Stephen Colbert just took a flamethrower to Trump’s censorship circus.
While Jimmy Kimmel’s studio gets stripped bare under pressure from Trump’s FCC chair, Colbert claps back, animated and unapologetic.
Late-night resistance is alive. For now.
Excerpts from The Times of London.
Someone asked, "Why don't some Britons like Donald Trump?"
Nate White, an eloquent and witty English writer, wrote this magnificent response:
Trump lacks certain qualities that the British traditionally value.
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 honor, and no grace, qualities, oddly enough, with which his predecessor, Mr. Obama, was generously endowed.
While Trump may be ridiculous, he has never said anything ironic, amusing, or even mildly funny, not once, ever. I don't mean this rhetorically, I mean it literally: never. To British sensibilities a lack of humor is almost inhuman.
But with Trump, it's a fact. He doesn't even seem to understand what a joke is, to him, a joke is a crude comment, an illiterate insult, an act of casual cruelty.
Trump is like a troll, he's never funny or laughs; he just squeals with delight or mockery.
And the scary thing is, he doesn't just utter crude and stupid insults: he actually thinks while he uses them. His mind is a mere robotic algorithm of petty prejudices and instinctive nastiness.
There is never an underlying layer of irony, complexity, nuance, or depth. It's all superficial. We see him as lacking an inner world, a soul.
In Britain, we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky outsiders: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.
Trump is neither plucky nor an outsider. He's the opposite.
He's not even a spoiled rich boy, nor a greedy fat cat.
He's more of a big white slug, a privileged Jabba the Hutt.
And worse, he's a bully.
When he finds himself in the midst of bullies; in that case, he suddenly transforms into a sniveling sidekick.
He strikes downwards, something a gentleman should not, could not, and should never do and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly enjoys hitting the vulnerable or the voiceless—and he hits them when they are down.
So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans watch what he does, listen to what he says, and then think, “Yes, he seems like my kind of guy” is a source of confusion and great distress to the British.
After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him utter a sentence or two, without staring into the abyss. He makes artlessness an art form; he's a Picasso of pettiness, a Shakespeare of shit. His flaws are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.
There have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of evil people too. But rarely has stupidity been so evil, and rarely has evil been so stupid.
He makes Nixon seem trustworthy and George W. seem intelligent.
If Frankenstein decided to create a monster composed entirely of human flaws, he would create a Trump and a remorseful Dr. Frankenstein screamed in anguish, "My God what have I created?"
If an idiot were a television show, Trump would be the box set.
Passed @helenzille on the N2 in traffic yesterday afternoon. Still driving herself in a humble Toyota Yaris. No lavish lifestyle, no entourage. A reminder of true leadership through humility. 👏🇿🇦
Andrew Kenny: “The land problem, like so many problems in South Africa, is easy to solve. Give full title deeds to all people, even if they are poor and black, to all who ask for them and are entitled to them.”
https://t.co/nEmEMBVNn8
Over the past 20 years SA has lost over 350000 manufacturing jobs mainly to China. SA’s automotive sector is currently facing an existential crisis due to Chinese vehicles. With friends like these who needs enemies? #BeneficiationAtSource
Let me spell out the economic consequences of South Africa’s BEE (“black economic empowerment”) rules in the simplest terms possible. In essence the rules require entrepreneurs to part with a chunk of the upside in their business.
Let’s step through the consequences of that. The entrepreneur is already parted from around 40% of the rewards for the capital and time he put at risk in the form of corporate income tax and dividend withholding tax. Most of that is squandered, but that’s beside the point.
In some industries the demand is that 50% of the balance should go into the hand stuck out, with no capital risked for the pleasure.
That leaves the entrepreneur with less than a third of the reward for risk. That means that the hurdle in terms of the expected profit required to attract a unit of capital into the market is pushed to an extraordinary high level.
Activities that would have found eager investment are left unpursued. Whole industries fail to form.
A nation brimming with potential furnishes only joblessness, lawlessness and the pernicious creep of entitlement.
So don’t let an idiot like @CyrilRamaphosa tell you that BEE doesn’t harm growth. It massively, saliently, and devastatingly does. And this is blindingly obvious.
If you need a reminder of how tragic this is, just look out of your car window next time you’re in Johannesburg.
Sales manager, Obakeng is sharing why you should come through & check out the new @Suzuki_ZA dealership in Bramely which is equipped with car service, a cafe, a panel shop and more! The ideal one-stop shop. 🚗
#TheDSpot
Customers who've connected water illegally, will receive an illegal connection compliance notice.
If disconnected, visit your nearest COJ customer centre to:
1️⃣Pay your fine or make payment arrangements.
2️⃣After payment is received reconnection of services is within 72 hrs.
@TheJaundicedEye He enjoys renaming things, so based on his latest flight of fancy in a Province which can't deliver water, perhaps he should rename Gauteng Lalaland
What the Chinese did in South Africa with the textile industry they are about to repeat it with the automotive industry. Made in China clothes completely replaced South African made clothes in major retail stores. BMW, Nissan, VW and Mercedes Benz are slowly becoming casualties.
🚨🚨STOP THE PRESS🚨🚨PLEASE SHARE THIS WIDELY
The sensational and superb @Erin_Molan delivers the single best monologue you will EVER see and hear. Just WOW.
Thank you for saying exactly what the world needed to hear.
This is simply brilliant.