Not enjoying the Janey Godley pile on....

I note that when it is a political ally Nicola shrugs it off with "these things happen"

but devises hate crime laws to punish political opponents

Sorry, not the same rangers fans who'd been arrested, I phrased that badly. Some were arrested, others found those tweets to prove the double standard.

This was how it all happened, I think? Rangers fans, who'd been arrested for singing racist songs, found Godley's tweets.

But yes, it's all in group vs out group.

I should add - the reason I say Sturgeon's offence is performative is that SNP led Glasgow City Council has approved 34 orange marches in Glasgow next month. These marches will be as bad/worse than the police escorted group that 'outraged' Sturgeon & thus she was 'deeply offended' by the Tory MSP comment as she tried to present as sincere - claiming to want to tackle the sectarianism while doing nothing about the 34 marches approved by her party's councillors.

Sturgeon will do anything for a photo op/headline & has zero qualms how contradictory her public comments turn out to be.

Sturgeon is (like many in the SNP) performatively progressive & seems willing to give the benefit of the doubt when it's someone (still) in her good graces.

Godley will be suitably rehabilitated in a short time as Sturgeon has signalled that it's not that bad and anyway, she's said sorry.

Time we all just moved along, eh?

That's interesting, Arabella. Presumably, it is "dignified" because it was her speech writer who wrote the apology?

Who's behind Janet Godley? She's not clever or talented enough to have got to the position she's in with such a huge profile.

Her agent is SCA, which is owned by Tommy Shephard. He's an SNP MP who runs comedy clubs. Presumably that's how she got the gig of being Sturgeon's "alter ego"?

I think her being a vocal supporter of Scottish Independence was the trigger

Maybe, but if I were the U.K. government I wouldn’t choose somebody with very partisan views on Brexit to deliver a public health message about Covid. I’d assume it would be a turn off to at least half the population.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-58513670

I don't care about JG being the subject of a pile on. She's participated in many and is an unpleasant piece of work.

[quote EmbarrassingAdmissions]I have a vague feeling that women who've been doxxed, sacked etc. will be told that they're just not the right sort of comedian.

And it's fascinating to see how exculpations produce further complications that will, however, remain unexamined by those who choose to apply their power to redeem or exonerate others in a very partial fashion.*

I watched the conversation between Julie Bindel and Claire Heuchan about Bindel's book. Along the way, I learned that Owen Jones had defended (to me) egregious behaviour by three judges (watching pornography in court time).

Full interview:

Owen Jones segment:

Owen Jones' article:

Three judges were recently sacked for watching porn on the job. None of it was illegal, but they were still publicly embarrassed and dismissed. Yes, there’s clearly a sound argument that judges should be doing their jobs, not getting off on porn. Fair enough, but there’s all sorts of procrastination that goes on in the workplace. Who knows, maybe an otherwise tense judge seeking a quick bit of relief will concentrate better. Surely someone should at least commission some research into it.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/30/simon-danczuk-mp-watched-porn-who-cares[/quote]
Surely the fact the judges were watching porn speaks to the way they view women and possible bias from that - particularly if they are watching porn which degrades women before having a female defendant?

That OJ defends this surprises me very little - he is a misogynist to (to coin a phrase) his fingertips.

The comedian was Andrew Lawrence Gimlisaxe.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lawrence_(comedian)#2021_racism_controversy

I wonder whether a contrite apology from him would undo his cancelling? I suspect not. That to me demonstrates one of the problems, cancel culture is extraordinarily unforgiving but miraculously some people who play the right sort of game can qualify and be rehabilitated.

I have a vague feeling that women who've been doxxed, sacked etc. will be told that they're just not the right sort of comedian.

And it's fascinating to see how exculpations produce further complications that will, however, remain unexamined by those who choose to apply their power to redeem or exonerate others in a very partial fashion.*

I watched the conversation between Julie Bindel and Claire Heuchan about Bindel's book. Along the way, I learned that Owen Jones had defended (to me) egregious behaviour by three judges (watching pornography in court time).

Full interview:

Owen Jones segment:

Owen Jones' article:

Three judges were recently sacked for watching porn on the job. None of it was illegal, but they were still publicly embarrassed and dismissed. Yes, there’s clearly a sound argument that judges should be doing their jobs, not getting off on porn. Fair enough, but there’s all sorts of procrastination that goes on in the workplace. Who knows, maybe an otherwise tense judge seeking a quick bit of relief will concentrate better. Surely someone should at least commission some research into it.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/30/simon-danczuk-mp-watched-porn-who-cares

Not really - one of the reasons I objected to the Hate Crime bill was because it would have exactly this effect. I don't think anyone should be prosecuted under it. Godley said horrible things, while criticising others for their moral standards. Hypocrisy and being offensive is unpleasant, but it shouldn't be illegal.

I really do agree with Voltaire on this. (Or whoever the quote originated with).

quoteinvestigator.com/2015/06/01/defend-say/

Okay, maybe not to the death. But the general principle stands.

Ok I have to preface this with I haven't read the whole thread (don't stone me. I don't have a lot of time). OP I agree to some extent I hate cancel culture and I think that applies to it being used on anyone.

However, I think much of the talk has come from that fact that Marion Millar was charged with various tweets construed as hate and yet Godley gets a pass. Why is one woman charged while another's tweets are so public but ignored? Now personally I don't think either of them should be charged BUT it does rather shine a spotlight on which women are being targeted and why.

I think her being a vocal supporter of Scottish Independence was the trigger

What?

it would be quite something if one of the first people prosecuted under the risible Hate Crime Bill turned out to be Sturgeon's court jester.

(Not a fan).

I'm in no way thinking of all the men who already self-exonerate: Only joking with a fairly savage, You've no sense of humour with or without the addition of a gendered term of abuse.

At the risk of adopting a trope: I don't believe it.

Everyone - quick - identify as a comedian.

Will this work for Marion Millar? The other women who've lost their jobs, been doxxed, threatened, arrested?

I'm generally in favour of free speech, but also believe you need to accept that this comes with consequences and accountability. Comedians as a group seem to be very keen to ensure that they are allowed to treat as comedy (however unfunny their brand of comedy might be) any topic they choose, whilst at the same time, policing the discourse of everyone else in public life. That's how Frankie Boyle gets away with it. He has the backing of his community, and appears that so does JG.

I am not sure how I feel about using this type of thing in comedy. I can't think of his name, but one comedian (not well known) tweeted a racist tweet after the Euros (England VS Italy, think it was the Euros) and based on that and a follow up tweet, theatres started cancelling his tour. While it is good to make a stand, you then have someone like Roy Chubby Brown and Jim Davidson who are still touring, they seem to make the distinction that if you are bringing in the crowds then its fine. If you don't racism is not aceptable.

The thing is if people dont pay to see them, then they wouldn't get booked, I am not sure if it is that simple but to me it seems to be. There are some very funny right winged comedians out there who are not racist and don't make a career out of insulting minority groups.

So the SNP's stance on GC feminists is that we're just not funny enough? If we were to make our points but attach them to really nasty comments about transgender people we wouldn't get dragged to court because 'comedy'? Thanks for the clarification, Nicola.

Seriously, I hope there are things here that Marion Millar and others can use in their defence.