Plastic Straws available on request (& a small confession)
Trump's mark on a bright and frosty NYC
Corrections & Clarifications
Yes, already!
As many LinkedIn drones do (Yes, you’re probably one of the drones too..!), I posted news of my recent NYC trip (The Blonde* and I are just back from “Mini-Mini Moon”) to a captive audience on LinkedIn - innocently explained as a way to shed the out-of-office, desperately prove a semblance of intelligence and, frankly, practice what one preaches as a Sales Manager.
See the post in question below;
Now, my post was factually correct - understandably it was suitably sterile for a corporate environment. Yes, I didn’t actually hear anyone say “Trump” but christ, his mark on the US was as clear as night and day.
9th Ave. Thai
This was a key manifestation of The Donald, a small, unassuming peanut palace (The Thai Restaurant, not El Presidente 45 & 47) on 9th Ave - our refuelling stop prior to The Book of Mormon (★★★★★). Shortly after taking our seats, I happened to notice a hastily laminated and typically drafted notice taped to the wall just next to us;
“The plastic straw available at request of diner”
Need I say any more?
Divorced Canadian
This was the second coming of The Donald - a fellow squeezed guest at the Book of Mormon - our dinner element of the much lauded “Dinner and a Show” conversational tidbit (It’s a crap line, isn’t it?).
The Divorced Canadian acting as our protagonist in this second act was seated beside a nice lady from Detroit (She reliably informed us that she had moved from CA to Michigan when she was six - why did I need to know that??).
I joined their polite, interval conversation by way of offering a small shake of M&Ms - declined by both parties. During this conversation, I learnt of their respective homes of Detroit and Newfoundland (Or, as they will robustly assert, Newfundland). The Detroit lady apologised to both of us for “The way things were going over here” and we both politely laughed it off - with the Canadian retorting he was just glad to be able to travel here and not be turned away at the border.
That meek, polite humour to me sums up what I imagine most Canadians feel when considering their Southern border in the face of “51st State” and “Governor Trudeau” jibes.
The Great Communicator
The third and final act of The Donald was actually my first encounter with him, via an Inflight Film on our American Airlines LHR-JFK flight. The Reagan biopic (★★★) of course didn’t mention or feature Donald, but through this love letter of a film I believe it reflects both Trump’s interpretation of Reagan’s vision for America and his interpretation of the result of Reagan’s time in office. You can see this as one of his guiding lights - I say this painfully as a relatively strong fan of President Reagan’s achievements as President - the fact his portrait hangs in his Oval Office attests to this. Trump’s vision for a strong America, the shining city on the hill.
The Verdict
Funnily enough, plenty are in a position to provide deep political and economic analysis of President Trump. For me, and for what it’s worth, he represents much of what is wrong in this world.
Trump’s America is not the same America we have looked up to for so many years. It is not the same America I have visited so many times prior to now, nor the one of so many people I know and respect. I deeply pity those that fall for his promise and respect those that stand or exist against his will. Many tenants of his vision are sound (Safe borders, strong internal economy, no global conflict) but each and every time it ignores the vital fact that America has taken the baton from us, the United Kingdom, as the global policeman. If not America, who takes over the beat? Each and every time it ignores the vibrancy of the United States, it’s melting pot. It ignores its history as the downtrodden. It ignores its leading status in higher education, in services, in technology.
Of his future? Despite the flocks of Trumplets lining up to take his place; I am confident he will soon (c.10 years) be seen as a Dodo - a relic of the past, and with him a generation of entitled, sexist, obnoxious and inadequate men will take their place in the ground. I don’t wish death on him, nor many of the men I see a bit of Trump in, but in the fast approaching passing of that generation I hope we will see an end to this brand of decision making and of leadership. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan - '‘What is right shall eventually triumph"
*The Blonde…
…is my darling wife. I am an atrocious reader; uncommitted, impatient, although impulsive when it comes to the purchase of books and pathetic when it comes to completing them. A rare exception has been the works of A.A. Gill, whose writing I adore and whose moniker for his better half I am keeping alive through this (probably short lived) attempt at writing.