No doubt Trump's State of the Union words will have appealed to his supporters. The lengthy bouts of applause seemed to have confirmed this.
I just happened to be listening to the radio when his wise words were broadcast live, and I couldn't help noticing the following.
'In the 20th Century America saved freedom, transformed science, redefined the middle class, and when you get down to it, there is nothing in the world that can compare with America'.
Well, let me assure you Mr Trump, there are other places in the world where things do also happen. Take the UK for example, where Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web; just go outside and see how many people are wandering around with hand-held computers, on which they consult the web throughout the day. Maybe you forgot that that was a British invention.
And whilst on the subject of those computers themselves, it might be worthwhile remembering who first invented those too. A certain Mr Charles Babbage can be thanked for that; yet another Brit.
Possibly the two most important inventions of the 20th Century were British; not American. Perhaps in next year's State of the Union address, you might like to acknowledge this basic oversight.
As an American I am hoping he won't be around to deliver the State of the Union next year.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a lot of women in the audience were wearing white clothes... what was that all about?
DeleteThe women of the Democratic party were going to wear white.
DeleteAha... a sort of protest. I imagined it was something like that. They didn't applaud much.
DeleteIt's a nod to the Womens' Suffrage movement in the early 20th century.
DeleteAre you not nit picking a bit?
ReplyDeleteNo. This form of Trump nationalism gets on my nerves. He doesn't seem to accept that there is a civilised world outside of the US. I've met plenty who treat Europe like some huge primitive 3rd world area; Trump epitomises this.
DeleteDid you listen with an open mind?
DeleteWe are heading down the road to being a third world country if Corbyn gets in. We would be better off with Trump.
DeleteI listened live to most of his speech, and it was reasonably well planned and delivered (other than the constant applause). But hinting that there is nothing in the world to compare with the US, is just plain silly. I did also notice that he got a couple of 'God' mentions in amongst his words, which I suppose demonstrates how primitive HE can be.
DeleteI just looked at Obama's equivalent and he had applause after every sentence, he mentioned God twice and he listed all the historical achievements of every notable American invention, naming the inventors as leaders of the world. I guess for this type of speech it is par for the course.
DeleteAll that applause makes it very difficult to listen to. I suppose the more they tell people that everything of note comes from the USA, they'll believe it.
DeleteConsider the blood stained CFA-Franc still in circulation in 14 African lands. The fates of Sylvanus Olympia, Joseph Tschundjang Pouemi, Thomas Sankara, Muammar
ReplyDeleteGadhafi . . .
Was that not the most important invention of the 20th century?
Marine le Pen: 'Linking the CFA-Franc with the Euro through the Bank of France destroys African businesses'.
Until these countries are allowed to have their own money Africa cannot prosper. And as Salvini says Italy and other countries are living with the consequences and thousands are perishing in the Mediterranean Sea.
Let him who is without sin throw the first stone.
I thought that the Yuan was the currency of Africa. If not, it soon will be.
DeleteNot to be confused with the €uan.
DeleteFor the first time in his political life, he stuck to the script written by someone else.
ReplyDeleteAnd he read it without faltering. Only his claims about N Korea let him down a tad.
DeleteTim Berners-Lee did not in fact invent the web in the UK, he was in Switzerland at an international organisation paid for, in part by the United States.
ReplyDeleteWe worked with Tim in Geneva because the British government under Thatcher cut science funding.
Helen
He's definitely a BRIT. Born in London!
DeleteI watched House Hunters instead on TV. It is fake just like 45, but their lies don’t hurt anyone.
ReplyDeleteIt was on at about 3 am here. I'm an insomniac.
DeleteYou don't really believe anything he says, do you? I'm American and I don't listen to him. Wish they had an app that colors people speaking with smoke when they don't speak the truth - maybe red being the ultimate color - or maybe black is better?
ReplyDeleteI thought the speech itself was quite bland and inoffensive; which I'm sure was the objective. Something for everyone. He should have left-out the N Korea bit though.
DeleteIt always surprises me when anyone--especially on the other side of the pond--get their knickers in a knot over anything he says. Is he really that big of a deal? Certainly to himself, but why so to everyone else? He doesn't have comic book super powers. In less than 21 months, there'll be another election in America. If the Democrats don't make the same mistakes the Republicans did (having too many in the candidate pool), we'll have a #46. In less than 2 months, though, the UK and EU have far more important things than #45 to worry about.
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DeleteI'm sure you're right, but I find his attitude of everything circulating around him, or America in general, rather tiresome.
DeleteThen just ignore him. The most likely way that he is going to get re-elected is this constant attention and criticism he gets. Human beings are funny creatures and it is just the sort of thing that makes them go all contrary to without even telling their best friend and pretend they didn't'. I note that some of your US readers have got the message and no longer throw their toys out of the pram like they used to.
DeleteThe "Ugly American" is alive and well and living in the USA. As a Canadian who would never, ever, in 1000 years even consider moving to that hell hole to the South, I get angry every time I hear "America First" or "Make America Great Again" - too late for that I fear! I would never say "Canada First"...I would say "People First", or "Children First"...but Trump is saying "Rich people first" and his fans applaud joyously. I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit late with this. We should all accept our own country's achievements and failures. It is pointless for any country to say 'everything is wonderful, and everything wonderful came from here'. That is the talk of Communism.
DeleteGod Bless America & our president!!! Of the 3,141 counties in the USA, 3084 voted for President Trump. The numbers don’t lie. Democrats have gone batshit crazy & want to turn us into a Socialist country. Ain’t gonna happen!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to hear from a supporter; I'm sure he can't be all bad, as many would have us believe.
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