I used to admire America, a place of power and influence on the world where cities shone with towering skyscrapers signalling an empire of admirable progress in so many ways – business, science, technology, medicine…
With a long and colourful history, a nation proudly built upon by the help of various migrants the US seemed like such a fascinating place with a steadfast determination to succeed in its advancements and become a place the rest of the world could only dream of.
Twenty six years ago when I first visited the US, coming from Australia, I was blown away by the richness of diversity.
It was the first thing that hit me upon arriving in LA – all the different ethnicities and how beautiful that seemed to me, to see so many mixes of races all in one place.
It felt like I was exploring a giant movie set, with all the iconic locations I’d seen thousands of times in Hollywood movies.
The surrealness of seeing the steam coming out of vents in NYC, the giant neon flashing billboards in Times Square. The statue of Liberty, and the White House…
I saw (later on a subsequent trip) how the Amish lived and loved that. Going back to basics.
I saw the staunchness of Christian religion in America and even though I am not religious myself, they carried messages of seemingly good values.
I experienced kindness, and graciousness and met some amazing women that I’d made friends with online.
In awe of it all I could only think – “Wow, America!”
This place in my wildest imagination that I never thought I’d visit, and then I was THERE and it was incredible.
I didn’t realise, in my youthful naivety that underneath the glitz and glamour there had always been such potentially destructive division festering. Race, political ideology, religion, class, misogyny…
Slowly but surely over the following years I saw the onion layers being peeled back, not just regarding America, but other western countries, revealing a whole different side to how I used to regard the illusion that I once had about the western world seemingly being such a good, safe, reliable place.
Coincidentally my naivety was shattered not long after, when 9/11 happened.
That moment in time began the unravelling of how I perceived the world in general.
But still, the US, compared to a lot of other countries seemed to me to be a place of good intention.
Trustworthy. Reliable. Like a parent you could look up to.
Safe.
Then the mass shootings started.
Had they always been there but I’d never noticed?
Was there a defining moment when I did ?
I was waking up to the not so perfect façade of America.
Discovering the ugly side.
I began lose my respect, when with each tragic mass shooting nothing changed.
An intelligent society learns from its mistakes. Strives to do better.
America did not and has not.
A progressive society analyses the present, predicts and looks to the future, not back on archaic amendments that had no bearing on a world set in a completely new technological era.
The US now experiences hundreds of mass shootings a year, and nothing…not a damn thing changes. Ever.
I am heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken with the knowledge that maybe tomorrow someone else’s innocent precious little baby will not be coming home from school, alive.
Someone’s husband, wife, mother, won’t make it home.
I am sick to my stomach at this one subject alone.
Today there is a man, the most powerful man in the world who oversees America.
How he got there is beyond all comprehensible rational thought. That millions of people actually “wanted” this to happen.
Wanted HIM, of all the people, to become their leader – twice.
A person who has publicly mocked disabled people.
Has spoken disrespectfully about military veterans.
Has made racist comments about many other cultures calling some countries “shit hole countries.”
Has spread race hate openly, in order to rile up his followers and fuel his inhumane and deeply cruel immigration agenda.
Is deeply misogynistic and has been charged with sexual assault.
Has been charged with multiple counts of business fraud.
Is a man who became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes when a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn star.
Was best friends for over ten years with one of America’s most notorious pedophile sex traffickers. (and still to this day refuses to release all the Epstein files.)
Lied about the devastating extent of Covid, and caused such confusion and division during his first term that ultimately led countless deaths due to his incompetence as a leader.
A man who suggested ingesting bleach to get rid of Covid.
A man who has praised numerous dictators of the world. Has talked affectionately about “love letters” from Kim Jong Un. Has expressed admiration many times for Vladimir Putin. Has talked proudly about Viktor Orbán being such a “strong” leader. Called President Xi “A brilliant man.”
A man who has defended white nationalist protesters and had Nick Fuentes- a white supremacist over for dinner.
