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Original poster

What does Val McDermid mean?

141 replies

achillestoes · 09/08/2022 11:53

“My view of gender politics is you bring people into the tent. Womanhood is a big tent. It embraces me and Kim Kardashian. There’s certainly room in that tent for the trans women I know.”

Translate. Right answers only.

OP posts:
User2145738790 · 09/08/2022 13:52

What's Kim Kardashian got to do with the price of chops?

Humbold · 09/08/2022 13:27

😂DialaSquare

DialSquare · 09/08/2022 13:24

Is this the tent?

What does Val McDermid mean?
TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 09/08/2022 13:20

The irony is, of course, that she kicked off dramatically about a man found guilty of rape in a civil case being signed to play for the football team she supports and sponsors, withdrawing her sponsorship and protesting vocally.

Which I applauded her for.

But also - TWAW and are all allowed into the tent as and when they please and never mind the way in which that might violate the rights of biological women and girls?

Original poster
achillestoes · 09/08/2022 13:15

Sorry: and outside womanhood.

OP posts:
Original poster
achillestoes · 09/08/2022 13:14

‘Presumably keeping her onside, no idea if she means it, but she actually makes herself sound stupid with those comments.’

She means it. She honestly believes the variety of personal presentations within womanhood = womanhood.

OP posts:
Somanysocks · 09/08/2022 13:14

And she's wrong, of course.

NeverTooMuchTea · 09/08/2022 13:11

How ironic that tents are held up by extendable poles.

Theluggage15 · 09/08/2022 13:11

Isn’t she buddy buddy with Sturgeon? Presumably keeping her onside, no idea if she means it, but she actually makes herself sound stupid with those comments. And yes, her comment about KK is definitely bitchy. Thick and bitchy, not a great look from an author I’ve enjoyed reading for years.

Original poster
achillestoes · 09/08/2022 13:04

@ZuttZeVootEeeVo

Indeed. Humanity is a big tent. Womanhood is also a big tent but it isn’t as big as the humanity tent.

OP posts:
ZuttZeVootEeeVo · 09/08/2022 13:03

Womanhood is a big tent.

It sounds fun and inclusive, but means fuck all. Once everyone can get into the tent that is womenhood, then what? Womenhood becomes just being human. Everyone is in the huge tent, and we're back to not recognising women.

Original poster
achillestoes · 09/08/2022 13:03

@OldCrone

I don’t want to go inside that tent.

OP posts:
OldCrone · 09/08/2022 12:59

EHopes · 09/08/2022 12:24

I'm hoping she is just putting words together and not wanting them to mean anything real.

She's right that the tent is very big. But her conclusion appears to be that the TW she knows can be women enough to fit in with us.

Still not sure about the ones she's yet to meet.

If you're going to let TW in, you have to let them all in. Not just the nice ones you know, but also those like Karen White, Yaniv, Katie Dolatowski and Barbie Kardashian.

ZuttZeVootEeeVo · 09/08/2022 12:48

PicturesOfDogs · 09/08/2022 12:10

I read it as basically saying that KK is such an affront to her sensibilities that to even consider them in the same category you’d also need to include men.

So she’s dim and bitchy.
Great

It does seem impossible to even attempt to justify why TWAW without insulting some women.

birdfeeders · 09/08/2022 12:47

That's not a tent, it's a marquee!

EHopes · 09/08/2022 12:28

Also.

I kinda think there's some part of her lack of experience of what a relationship with men can mean for women is playing into this. She's an expert intellectually in this but not in real life.

She's stuck 25 years ago in attitudes.

Original poster
achillestoes · 09/08/2022 12:27

It is a big tent, but it’s a tent, not RadioShack. We don’t have everything.

OP posts:
mummywithtwokidsplusdog · 09/08/2022 12:25

Agree! Such a shame that to be involved in Scottish politics you have to vocally agree with sidelining biological females- Nicola Sturgeon does not get it either :(

Humbolt · 09/08/2022 12:24

Val, you can have your big tent full of Kim's and Caitlin Js as long as we can have our women-only tent. I'll bring my beers.

EHopes · 09/08/2022 12:24

I'm hoping she is just putting words together and not wanting them to mean anything real.

She's right that the tent is very big. But her conclusion appears to be that the TW she knows can be women enough to fit in with us.

Still not sure about the ones she's yet to meet.

countrypunk · 09/08/2022 12:21

So because women can conform to gender stereotypes (KK) or flout gender stereotypes (me), men can be women.

What she's saying makes absolutely zero sense, and is actually horribly sexist.

NecessaryScene · 09/08/2022 12:21

I doubt even she knows what she means. Being only able to communicate via metaphor means you probably haven't thought it through properly.

Greenleevses · 09/08/2022 12:20

"Womanhood is a big tent."

One of the weirder definitions I've seen, though less offensive than the one about "being fucked".

Original poster
achillestoes · 09/08/2022 12:18

Either that or - and this is very sad - she considers herself that way. “If X is a woman, that person over there who has the same hair must be a woman”.

OP posts:
tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz · 09/08/2022 12:14

PicturesOfDogs · 09/08/2022 12:10

I read it as basically saying that KK is such an affront to her sensibilities that to even consider them in the same category you’d also need to include men.

So she’s dim and bitchy.
Great

Once read properly this is how I interpreted it too.