Dr Liz Gordon – Embarrassment
My dear late husband used to say that I was unembarrassable, which is not, let’s face it, even a word. I don’t think that’s true, but it is certain that I am a long, long way (both in age and disposition) from the terrified teenager I once was, my stomach tied in knots that I might be embarrassed by anything or nothing.
I therefore watched on with bewilderment this week when Donald Trump, that lying, scheming, manipulative, con-man (whose son Donald Jr reputedly has warts) (see my recent witchy blog) was a source of worldwide media sniggering because he had a piece of tissue, possibly from the TOILET (OMG!!) stuck to his shoe.
Of all the things that can bring ole Donny down, I did not consider a piece of toilet tissue to be a lethal weapon. And, indeed, I was amused that he was entirely oblivious of the tissue that had so transfixed the world’s media. Light news day, obviously.
On now to Melania, who you would never know if she was embarrassed as her face has no mobility at all. It was, however, interesting to get her views on various things in her solo interview done as part of what has been called her “Out of Africa” trip, having borrowed her wardrobe entirely from Meryl Streep.
She declared brightly and strongly that “yes. We are fine. Yes”, when asked whether she loved her husband. I am pretty sure she had practiced that line in the mirror. I thought she was going to burst out with “whatever love is”, that famous phrase coined by Prince Charles on his engagement to Diana. And we all know what that meant! Well, at least we certainly found out in subsequent years.
Melania was also asked about the affairs that Trump had allegedly had, and told the reporter that she was far too busy being First Lady to worry about such stuff. Such important matters of state on her shoulders.
On #MeToo, Melania said she supported the women and they needed to be heard. But she required hard evidence. This was quite funny, as I reflected back on Stormy Daniels’ book, which provided a very vivid description of Trump’s most private parts. So vivid that I would wash my brain out with bleach if I could.
If I had been interviewing Melania, I would have asked (not being embarrassed to follow up on such details) whether Stormy’s description of the strange appendage was accurate or not (bleach! bleach!). Even though Melania’s face would not move, she might blush in a telling way. Mind you, she might not remember. I cannot imagine that such a creature of perfection would allow the old boy to actually touch her much.
Melania also considers herself to be the most bullied person in the world. It is true that many of us, me included, have fun at her expense. But I thought about all those people in detention camps around the world, the treatment of the poor by agencies of the state, women who are not believed and live with the double burden that brings, soldiers who die in wars they don’t believe in, the numerous dying species that are the victims of human greed, and I find I have little sympathy for poor little Melania.
Indeed, my message to her is to get over herself, toughen up a bit, drop the Botox or whatever is preventing her showing normal human emotions (assuming she has any), perhaps get an education so she adopts a broader perspective on life and, as soon as possible, get out of that marriage.
Neither Melania nor Donald inspire much human sympathy. While the story of Charles and Diana was a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions, D and M are simply a farce, albeit one whose consequences the world is forced to live with. Melania is certainly not a Diana. I can’t see her holding babies with Aids in her arms. It might muck up her pristine white shirt.
Embarrassment – give it up. Like Melania, we have so many more important things to worry about.
Dr Liz Gordon began her working life as a university lecturer at Massey and the Canterbury universities. She spent six years as an Alliance MP, before starting her own research company, Pukeko Research. Her work is in the fields of justice, law, education and sociology (poverty and inequality). She is the president of Pillars, a charity that works for the children of prisoners, a prison volunteer, and is on the board of several other organisations. Her mission is to see New Zealand freed from the shackles of neo-liberalism before she dies (hopefully well before!).
I think Melania is holding up with great dignity in the glare of publicity with half the world’s population hating her husband with intensity , and ridiculing every move she makes, everything she wares and anything she says without thought or reason . Just like this present despicable example.
D J S
It is paradoxical that on the same blogsites, we have this piece, excoriating Melania Trump, and another post, rightly calling out “The sick hatred Golriz Ghahraman puts up with…”
I remind you: Mrs Trump isn’t the elected one. That would be the POTUS. Yet it appears that you see her as fair game. She’d be perfectly entitled to shut herself up in the WH and do nothing but attend to the needs of her family. Were I in her shoes, that’s exactly what I’d do.
Her position isn’t at all commensurate with that of the late Princess of Wales, who, being married to the heir of the UK throne, was obliged to busy herself with charity works. It’s what the royals have become known for, at least since WW2, if not beforehand. And she had to occupy herself somehow.
A much more apt comparison would be with Cherie Booth (Tony Blair’s missus), who, if I remember rightly, did keep her hand in with her legal practice.
I’ve seen one too many pieces of this sort about Mrs Trump. Normally I wouldn’t comment, but really: enough already! Leave the poor woman alone. A bit of empathy wouldn’t go amiss: if you can’t find anything pleasant – or at least neutral – to say about her, silence on the topic would be best.
I remind you further: the POTUS isn’t our president. We have no say over his election or re-election. That’s for US citizens to decide. Nor – by extension – do we have any say over US domestic or foreign policy, for all that, in the case of the latter, we might wish it were otherwise.
