In 2005 a new ‘Reality’ Tv show premiered with billionaire Donald Trump as the host titled ‘The Apprentice’. It was billed as the ‘Ultimate Job Interview’ it ended each episode with the words ‘You’re Fired!’ The theme song was ‘For the Love of Money by the O’Jays. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apprentice_(American_TV_series)
For me here in Australia this was as far removed from reality as I could imagine. The idea that someone could treat another person as dismissively as that, with the idea of pitting people against each and the dehumanising never sat well with me, if fact the whole ‘Reality TV’ genre has never interested me. It was never reality.
In September 2024 Frank and Billy approached and asked if I was interested in holding a Social Psychology of Risk convention in the USA with them. I thought it was a great idea, Kamala Harris had just been announced as the Democratic candidate, hope was on the rise, the mood for change was in the air and it was palpable.
However this was not to be. In November 2024 the US decided the Donald Trump was to be President. ‘The Apprentice is now the Master”
Even with this we decided to persevere.
It is now 68 days into the new Presidency and we are seeing things I thought I would never see.
- Mass retrenchment in Government Departments.
- ‘Sanitising’ military history.
- Threats of Violence to Greenland, Canada and Panama.
- People being sent to El Salvador as prisoners.
- Threats to American legal systems
- Defunding Medicaid and other essential programs
- Visitors and academics being stopped at airports and held in detention for no other reason than disagreeing with the president.
- Confidentiality and security being ignored in favour of plausible deniability (SignalGate)
- Technocrats and Oligarchs on the hunt for “Efficiency”
- Controls of Women’s bodies
- ICE kidnapping students for the supposed crime of disagreeing with the President in a College newspaper.
So this morning Frank Billy and myself came to the conclusion that give my well known and publicised views about the current American president, it would not be wise to travel to the United States.
This is not a reflection on American people, but a reflection on the current President and the Republican Party and the government decisions currently being made.
So, we will be refunding all monies sent for the conference in full and we hope that the Canberra Conference for SPoR will be a plausible option for our Brother and Sisters in the USA. https://safetyrisk.net/spor-convention-2025-canberra-15-to19-september/
Or Dr Nippin Anand https://novellus.solutions/mec-events/112024-690/ Cultural Intelligence; Learning and Leading in Risk.
And to everyone who does come from the US, I will ‘shout’ you dinner and a beer at Vikings!
If you know, you know! And if you don’t, you should find out!
Matt Thorne
Latest posts by Matt Thorne (see all)
- USA Not Today - April 2, 2025
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- Social Psychology of Risk comes to the USA - December 31, 2024
Rob Long says
Wise decision: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/what-australians-flying-to-the-us-need-to-know-about-phone-and-device-searches-at-the-border?