in raising dressing room standards? The stuff I hear about players not looking after their health, being late, disrespectful to staff - that is not a winning culture. Robertson can influence this
Robertson will raise the standards in the dressing room which have sunk to rock bottom. These characteristics are just as important as on pitch technical ability, skill and youth. I like this signing
Thinking that a country moving rightwards needs or wants a Labour Party moving leftwards is as close to a definition of insanity as you shall ever find.
I don’t even care about Arsenal and their fans laughing at us. I am loving that us fans showed up and are celebrating staying up - it’s been absolute torture the past few months! Also, I think it’s ruined their big day a bit too
Romero is the worst football player to have been our captain. He may be world class, he may be technically outstanding, but he happens to also be a complete arsehole. Good riddance i don’t want to hear about you ever again