Andrew Wood

Currently enjoying repositioning my lifestyle after 40 years of experience in global real estate investment management.

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Nate White, 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.”

[PoliticsGirl @IAmPoliticsGirl]

Absolute must watch.

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

Join us for a fun evening. Check out Costumes & Cocktails by Shoreline Arts Alliance here: https://t.co/DpCBw9Tq7u

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

@Airbnb allow unlicensed hosts to offer their properties to unsuspecting travelers then cancel the reservation without compensation forcing travelers to rebook at short notice and at extra cost. #poorservice #CustomerExperience #CustomerService #unfairpractices #dissatisfied

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

@shorelinearts Join us #celebratethearts #Artists

[Bankhar Dog Project @BankharDog]

Warning!!! Graphic content! Violent dog fight!

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

Support Outside Perspectives before January 1 to help give transformative wilderness experiences to more youth in 2022!: https://t.co/WyuJNJo5z5

[Shoreline Arts Alliance @shorelinearts]

REOPENING CT ARTS VENUES: SCIENCE-BASED SAFETY (15) - https://t.co/2nqFIyRFWb

[Bankhar Dog Project @BankharDog]

Another Gobi scene. It is so vast that the mountains in the distant look blue.
#mongolia #bankhar #livestockguardiandog #gobidesert

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

Bringing confidence back to #art #reopening #artvenues

[Shoreline Arts Alliance @shorelinearts]

REOPENING CT ARTS VENUES: SCIENCE-BASED SAFETY  - We might have what you need now! - https://t.co/CItifd7PCy

[Shoreline Arts Alliance @shorelinearts]

REOPENING CT ARTS VENUES: SCIENCE-BASED SAFETY  - WE WANT TO KEEP ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS! - https://t.co/Hr3p884Lyt

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

Sten Vermund YALE Science-Based Safety @ New London Maritime Society/Cus... https://t.co/1hl0EvlJcG via @YouTube such great work for our communities @shorelinearts

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

Join me in supporting this organization that does so much to support the arts and our young artists throughout our communities

[Shoreline Arts Alliance @shorelinearts]

Are you ready? - https://t.co/XtUbLvxVmX

[Shoreline Arts Alliance @shorelinearts]

Are you ready? - https://t.co/XtUbLvxVmX

[Shoreline Arts Alliance @shorelinearts]

IMAGES Jury Discussion Shoreline Arts Alliance 2021 https://t.co/KRcaL0iHmF via @YouTube

[Shoreline Arts Alliance @shorelinearts]

REOPENING CT ARTS VENUES: SCIENCE-BASED SAFETY (11) - https://t.co/ZtBycFCPgN

[Perry Maddox @PerryCMaddox]

Calling Young Leaders...

... we're looking for our next 2 Global Trustees @RestlessDev.

If you're a young leader, ideally from Africa or South Asia, and want to help lead on our most senior global governance board, please check this out 👇

https://t.co/zyuteM6vsv

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

Where is the accountability for the businesses and business leaders who funded Trump's campaign despite all the signs that it would lead to this?
#Corruption #selfinterest
Business Leaders Condemn Violence on Capitol Hill: ‘This Is Sedition’ https://t.co/Ga7OPWVc3W

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

Well,.....urgh.... that’s a very good question @MitchMcConneII ???

[Susan Glasser @sbg1]

Now that Trump is openly calling to "OVERTURN" the election, I'm wondering where this leaves the Republicans who said he was merely pursuing his legitimate legal options after the election that he lost...

[Andrew Wood @beachwood]

How do we get the "no covid" conspiracy theorists to understand the horror of this?