If Only They Didn't Speak English: Notes From Trump's America

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For Jon Sopel, the phenomenon of Donald Trump is the greatest thing that could ever have happened to him, commercially. Jon Sopel is a Trump beneficiary, (regardless of his personal views, which as a BBC man he was careful to moderate and code). This is the reason that Trump is likely to return for a second term (Sopel’s view): A divisive figure he may be, but for those that are benefiting from his Presidency (look at the USA economy, for now), the foibles of the man, the fascination he induces, are well worth indulging if/when personal gain are consequent.

Much has been written about the latent anger among the white working class men, badly affected by globalisation and the transfer of their jobs overseas, and Donald Trump's genius for tapping into that anger and exploiting it. Through music, film, literature, TV and even through the food we eat and the clothes that we wear we all have a highly developed sense of what America is and through our shared, tangled history we claim a special relationship. But America today feels about as alien a country as you could imagine. It is fearful, angry and impatient for change. Reflecting on his journey across the continent to cover the most turbulent race in recent history, Jon Sopel lifts a lid on the seething resentments, profound anxieties and sheer rage that found its embodiment in a brash, unpredictable and seemingly unstoppable figure. Just imagine, as Sopel’s boss in Washington did during the mad 2016 election, if only they didn’t speak English in the United States…Is this because the book’s wisdom, it’s insights, are highly original?; is Jon Sopel to politics, what David Attenborough is to the natural world (a national treasure)? No, on both counts. Donald Trump’s subsequent election and his first 18 months in the job have made Washington and world affairs febrile with opinion, outrage, incredulity, and interest- big time.

Sopel shares some of his own (weirdly liberal) racist views, implying that ethnic minorities are too dumb to apply for photo ID. The truth is that you need ID for everything in America (except voting, in some states). Everyone has photo ID, except for young people (who could easily apply for it) and a few ancient people who don't even have birth certificates. PDF / EPUB File Name: If_Only_They_Didnt_Speak_English__Notes_F_-_Jon_Sopel.pdf, If_Only_They_Didnt_Speak_English__Notes_F_-_Jon_Sopel.epubSopel explains some interesting history about the antisemitic America First Committee (AFC), which I didn't know about. He describes the idea that Jews have a "large influence and ownership and influence in our motion pictures", as a Zionist conspiracy-theory. This summary is not to take away the depth of Sopel’s writing, which cannot be done justice in a concise book review. He compares and contrasts, references extensively, and most interestingly of all, injects his own thoughts into his writing. Sopel probes why Americans are so anxious (because, among many things, their physical geography), and why, for instance, the “special relationship” may not exist entirely as we see it here. Jon Sopel may be the sanest man in America. He is certainly one of the most insightful ... Immensely enjoyable" * Bill Bryson * As with any nation, you can’t tar all the inhabitants with the same brush, but reading Sopel’s book does paint a picture of the average citizen which is at best somewhat incomprehensible to a European, at worst not very flattering. Americans are angry with their political class and deeply distrustful of it. This is one of the reasons why they own so many guns; they like to think that when the chips are down, no government agencies are going to mess with them when they are armed to the teeth. Paranoid? We might think so.

IMO, our mindset as humans is much governed by our early education- Australians in UK will find chasms of unexpected misunderstanding, as Scots in England & vice versa) Sopel describes the differences between the UK (where ‘We don’t do God’) vs. a country where nine out of ten adults say they believe in God. So you're copying stories from news networks like CNN & MSNBC, whose anchors “can barely conceal their contempt”, and you're impartial.

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He quotes a Bernie fan, saying "She’s a war-hawk, a liar and a bad person". Any reason why they would think that Jon? I personally think the US is a fantastic country, and still do, but this book made me realise that we here in the UK have much more in our common with our cousins on the continent, than we do with our cousins on the other side of the pond. He also rightly observes the real-life limitations that lie behind what successive British and American governments have extolled as their “special relationship”— though, in an especially moving passage, about meeting an octogenarian US ex-serviceman during a family visit to Normandy, he also explains why, despite everything, a core specialness does remain. The reader has a crash course in American current affairs, and how America’s often-bizarre culture is the product of own its history A chapter about the NRA, "unarguably the most powerful lobbying organisation in the United States". If they're so powerful, I'm surprised that Sopel is allowed to criticize them. [8]

So I've been given a lecture about the dangers of fake news, followed by an example of the BBC spreading it. The definitive book on the making of Trump's America from the BBC's North America Editor, Jon Sopel. Now updated with an exclusive new chapter. There is huge debate within the BBC over this. If timidity is what we choose in the end – and I’m sure it won’t be – that would be a wrong judgment. We’ve got to be bold. If I feel something is right, I think we’ve got to say it. The problem is that the book author just obliquely touches upon the problem. Instead he extensively expands on subject of his adventures in Northwest DC, the place that taxi-drivers prefer to stay away from. Despite the fact that the place is a couple of miles from the White House… But the same frontier mentality, combined with the physically isolated existence for many, has induced the deep-seated gun culture that many outside the US simply cannot understand. Despite many thousands of people dying from gun violence each year, and the incidence of mass shootings happening with alarming frequency, Mr Sopel predicts that the US will never give up its guns.Through music, film, literature, TV and even through the food we eat and the clothes that we wear we all have a highly developed sense of what America is and through our shared, tangled history we claim a special relationship. But America today feels about as alien a country as you could imagine. It is fearful, angry and impatient for change. Less government in the USA but better social responsibility. The road and transport infrastructure is awful- John Kerry, visiting Haiti remarked that the state of the roads was better than in Washington! Jon Sopel is a respected (and as anyone paying attention to the recent gender pay debates will know, very well paid) journalist who works for the BBC. As North American Editor, he’s lived in Washington DC since 2014. One amusing recollection I have is of Donald Trump’s reaction to Sopel at a heated White House press conference, shortly after taking office. Trump was clearly agitated by the fact that he was about to be asked a question by a reporter from the BBC, stating ‘here’s another beauty’ and then later, after Sopel had asked his question, chillingly ‘I know who you are’. This anecdote is covered in the opening Section of this book which goes on to reflect on Sopel’s time in America and his thoughts on Trump and the country he now leads.