Mercedes Sheen

Professor of Psychology @Heriot-Watt University

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@03BB13 @EnglandNetball @AussieDiamonds @SilverFernsNZ @OVOArena @SkySports Pls complain and tell them it is ridiculous- enjoy!!!!

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@JakeVs54108 @sports_all60019 Stop the stupid music! It is a sports game for goodness sake, not a nightclub

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@EnglandNetball @AussieDiamonds @SilverFernsNZ @OVOArena @SkySports Stop the music between goals it is awful

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@03BB13 @EnglandNetball @AussieDiamonds @SilverFernsNZ @OVOArena @SkySports The music is ridiculous

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

British Writer Pens The Best Description Of Trump I’ve 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

[Psychology at Heriot-Watt @HWPsych]

Our global graduation journey has seen our students graduating from @HWUMalaysia at the end of November and recently from @HWUDubai. Here are some of our very proud team in Dubai celebrating student successes. Next and final stop is today @HeriotWattUni Edinburgh!

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@Ssssssssydneyyy @lawofruby I truly hope so, but surviving such horror is unimaginable

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@JediSooze @lawofruby So true, it beggars belief that humans can do this

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@grandmagrit @lawofruby @Mimirocah1 Am the same, it is just horrific, I can’t get it out of my mind

[Psychology at Heriot-Watt @HWPsych]

@HWUDubai @HeriotWattUni @HWUMalaysia We hope all our @HWPsych students enjoyed their graduation day @HWUDubai...we know our team did. A very proud Dubai team!

[Jenny Coe @jennycoady10]

Another one of the great locations with fantastic lecturers to enlighten you and make sure you are accredited when you walk out the door. Contact @jennifermeggs21 for any details. 🙏

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

Delighted to be nominated for a @HWPsych student Oscar award - both individually and as part of our amazing Psychology Department!

[Psychology at Heriot-Watt @HWPsych]

@HeriotWattUni @HWUDCouncil @HWUnion Five colleagues from our @HWUDubai team were shortlisted: Cakil Agnew for Best Supervisor, Kirin Hilliar for Innovation in Teaching, Minu Mathews for Most Supportive Staff Member, @MercedesSheen for the Student Voice Award and @HajarYekani for the Academic Community Award

[Campaign Middle East @CampaignME]

Congratulations to all the winners of Campaign' Faces to Watch Scholarship with @HWUDubai.

Carla Al Jurdi @InitiativeMENA; Ayush Tandon @sweetwatermea; Farah Batawi @RAPP Dubai; Moneer Al Ahmadieh @UM_MENA and Rayna Green (@HipHip_hoooRay) @IPNDubai.

https://t.co/PcMLvj2D9s

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@FarahPsych @Alex_Hunt1995 American Sniper!

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@JulietNkwinika @olivier_klein Seems a little inappropriate here 👩‍⚕️

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@ryankauffman175 @laurenboebert You’re

[Adam Parkhomenko @AdamParkhomenko]

President Obama is an incredible human. This is worth a watch and retweet.

[Mercedes Sheen @MercedesSheen]

@DrJustinThomas When people you trusted turn against you - how do you cope?

[Dr Alia Al Serkal @serkalpsych]

@PsychDXB #IPCD_2022

[International Psychology Conference Dubai @PsychDXB]

Opening session at #IPCD_2022 @HWUDubai