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David Aaronovitch Review of Helen Joyce's Book

183 replies

Igneococcus · 16/07/2021 06:08

In the Times today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a9738a12-e57d-11eb-afdb-c7b01afbcfc5?shareToken=bde4e05d2955fb1682ae3da09be1f707

Final paragaph:

"I’m off the fence. I will call people by the name and pronouns they tell me they want to be called by. I am prepared to defend their right not to be discriminated against at work and in shops, to defend them against bullying and harassment. But as Joyce says so passionately, that doesn’t change reality. A penis is a male sex organ, men don’t have babies. Women exist."

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badpuma · 16/07/2021 07:44

He did an article about the culture war a little while ago in which in was definitely dismissed as women being silly so it looks like the book has peaked him.

Freespeecher · 16/07/2021 07:44

I normally disagree with David Aaronovitch but fair play to him here. Yesterday's article was about when he belatedly realised that Communist Cuba might not be a worker's utopia after all so, you know, he tends to get there in the end.

LizzieSiddal · 16/07/2021 07:43

Have just read the article- will buy this book. Thanks David for sticking up for women.

GCrebel · 16/07/2021 07:39

Good to read. I heard DA discussing something with Matt Chorley a few months back and got the impression he thought it was women making a fuss about nothing. Good to know he’s moving in the right direction. Especially as most of us can attest, once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

cariadlet · 16/07/2021 06:55

Excellent article. Thanks for the link.

TheHandmadeTails · 16/07/2021 06:51

Having semiconsciously harboured for many years the natal male’s fear of castration (and doesn’t this subject quickly become personal?) I realised I had been one of those closet “transphobes” repulsed by the thought of sex-change and so was newly anxious at the very least to be sympathetic to the cause.

Is this one of the reasons men are often a bit sycophantic - do the soft voice when interviewing etc? And why the vocal, aggressive TWAW men often turn out to have used transphobic slurs in the past? (Not saying DA would have done this to be clear.)

PenguindreamsofDraco · 16/07/2021 06:50

Good article.

Abhannmor · 16/07/2021 06:44

I'm going to donate this book to my local community school.