Remember too, that the msm, being largely liberal, hate Republican presidents, such that reportage tends to be negative and slanted. And they particularly hate Trump, in part because they ignored countervailing views, and didn’t foresee his election; and in part because their darling, Clinton, lost. And we should thank our lucky stars for that….
Please don’t tell me that Clinton won the popular vote: we all know that. But it’s the EC vote that’s crucial: the Trump campaign knew that, but the Clinton campaign was too incompetent to take the notice of it that they should have.
The thing I’ve learned over a longish life observing US politics is that one should judge a POTUS by what he does, not what he says. The current incumbent hasn’t started a new war yet. And long may that last.
David Stone: “I think Melania is holding up with great dignity in the glare of publicity…”
Hear hear. I completely agree with you.
I’d be a tad reluctant to call Charles and Di Shakespearean, and speaking ill of the dead as Germaine Greer did describing Princess Diana as being a devious moron, may not really enhance either lady’s sainthood stakes.
We women should hold judgment on high profile public women; the only damn thing we know about their lives is – like everyone’s lives – what they choose to show us, or what the press dredges up about them.
Melania looks rather a nice woman, I love her clothes – and I doubt she needs or warrants being bitched about basically because of her spouse.
Christine: “Melania looks rather a nice woman, I love her clothes – and I doubt she needs or warrants being bitched about basically because of her spouse.”
Indeed. Neatly put.
Interesting how the Trumpistas come out to voice their support of the Corrupt One and his supposed “wife”……..
Did the people posting above show any support for Hillary Clinton over her husband’s infidelity?? I certainly can’t recall any.
Mjolnir: “Interesting how the Trumpistas come out to voice their support of the Corrupt One and his supposed “wife”……..”
You’ve missed the points that commenters here are making.
“Did the people posting above show any support for Hillary Clinton over her husband’s infidelity?? I certainly can’t recall any.”
What? Were you around at that time? I was, but it sounds as if you weren’t.
Mjolnir- ain’t my job – or interest – to address American politicians’ infidelities or what Bill C may have done – or to add to his wife’s handling of these issues, but I do recall that Clinton visited NZ when Jenny Shipley was PM, and upon his departure he was reported as saying, “I do not have sex with that woman,” and I did not hesitate to accept that he was being truthful.
A bitchy blog, shame on you Liz Gordon for an unwarranted personal attack. What about politics? Melania publicly criticised the fascists who were attacking those who were standing up for ‘black lives matter’, before Donald condemned both groups as equally reprehensible.
Which utterly diluted Trump’s so-called “condemnation” of neo-nazis, including the white nationalist thug who killed Heather Heyer by deliberately driving into a crowd. Those are the people the Trumps are lining up with.
Even accepting that Melania Trump may not be very likeable, it is absurd to expect her to not support Trump in public. She is the First Lady of the US. She has been handed the job whether she wants it or not and it is a job, important in the US, which she should do to the best of her ability.
What do you really expect her to do or say in media interviews? The article was a cheap jibe and does you no credit, Dr Gordon.
Frank Macskasy my point was that Melania publicly voiced her own opinion before her husband voiced his very different one – yet you lump them together.
Melania seems a loving and protective mother of her son. This is consistent with her concerns over children separated from their parents at the Mexican border. Friends have told me she had a cynical message on the back of her coat which were inconsistent with her remarks, puzzling as she doesn’t seem nasty and she appears amazingly tolerant of Donald. He boasts they never fight. (I pick up this trivia online).
Meantime we have Hillary Clinton claiming Bill’s Affair With Monica Lewinsky Was Not An Abuse Of Power..this from the woman aligning herself with ‘The Revolution’ and #metoo.
Maybe this is presumptuous, but wouldn’t you expect a more nuanced understanding from a former Presidential candidate and University graduate, than from someone who, after all, is simply some rich guys wife, picked on the basis of her good looks and pleasant manner?
Then again your telling her to .. “get over herself, toughen up a bit, drop the Botox or whatever is preventing her showing normal human emotions (assuming she has any), perhaps get an education so she adopts a broader perspective on life and, as soon as possible, (and)get out of that marriage.” indicates your probably more intune with Hillary’s hard arse view on women who have been conditioned, by both men and women, usually from before they can talk, to get by on their looks.
Which makes your sympathy for Dianna..well, just weird tbh.
Don’t be so selective and snobbish with your empathy.
Guess Mrs Clinton has to ask herself what she would sacrifice for an economy that was half as good as Bill Clintons, limited wars that existed, If I ever meet Bill in real life od probably shout him some hookers as well.
Siobhan: “…wouldn’t you expect a more nuanced understanding from a former Presidential candidate and University graduate…”
I agree. Clinton hasn’t covered herself in glory over this issue. Though nowadays, I don’t expect any better of her. Even back when the Lewinsky affair exploded into the news, her response wasn’t what many of us expected from her.
In the years since her First Lady days, she’s morphed into a neocon warmonger. That’s why we should all be relieved that she lost the presidential election. For all our sakes, I do hope that her hubris doesn’t extend to her having another crack in 2020.