A recent trip to England for our son’s wedding revealed a lot about international relations. From the time we landed, going through Heathrow airport and into the Uber to our hotel, we were bombarded with London’s version of National Public Radio and London talk shows. They were weighted heavily toward what’s going on politically in the United States. Trump trying to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia; Trump levying tariffs against trading partners; Even the electronic billboards along the highway were showing pictures of Trump in the news. Trump’s Middle East policy; Trump’s economic policies; Trump this and Trump that. It seemed like the Brits were obsessed with Trump. And it wasn’t in a good way.
One program focused on how Trump had struck fear among the LGBTQ-rest of the alphabet-people. The news anchor interviewed an open homosexual about the fears he felt because of Trump’s two-gender policy. Irrationally, the guest “expert” explained how he felt Trump’s actions threatened the well-being, even the lives, of those in the queer community. Of course, he had no clear examples of any queer person being attacked or killed because of Trump, but the fear-mongering was very clear. The world no longer holds any safe place for the queer community because of Trump. The anchor concluded that while he was straight, he definitely believed the world was a much more dangerous place for queers because of Trump.
At a pre-wedding dinner near Buckingham Palace, we were having a smashing good time. I was standing up overlooking the table of about 17 guests when the Maître D’ struck up a conversation with me. I pointed out the groom and bride, told him this was a group that was going to a final destination for a wedding. Finding that we were Americans, he proceeded to lecture me about how Trump was the worst US president in history and there will never be one to be worse than him. He was particularly agitated about Trump negotiating peace with Russia. I told him he had a lot of nerve insulting my president and my country, especially after we were spending about a thousand dollars at his establishment. I told him it was not good for his business, nor good hospitality. My wife intervened before it escalated into something worse.
Later, on a train from Wales to London, a cheerful couple sat across from us. They were implying that Trump was messing up the British economy with his economic policies. The husband was upset that his Tesla stock had taken a nosedive because of Musk and Trump working together. All in all, most were very friendly, but the atmosphere was very friendly unfriendly. The spirit was of a socialist nation that had created its own problems, but preferred to blame Trump, although with a smile. I’m reminded of Jesus asking in Matthew 7:2, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” Everybody wants to blame Trump without even considering the overreach, graft and corruption he’s trying to fix, which is their own, say it with me…Stupidocrisy.