Backs the NRA and refuses to do anything regarding gun laws, and in fact has walked back several common sense laws, including freezing a rule that prohibits people with severe mental illness from obtaining a firearm. Ironic that two people have tried, purportedly, to shoot Trump.
A man who praises violence, openly encourages violence, and in front of the world’s eyes incited a violent insurrection to try to stop the progress of an election – which he lost, from going forward.
I could go on….but that was even before people decided “Yes, that’s the man I want – for a second time.
The person who stands before the world and reflects the core values of America.
What is happening right now in 2025 is even more shocking.
Yet the people who elected Trump say, “It’s Trump derangement syndrome.”
The derangement I see are those wearing red Maga hats openly symbolising what inevitably history will look back on to be determined “a mass brainwashing.”
This morning I woke to see a news article about a new detention centre being opened in Florida.
Workers were erecting a huge sign saying “Alligator Alcatraz”.
I double checked to see if this is true and it is.
This is really happening.
If the cruelty of the outrageous ICE attacks is not horrifying enough – where innocent people are being ripped away in front of their traumatised children by masked unidentified men, to now mocking and celebrating? immigrants being kept in a place surrounded by alligators and giant snakes… I mean, this is like something out of a dystopian novel.
The lies about deporting only the violent criminals. “Gotta get rid of all the criminals!” Lies. All of it Lies.
How hypocritical when all the convicted violent criminals of Jan 6 were allowed to walk free.
This is America?
How has this happened?
I used to think about the atrocities of Hitler and wonder how on earth that happened.
What was the trajectory?
How did each step descending into madness take place?
How could all those people do such unspeakable things to fellow human beings?
I truly am horrified and deeply saddened by what America has become.
It doesn’t have to be this way. I still believe there are so many incredible things about the US. So many amazing, wonderful people there.
So much promise.
The world will wait and watch, and hope.
To all my completely sane American friends living through, and being so greatly affected by this current hell, you have my deepest sympathy.
Twisted Gypsy 
What America has become…
I used to admire America, a place of power and influence on the world where cities shone with towering skyscrapers signalling an empire of admirable progress in so many ways – business, science, technology, medicine…
With a long and colourful history, a nation proudly built upon by the help of various migrants the US seemed like such a fascinating place with a steadfast determination to succeed in its advancements and become a place the rest of the world could only dream of.
Twenty six years ago when I first visited the US, coming from Australia, I was blown away by the richness of diversity.
It was the first thing that hit me upon arriving in LA – all the different ethnicities and how beautiful that seemed to me, to see so many mixes of races all in one place.
It felt like I was exploring a giant movie set, with all the iconic locations I’d seen thousands of times in Hollywood movies.
The surrealness of seeing the steam coming out of vents in NYC, the giant neon flashing billboards in Times Square. The statue of Liberty, and the White House…
I saw (later on a subsequent trip) how the Amish lived and loved that. Going back to basics.
I saw the staunchness of Christian religion in America and even though I am not religious myself, they carried messages of seemingly good values.
I experienced kindness, and graciousness and met some amazing women that I’d made friends with online.
In awe of it all I could only think – “Wow, America!”
This place in my wildest imagination that I never thought I’d visit, and then I was THERE and it was incredible.
I didn’t realise, in my youthful naivety that underneath the glitz and glamour there had always been such potentially destructive division festering. Race, political ideology, religion, class, misogyny…
Slowly but surely over the following years I saw the onion layers being peeled back, not just regarding America, but other western countries, revealing a whole different side to how I used to regard the illusion that I once had about the western world seemingly being such a good, safe, reliable place.
Coincidentally my naivety was shattered not long after, when 9/11 happened.
That moment in time began the unravelling of how I perceived the world in general.
But still, the US, compared to a lot of other countries seemed to me to be a place of good intention.
Trustworthy. Reliable. Like a parent you could look up to.
Safe.
Then the mass shootings started.
Had they always been there but I’d never noticed?
