Boswell School removes JKR's name from school house

It's rather foolish of the school to do this - apart from making themselves look like numpties, presumably dropping JKR for her views on sex and gender could be cited as evidence of operating a hostile environment for employees with gender critical belief, or women employees, should they ever end up with a discrimination lawsuit.

A bit of an aside, but I'm rather astounded at an organisation using a living persons name like this without asking them first. It's a bit presumptuous.

It is interesting to see that the school must not have realised Dame Kelly Holmes had these views. They have probably not read JKR’s either but this move by them shows the extent to which she has become a go-to scapegoat with no thought given.

A school not thinking does not give a good impression.

I enjoyed the ratioing taking place on Facebook in response to this article. Until recently it's been very much on the TRA side so for it to now be heavily GC is a huge relief

Well I hope the parents make their views known and remove their children.

I know the issues here are deadly serious and no laughing matter but I am absolutely tickled pink by this whole story. I cringe for the decision makers at Boswells. I love the idea of cancelling Dame Kelly and replacing her with Sharron Davies. It's a delicious moment of "you couldn't make it up" comedy.

That was to barleybadminton. My quote didn't work.

Yeah...no. You got your arse handed to you in that thread. And Jon Stewart has now said he said no such thing.

Both this, and the Jon Stewart thing, are delicious

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10373185/Ridicule-school-axed-JK-Rowling-Kelly-Holmes.html

Nice one Kelly

Oh the irony 😆😆

This reflex to punish, purge and cast out is an authoritarian one. This kind of McCarthyism is not how people and societies develop and learn. This is how people and societies regress.

Hear, hear. We are literally seeing regression in action, and the development of an authoritarian culture I never thought would be able to take hold here.

All of us can make mistakes, assumptions, fail to recognise our internalised ‘isms’ because none of us have 360’ experience or education. And we need to keep telling the stories of experience, and being committed to the education

But if we witch-hunt every writer and artist, cancel every thinker, obliterate rather than discuss, smother rather than open up and discuss, shame rather than trust people to change, where are we as a society? Who is in charge of what can be said, published or taught? And how fo we know they are right? Who are they accountable to?

Applause, strifeofbath 👏🏼 Very much agree with this.

This reflex to punish, purge and cast out is an authoritarian one. This kind of McCarthyism is not how people and societies develop and learn. This is how people and societies regress.

It's complete stupidity on the part of the school to replace JKR with DKH. I think the pp who suggested that the staff member who suggested DKH knew exactly what they were doing is on the nose.

The people who are seeing a similarity between fucking Goblins and Jewish people are the racist ones here

I would say that this is far closer to the truth.

The people who are seeing a similarity between fucking Goblins and Jewish people are the racist ones here

I wonder if the school were honest and explicit with DKH, and told her she was a replacement for a woman they were cancelling?

1. Shakespeare survived…many ‘of his time’ ‘tropes’, but then Shylock was an actual Jew , and from the thick of the stereotype, Shakespeare gives him one of the early diversity equality speeches: “do we not bleed”.

1. It is not necessary to interpret the banker goblins as Jewish. I have never done so… maybe you have to buy into the stereotype to apply it.

All of us can make mistakes, assumptions, fail to recognise our internalised ‘isms’ because none of us have 360’ experience or education. And we need to keep telling the stories of experience, and being committed to the education.

But if we witch-hunt every writer and artist, cancel every thinker, obliterate rather than discuss, smother rather than open up and discuss, shame rather than trust people to change, where are we as a society? Who is in charge of what can be said, published or taught? And how fo we know they are right? Who are they accountable to?

Certainly not all the parents support this. But the school went ahead and did this without applying any critical thought (or clearly even bothering to read what JKR said).

And someone will start claiming that Noddy is trans. I am sure I was not the only small child traumatised by Noddy being carjacked in the woods and stripped naked, whilst being too young to note his lack of genetalia.

It's fine. They'll just replace Dame Kelly with Sharron Davies over Easter.