Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie interview with Zoe Williams

'Ngozi Adichie didn’t get her reputation as a straight-talking provocateur from her novels.'

I'm sorry this is barely bloody legible.

'She is a commanding presence: flawless to look at, serene in her confidence, vivid and trenchant in her quest to smash every point and win every argument.'

Weird sentence construction. Anyway. Continuing to read.

What makes her think that a man would would change his appearance in order to 'live as a woman'?

Has she never heard of Danielle Muscato or Alex Drummond?

Hadley's left, Suzanne was hounded out, who's left?!

Maybe sonia will do a repost on Sunday

Yes, that's very much what I felt about this.

Yup. Quite.

Looking forward to the Reith lecture. Should be very interesting!

A very good piece. Interesting quote when asked about JKR: “I don’t want to talk about this and I’ll tell you why: it’s a subject which I have been a part of for quite a while in which it is easy for people to twist into what they want it to mean."

Et tu, Zoe Williams - who, when CNA similarly refused to be derailed, just went ahead and decided what she didn't want to tell her about must have been trans-related, giving ZW the spring board she needed to dive right into, erm, twisting it into what she wanted it to mean?

I need to read HF's interview with Margaret Atwood again - I remember HE'S views being very present.

Privilege is subjective and should be contextualised. By Nigerian standards, yes.

Chimamanda is amazing. Was Williams really the best the Guardian could do?

Having worked with a man doing the ‘living as a woman trial period thing’, I would say it’s more about finding out what it’s like to be perceived as trans. No one ever perceived him as a woman, but being perceived as trans is no walk in the park, and it’s sensible to mandate that people must experience this before they commit to surgery.

I can see that, never thought about it like that before but it makes perfect sense.

she’s not got form for writing articles about ‘checking your privilege’ though. Unlike Williams.

💯

I loved that interview!!

@BernardBlacksMolluscs Completely agree.

Having worked with a man doing the ‘living as a woman trial period thing’, I would say it’s more about finding out what it’s like to be perceived as trans. No one ever perceived him as a woman, but being perceived as trans is no walk in the park, and it’s sensible to mandate that people must experience this before they commit to surgery

Oops, I'll have to whip myself with 118-gender-coloured lanyards to make amends

If you find Zoë writing on a subject you know something about, it becomes increasingly clear she just pulls opinions out of her arse. She writes at the level of a conversation had at a bar while waiting to be served, with the same amount of research that entails. And considerably less scope for self reflection than a person two drinks in.

I don't like tearing down other women's work especially. I blame the Guardian just as much for allowing this standard of journalism (I've seen opinions backed up by reference to a single poorly liked tweet before). But Zoë epitomises class privilege by managing to hold onto that gig, she doesn't even realise how unworthy she is of landing this interview.

For those interested in reading her views without a journalist's patronising prejudices being all over them, here's a good interview with Helen Rumbelow - share token for a Times article:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bf65e1f2-44be-11ed-8885-043c27446b97?shareToken=ee878d86c98034433f6a4ccdf5938f32

Righteous People do not tell lies, tsk. They are telling "their truth".

Have just read the whole article and to be honest I am absolutely stunned. ZW actually has the nerve to try and frame Chimamanda Ngozi fecking Adichie as a "right wing" "troublemaker" whose considered opinions are "taken to the absurd"?

Dismisses their conversation as a "fight" that could go on all day, that CNA makes the same arguments as "enemies of free speech", that her kind of thinking splits the "unity" of the Left? (Oh Zoe, love..)

Also a lesser but unforgivable crime must be starting the whole piece with "I". Who would frame themselves as the most important thing to mention in the intro to a story that is supposed to be about someone infinitely more interesting?

Absolutely shameful piece of writing.

A bit of a derail but it occurs to me that the original intent of "living as a woman" was a trial period as a precursor to surgery. So the person proposing to go on a trans journey (for want of a better word) can try out what it feels like practically and emotionally to be perceived as a woman nut family, friends and wider society before they commit to irreversable surgery. Sort of a "try before you buy" situation. Which makes sense as a safeguarding mechanism for people considering surgery.

So it is more like "presenting in a way that means society reads you as female," rather than literally living as a woman would. But somehow along the way this has come to be interpreted literally.

I mean I am a woman and the only living as a woman thing I have done today is take a birth control pill.

Stands out every time. Disrespect for a woman's voice / experiences if she doesn't comply with your narrow views.

I think all you’re illustrating is the impossibility of ‘living as a woman’ as a concept.

Yes, probably! But Zoe thinks it makes sense and even on her own terms it doesn't.