It’s difficult to do much in the US at the moment (I’m writing this in mid-July) without recognising the long shadow of the 2016 Presidential Election, and more specifically the villain of the piece: Donald Trump. The Republican National Convention finished a few days ago and the immediate fall-out has focused on blatant plagiarism by his wife, the potential First Lady, of Michelle Obama’s speech in 2008. What’s most striking – amid frenzied non-stop TV and newspaper coverage – is that no one appears to be pointing out just how amateurish his operation must be if that kind of high-profile gaffe can be made.
Still, it took the focus away from the other Trump tropes for a few hours. Despite an obvious softening of his language towards Muslims, the other anti-immigration stuff was still there: stories of Americans murdered by individuals who crossed the border illegally, a vow to create a wall along the US-Mexico border, constant allusions to significant tightening of security.
The traction he’s getting at the moment isn’t just politically or philosophically jarring: it’s almost visibly shocking. The ‘New York is a melting pot’ cliché is nonetheless true: near 40% residents are ‘foreign-born’; big Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist populations; 800+ languages spoken; literally thousands of restaurants.
And the big set-pieces reinforce the disconnect between Trump/Republican rhetoric and (without getting too misty-eyed) what this country is founded on. Two simple pictures taken this afternoon en route to and on Liberty Island were an open goal:
snowinginspace 