clay robinson

laughter, emerging contemporary art, music always on, motorcycles, architecture, coffee, travel, sleep.

[clay robinson @clayrobinson]

@Jules31415 @ThisIsKyleR tell the world you’re a raving idiot w/o …

[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

[Jo @JoJoFromJerz]

Can someone please explain to me why Marge Greene and her seditious ilk are trying to get the J6ers OUT of jail if they were a ‘leftist mob of Antifa and BLM’?

[Jon Stewart @jonstewart]

Jimmy Carter is one of the kindest most thoughtful people I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. He’s the best of us.

[Beto O'Rourke @BetoORourke]

Thanks, Oprah!

[Beto O'Rourke @BetoORourke]

Abbott banned abortion in cases of rape.

Last night, he told victims of rape that they’ll be fine because he’ll give them “baby supplies” after forcing them to give birth to their rapist’s child.

This election is about ending Abbott’s attacks on women. We are voting him out.

[Gabriele Corno @Gabriele_Corno]

Two boys in Madagascar scratch the back of a habituated lemur

Via National Geographic

[The Good Liars @TheGoodLiars]

What’s more dangerous for children, going to drag shows or GUNS?

[Jo @JoJoFromJerz]

I’m not crying, you’re crying… 😭

[The Good Liars @TheGoodLiars]

Happy Sunday!

[Ken Olin @kenolin1]

This is how a very good and decent human being - a real American leader - behaves.
To anyone who isn’t moved by this, I feel truly sorry for your broken soul.
I am so proud to support @Potus

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

Ever notice how forgiving loans is suddenly a big problem when students get much-needed relief, but nobody blinks an eye when the richest 20 percent of Americans get their PPP loans forgiven? Or when corporations are handed billions in subsidies?

[Latest in space @latestinspace]

BREAKING 🚨: NASA has released a new image of Jupiter from the James Webb telescope

Featuring two moons, two rings, and distant galaxies

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

Thinking a lot about Adam Schiff’s words this week:

“He has betrayed our national security, and he will do so again… You cannot constrain him. He is who he is. Truth matters little to him. What’s right matters even less, and decency matters not at all.”

[Brown Eyed Susan @smc429]

This is what a leader should look like

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

So let me get this straight: Republicans claim to be pro-life, but won't support a bill to protect veterans who were exposed to dangerous toxins?

[Jeff Tiedrich @itsJeffTiedrich]

@RonFilipkowski pro tip: don't take advice on what god made from anyone with more plastic in their face than a lego dinosaur

[The Good Liars @TheGoodLiars]

We visited The Creation Museum in Kentucky and it wasn’t creepy at all.

[Don Winslow @donwinslow]

#January6thHearings

[Raquel Pacheco @Raquel_MiamiBch]

My name is Raquel Pacheco. I am a mother, veteran, and the Democrat who is going to defeat Ileana Garcia. In 2020, Ileana won by only 34 votes. This year, she claimed that being gay is not a "permanent thing." Help me defeat her by retweeting, following, and getting me to 15k!