Was there a defining moment when I did ?
I was waking up to the not so perfect façade of America.
Discovering the ugly side.
I began lose my respect, when with each tragic mass shooting nothing changed.
An intelligent society learns from its mistakes. Strives to do better.
America did not and has not.
A progressive society analyses the present, predicts and looks to the future, not back on archaic amendments that had no bearing on a world set in a completely new technological era.
The US now experiences hundreds of mass shootings a year, and nothing…not a damn thing changes. Ever.
I am heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken with the knowledge that maybe tomorrow someone else’s innocent precious little baby will not be coming home from school, alive.
Someone’s husband, wife, mother, won’t make it home.
I am sick to my stomach at this one subject alone.
Today there is a man, the most powerful man in the world who oversees America.
How he got there is beyond all comprehensible rational thought. That millions of people actually “wanted” this to happen.
Wanted HIM, of all the people, to become their leader – twice.
A person who has publicly mocked disabled people.
Has spoken disrespectfully about military veterans.
Has made racist comments about many other cultures calling some countries “shit hole countries.”
Has spread race hate openly, in order to rile up his followers and fuel his inhumane and deeply cruel immigration agenda.
Is deeply misogynistic and has been charged with sexual assault.
Has been charged with multiple counts of business fraud.
Is a man who became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes when a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn star.
Was best friends for over ten years with one of America’s most notorious pedophile sex traffickers. (and still to this day refuses to release all the Epstein files.)
Lied about the devastating extent of Covid, and caused such confusion and division during his first term that ultimately led countless deaths due to his incompetence as a leader.
A man who suggested ingesting bleach to get rid of Covid.
A man who has praised numerous dictators of the world. Has talked affectionately about “love letters” from Kim Jong Un. Has expressed admiration many times for Vladimir Putin. Has talked proudly about Viktor Orbán being such a “strong” leader. Called President Xi “A brilliant man.”
A man who has defended white nationalist protesters and had Nick Fuentes- a white supremacist over for dinner.
Backs the NRA and refuses to do anything regarding gun laws, and in fact has walked back several common sense laws, including freezing a rule that prohibits people with severe mental illness from obtaining a firearm. Ironic that two people have tried, purportedly, to shoot Trump.
A man who praises violence, openly encourages violence, and in front of the world’s eyes incited a violent insurrection to try to stop the progress of an election – which he lost, from going forward.
I could go on….but that was even before people decided “Yes, that’s the man I want – for a second time.
The person who stands before the world and reflects the core values of America.
What is happening right now in 2025 is even more shocking.
Yet the people who elected Trump say, “It’s Trump derangement syndrome.”
The derangement I see are those wearing red Maga hats openly symbolising what inevitably history will look back on to be determined “a mass brainwashing.”
This morning I woke to see a news article about a new detention centre being opened in Florida.
Workers were erecting a huge sign saying “Alligator Alcatraz”.
I double checked to see if this is true and it is.
This is really happening.
If the cruelty of the outrageous ICE attacks is not horrifying enough – where innocent people are being ripped away in front of their traumatised children by masked unidentified men, to now mocking and celebrating? immigrants being kept in a place surrounded by alligators and giant snakes… I mean, this is like something out of a dystopian novel.
The lies about deporting only the violent criminals. “Gotta get rid of all the criminals!” Lies. All of it Lies.
How hypocritical when all the convicted violent criminals of Jan 6 were allowed to walk free.
This is America?
How has this happened?
I used to think about the atrocities of Hitler and wonder how on earth that happened.
What was the trajectory?
How did each step descending into madness take place?
How could all those people do such unspeakable things to fellow human beings?
I truly am horrified and deeply saddened by what America has become.
It doesn’t have to be this way. I still believe there are so many incredible things about the US. So many amazing, wonderful people there.
So much promise.
The world will wait and watch, and hope.
To all my completely sane American friends living through, and being so greatly affected by this current hell, you have my deepest sympathy.