Margaret Atwood

But I just don't see a 'golden bridge', @EmbarrassingHadrosaurus??
Not in this context?
There's 'Sorry, I was blinded by kindness'

But don't be expecting us to say 'ok, you can have HALF of our private women's spaces'

I just can't see a golden bridge anywhere

What did you have in mind??

It's definitely an opportunity to publicise the existence of a golden bridge even if MA isn't ready to take it just yet. The existence of a golden bridge might be a comfort to others who aren't ready to take it just yet but can see the time coming when they have to make a choice.

Twenty-five hundred years ago, Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher, is said to have penned The Art of War. It remains a masterpiece of military strategy…Sun Tzu counseled military leaders to build a “golden bridge” for an opponent to retreat across. Without an escape route to retreat, your opponent will engage in battle and fight like a caged and cornered tiger. You can avoid battling the tiger and even win the war if you give your opponent a graceful, face-saving way out. Face-saving is an important part of the negotiation process and is vital to building a golden bridge. Building a golden bridge requires that you involve your opponent in the solution and that you work to satisfy your opponent’s unmet needs. A golden bridge makes it easy for your opponent to say yes.

www.smithcurrie.com/publications/common-sense-contract-law/when-faced-with-no-build-a-golden-bridge-to-resolve-a-dispute/pdf/

And most of us were unthinking #BeKinders once, right?
So true

Hm. She has not wandered into this debate unthinkingly.

I'd day she'd weather the Twitter storm.

Buy its all the right thinkers amongst the great and good of Canada that will really make an impact on her.

It's only my own feeling, but she likes the accolades, the respect, the head nodding deference - wouldn't we all?
But I wonder how she feels as an older woman in that milieu. Not easy to not only out yourself as a Terf,, but old fashioned, irrelevant, out of touch.
That would sting, I think, at the state funded arts galas of Canada.

Been reading some of the TRA responses. Mind-blowing. 'I always hated her.' 'This has finally shown the world what a shitty person she is.' The vindictiveness after her years of being so careful! Nothing but total compliance can appease them. I hope she comes out fighting - so far she is sticking to her guns.

I would put my hand out to her to pull her up - I'm furious with her but I want to win the war & I won't leave a woman behind enemy lines.

I think she will apologise but I have found it really unpleasant to see the pile on. I wouldn’t kick her whilst she is down either, the more people that see the sunshine and wake up the better. Someone like her who signed that letter and was fully TWAW turning sides would open a lot of eyes. Think how many people woke up when JKR was so publicly attacked?

I vote we extend help to her if we can.

She's having the proverbial arse-handing before the Dawning of Realisation. It can be a painful awakening.

I would like to see her apologise to JKR. She's effectively echoed JK's tweet about 'wimpund', after all.

I loved her work when I was younger, Cats Eye was one of my favourite books. But have felt let down by her for years. My only hope is that all those women shouting TWAW are starting to see the reality of this on women.

But, bet she will be apologising any minute. The TRAs / MRAs are vicious - she will back down

Anyway - she called us Terfs

The war is made up of many battles. We need people to publicly move to our side to win. This. And most of us were unthinking #BeKinders once, right?

And also, c'mon, she did write The Handmaid's Tale, didn't she? Of course we want her.

I'd welcome her really, it just pisses me off, but I do realise we need to do so, just cant get my head around how it takes so long to see the light.

It's nothing to do with forgiveness or sympathy as far as I'm concerned. It's not like I'm ever going to be her friend. But I'm pragmatic. Every other week there's a thread on here asking whether or not the tide is turning, well I'm sorry but, if it really is going to turn - and in Canada of all places - then this is what's needed.

I know that this will seem spurned if she recants but coolers need to know there is a community ready to acknowledge and receive them.

Rescue. I doubt she ever really believed being a woman was just an identity anyone could claim. I have no idea why she signed the letter against JK Rowling though. Jeanette Winterson similarly amazes me for not speaking out. She likes to play with gender stereotypes but she also believes being female matters and lesbians are female. I'm quite forgiving. The war is made up of many battles. We need people to publicly move to our side to win.

Agree. Am going in. Wish me luck.

I'll forgive her. I was an unthinking "ally" once. I think the pile on and total inability to accept anything other than 2+2=5 will peak her more effectively than anything this side could say tbh.

It's a tough one, @Blessex.
But she IS a woman, so my vote is for clemancy and rescue.
Any more votes??

What do we do? Do we rescue her or leave her to burn?!

They are coming for her. Any moment now she will be up on that (metaphorical) wall with a bag over her head and a big red splodge on it.
Call Mayday, Margaret, while you still can.
We are here to rescue you...

Oh Margaret, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive ….

I don't care about whether or not it's harsh but I do care about winning this. And we won't win unless more people - including some people we may dislike intensely - change their minds.

As I recall JKR, took things very slowly at first - didn't her agent or publicist blame it on a 'senior moment' when she liked the wrong kind of tweet? - so I'm happy to give Atwood some room to manoeuvre and I don't really get the 'serves her right' kind of sentiments. Do we want people to change their minds or not?

I'm not aware of JKR sticking the boot into another woman and signing letters denouncing others of wrong think. She took her time, quietly read things and made her mind up.

Atwood would have seen the vitriol directed at JKR and, assuming she actually read what JKR had written, still decided to publicly condemn those nasty terfs.

I tend to take a dim view of people who are eager to join in the metaphorical stoning of blasphemers, without knowing what the hell it is they are supporting and even if they thought their cause was righteous. History is full of fools like these causing suffering to others.

Hopefully she is slowly understanding the real implications of transactivism.

I might sound harsh but Atwood, Pullman, King they can all get in the sea. I'll never forgive her for not supporting JK Rowling. No sympathy.