Well done guys. Great article

Excuse me? I guess she does speak English, let’s say. Then Slovenian, OK. But I seriously doubt she speaks French, Italian and German like her Wikipedia page says. She was a model, for gods sake. As a linguist, I take offense to this claim of fluency. Speaking and upkeeing several languages is hard work — something…

I agree with you - I think in Melania’s case here, there is there visual shorthand, but there’s also the ‘stir-the-pot’ goal of getting people riled so they’ll comment like we are, and then others will say ‘Oh, you’re giving her too much credit, it’s just a hat,’ or ‘God, you libs get upset about everything.’

Yup. This is NOT “Melania’s long history of seemingly not thinking through her fashion choices” at all- she thought about it, and this is what she intentionally chose. She specifically wanted to look like a colonizer. 

Oh, she gets hate for being eastern European, not for being an asshole married to another asshole. Suuuuuuuure.

There are Powerball winners who radiate more noblesse oblige than anyone among this family of grifters.

She clearly thinks she's on a photo shoot but these people have no clue about noblesse oblige, which specifically means giving back; these people are the least philanthropic, least charitable and absolutely feel no obligation to do for others less fortunate.

See also: the French-tipped manicure, the crisply ironed Oxford, and everything’s blindingly white color with no hint of sweat, stain, or dirt. I don’t have time to unpack all that right now, but there’s at least three layers of fuckery/trolling in there.

I think she believed that Africa was going to be like one giant Ralph Lauren photo shoot, with beautiful Waspy white people elegantly draped over Land Rovers, or posing with cheetahs on the savannah. This whole trip just screams “noblesse oblige.”

The only other thing I’m thinking about is how much faster the NYT could’ve reported on this if they weren’t a sexist bunch of posturers

This. They are so incredibly common around leading men. Sure, you could get to that in a couple years if you had a trainer, lots of spare time and sleep, and a good diet. Or, you could get there in 3-6 months with a moderate amount of those things and steroids. Which is more suited to a profession where you party and…

A man his age getting that buff that fast is using testosterone or another steroid program, in all likelihood illegal. I say, go to town.

{sigh}

I’m from New York city and I cringe each time these assholes claim that’s where they come from.

“We don’t have your Op-Ed denial and signed loyalty oath on file, so you can’t come in.”

Someone should have yelled from the other side of the door “Sorry, we don’t need any diamonds here; we’re all full.”

I look forward to the day they change the locks at the White House.

You know there were people on the other side of the door giggling.

If you are a wide eyed young American person out there, and you are thinking to yourself, “Hmmm...this sure seems evil. Seems really wrong.”

Putting someone in jail for nonpayment of parking tickets is cruel, oppressive and malicious. Refusing them medical care is evil.