Imagine, when I get there, that you meet my acquaintance for the first time, and he comes across as the biggest dickhead you’ve ever met. He’s self-absorbed — obsessed even — he’s loud, he’s arrogant, he’s ignorant, and he’s clearly making shit up as he goes. “It’s OK,” I whisper to you as you shoot me a look that says, ‘What’s this idiot on?’ I say to you, “People say he’s really a great guy.”
My overseas acquaintance then starts denigrating black people, belittling women, and telling you how amazing he is, how rich he is, and how he can get away with anything because he’s rich. He talks about how smart he is, how he’s the best at everything, how stupid everyone else is, and then starts fearmongering by…