'A female with a record like this ...represents all that is rotten in society nowadays'

the sun

the mail

all reporting the exact same comments, and seemingly there wasn't much in the middle that the guardian had cut out.

They all say that he said it, so I'm prepared to believe that he said it.

Judges have a long and illustrious record of sexism, why is it such a horrifying suggestion that a judge might have been sexist?

And just how much of a surprise will it be when it comes out that despite her naice middle class background, she was or is being sexually abused by someone she was too frightened of to name?

Oh FFS how does this poor kid represent anything but someone with some fairly major MH problems? And given that, while it sounds like she's been a thumping nuisance to both those who care about her and the local authorities and services, there is no mention at all of any seriously bad behaviour such as GBH, burglary or even drink-driving; it all seems to have been disorderly conduct or petty criminal damage. So not exactly a major threat to society.

I mean, to use your hypothesis ominolap at the very least the "Selective quoting" of the journalist is highly sexist

missing the point

whatever ominolap
I've seen enough threads on here to know that some people can pretend not to see something that everyone else can see, even with hard evidence in front of them.
Then they can proceed to keep missing the poing for 50 pages.

I think the only firm conclusion is that the journalist quoted selectively.

Making conclusions on intent from partial evidence is guesswork, extrapolating that to typify The intent of others even more so.

That sentence would seem very different as part of several minutes of well-reasoned comment. We do not know whether it was or wasn't.

We could always have half the book one month and half the book the next...

The paper quotes:

"I don't think I have seen a more deplorable record? A female with a record like this ? it's absolutely despicable and represents all that is rotten in society nowadays"

The part starting "a female with a record like this" appears to be one phrase and is pretty bad IMO.

Sexual politics?

I read it at Dittany's recommendation, and while it was eye-opening and interesting and very funny in parts, it was also a long and difficult read (IMO ) and had really tiny writing. Is there such a thing as an advanced book club?

I think the only firm conclusion anyone is drawing, is that he shouldn't have said it.

Whcih I don't think is unreasonable.

I find it odd the way judges are allowed to say what they want about cases and the meejah report it as if it's some kind of neutral summing up, not some reactionary knee-jerk comment made from a certain very conservative (in the main) viewpoint.

Without knowing what he said in the middle (which the newspaper did not report), I wouldn't want to draw such a firm conclusion.

It's quite clear. Even leaving out the first bit, the direct quote is given as "A female with a record like this ? it's absolutely despicable and represents all that is rotten in society nowadays" which clearly indicates that a man with a record like this would cause him much less concern.

Anyway I don't believe the judge when he says he's never seen such a bad record.

Maybe from women he hasn't, but I bet he's seen infinitely worse records from men.

omnio Nah, he meant he hadn't seem a more deplorable record for a female
Men get up to much much worse than that
It's indeffensible to suggest that females have a different moral code to men, and when they do something it's worse than when men do it

I mean I'm not hard pressed to think of men who have a string of alcohol related convictions behind them, but apparently all that is irrelevant because one woman behaved like that once too it's disgusting.

ISNT - I also found it odd that it was very black and white. Apparently, she wasn't destitute, abused, from a broken home (and all the other cliches) etc yet she clearly had big self-esteem issues. All very glossed over.

I thought the most famous raucous boozers were people like that bloke who won the lottery, the footballer who burst into tears that time, alex higgins...

Am I terribly out of touch?

I think it is relevant as the judge's remarks were not quoted in full. He began by saying "I don't think I have seen a more deplorable record" (gender neutral), then there is ellipsis before the latter comment. And it is indeed a terrible record for any person so young.

omniolap - he also said that it was the worst record he'd seen. Really? Worse than people convicted of murder/rape/GBH/child abuse? Nobody is defending what she did - just disagreeing with what he said about her.