Vivienne Pearson

Byron Bay

Writer at Freelance

Freelance writer, published by theage, abc, sbs, tsp and others with too-long-handles. Mastadon: @[email protected]

Articles

Trump’s “King” Delusion: An Affront to the US Constitution

2 months ago | thebigsmoke.com.au | David Clarke |Vivienne Pearson |Alexandra Senter

Donald Trump’s self-declaration as “king” is fundamentally at odds with the principles of democracy, and the US must recognise the stakes. “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”–President Donald J. TrumpImage and caption posted to official White House social media accounts on Wednesday, 19 February, 2025 around 2:00pm Eastern Standard Time.
Poor governance equals death: Plane crash fatalities will, sadly, be the least of the US’ troubles

2 months ago | thebigsmoke.com.au | Vivienne Pearson |David Clarke |Alexandra Senter |Gary Nunn

I’m not saying Trump’s actions directly caused the recent US air fatalities, but plane crashes will soon be the least of America’s troubles. I wouldn’t have imagined that the early deaths following the US election would be plane passengers and helicopter pilots. But I knew deaths would happen, and know that, sadly, many more will follow. That’s because Donald Trump and his unqualified sycophants are undoing government, laws and bureaucracies that were developed to stop people dying.
Trump's Actions Prove His Alignment with Project 2025

2 months ago | thebigsmoke.com.au | David Clarke |Vivienne Pearson

Despite Trump’s purported ignorance of Project 2025, the amount of initiatives being put into place during his first week suggests otherwise. Since taking office on 20 January, 2025, President Donald Trump has taken several actions that align directly with Project 2025, a conservative policy agenda developed by The Heritage Foundation.
Trump’s second inauguration and its implications for America

Jan 20, 2025 | thebigsmoke.com.au | David Clarke |Alexandra Senter |Gary Nunn |Vivienne Pearson

With the inauguration having come and gone, what can Americans expect from Donald Trump’s second term in the White House? The past 24 hours in the United States of America have been tumultuous and surreal. In a bizarre turn of events, TikTok experienced a sudden outage, only to return with pro-Trump messaging dominating the platform.
The joy of a January jettison

Jan 17, 2025 | thebigsmoke.com.au | Vivienne Pearson

My January email jettison mightn’t compare to a total digital detox, but an email unsubscribe is a refreshing and resetting start to a year. Ah, January! A month full of fresh starts, long summer days and at least some people (especially those still of school age) on holidays. Though I’m largely giving into the new-year temptation to avoid all tasks that aren’t relaxing or essential, I’d like to share how a boring task felt like the perfect January achievement.
Koalas, roads, police

Nov 14, 2024 | echo.net.au | Vivienne Pearson

What a tragic situation you found yourself in, Louise Andrews (Koala letter, Echo November 6) as the police decided to pull you up for travelling at a safe speed for koalas rather than going after the aggressive speeding hoon. As an opinion writer, I’ve always said that a good ‘Letter to the Editor’ is the equivalent of a mini-opinion piece. Now I know that a well-written letter can also be an encapsulation of everything that’s wrong with our world.
The gay men who helped elect Trump

Nov 13, 2024 | thebigsmoke.com.au | Gary Nunn |Matthew Reddin |Rebecca Reid |Vivienne Pearson

In the lead up to the 2024 presidential election, I interviewed the influential gay men who were crucial in securing a second Trump victory. Why on earth would any sane gay person vote for Donald Trump? In the buildup to the election, I found out exactly why. I’d hear this question a lot, and sometimes share the baffled tone. Yet, I also knew there was a cohort of people like me – gay men – who didn’t only vote for him. They endorsed and campaigned for him.
Why Trump won: Democrats not being "the other guy" is no longer enough

Nov 10, 2024 | thebigsmoke.com.au | Rebecca Reid |Vivienne Pearson |Deb Turney |Marylyn Sendah

Trump knocked the Democrats out of office by tapping into the narrative of how Americans feel. Now history will get the chance to judge him. It’s a funny and weird thing watching the leaders of the herd mentality at work. Usually a band of overhyped celebrities who come out of their pampered bubbles to engage with the great unwashed, this time it was not to tell them about their new movie, album or tour but how they should go about living their comparatively miserable lives.
We need to think about Trump every time…

Nov 7, 2024 | thebigsmoke.com.au | Vivienne Pearson |Deb Turney |Marylyn Sendah

This time, it’s Trump. But there are many other similar people out there who will be emboldened by the events of the 2024 election. As Kamala Harris concedes defeat, I can’t stop thinking about a key player behind the television show The Apprentice, who says they deeply regret the false image of Trump that they created and portrayed.
Insane pic proves Aussie music ticket industry is ‘broken’

Oct 17, 2024 | cairnspost.com.au | Vivienne Pearson

OPINIONFive laptops, several phones, three people, one cat, a giant whiteboard and hours of high-stakes stress. No, we weren’t trying to hack into a website, broker a major business deal or complete our tax return just before the deadline. This set up was all with the supposedly fun aim of scoring just two tickets to one of Taylor Swift’s shows.