Baby reindeer anti woman pro trans slant

Agreed. I feel so sorry for the real life Martha character. Of course you would want to make statements protesting your innocence if millions of people saw a tv show and believed you sexually assaulted someone and went to prison for it, when in reality that never happened. But I think Gadd and the Netflix legal people knew that she was too vulnerable to put her side across effectively. I didn't watch the Piers Morgan interview but I very much doubt he or his team were in the least bit interested in truth or fairness.

Also, the person the rapist is based on is keeping a low profile. He hasn't made any statements about how he is "innocent", or that Gadd made stuff up. Probably because he is much more mentally healthy, more calculating and has better legal advice than the Martha character. I wish the worst always got their comeuppance in real life.

He hasn’t been outed in the press but his name is everywhere online

I think perhaps Gadd took more care in hiding the identity of the rapist because he's actually scared of him and what he might do in a way in which he isn't frightened of Martha.

The fact that the stalker has been vilified far more than his rapist is, in my opinion, on the vilifiers not on RG too

I don't actually think she has. It's just that nobody has been able to identify the rapist.

@anothernamitynamenamechange really interesting points, thank you.

But his trans partner at the time didn't do anything wrong and his stalker and rapist both did. I don't think accurately reflecting Teri as the only voice of reason in the series is pro-trans and anti-woman; it struck me as just a device to show how far he'd strayed from being able to listen to reason even when it was in his best interests.

The fact that the stalker has been vilified far more than his rapist is, in my opinion, on the vilifiers not on RG too.

@heathspeedwell Yes, you are right. But in general terms- unpleasant people have always made art often using (and hurting) the people around them in the process. Men have traditionally gotten away with this a hell of a lot more than women. E.g. BBC Arts - BBC Arts - Picasso's ex-factor: The six women who shaped his life and work What's really interesting is that the final woman Francoise Gilot "In 1964, she wrote a book, Life with Picasso, looking back at their time together. When Picasso failed to prevent its publication, he instead cut off all contact with the two children he had with her." Picasso relied on women as his "muses" throughout his life. He was perfectly willing (and actually wanted) to shape the way the world saw those women through his own art. But when the table were turned and a women wrote about him he was genuinely outraged.

And I was thinking, in recent times you might have a man who is far from perfect. He is an alcoholic, takes drugs has mental health issues and loud arguments with his wife. His wife embellishes on her experiences living with him to include physical abuse not just a toxic relationship. Though she doesn't name him directly its obvious who she meant. He sues, they both come across badly in court but there is no evidence he was a "wife beater" and she becomes a huge hate figure. A symbol of everything wrong with Me Too and the "reputational damage" women are known for inflicting
Then you have a woman who is far from perfect. She has severe mental health issues and a history of obsessive behaviour. She stalks a man. He tells the story of this embellishing it to include her being physically abusive and being convicted of the back of this. He doesn't name her but its obvious who it is....

I don't think they are the same because Amber Heard gave an interview to a newspaper which is different to the more creative (in theory) process of a drama. And he did say it was "emotionally true" not actually true. But its blurry, because part of the selling point of the show was it was based on Gad's own experiences and that's what made it brave and ground-breaking. And celebrities are increasingly expected to sell their "authentic" selves and emotional truths to the public as part of marketing themselves. So wherever art ends and truth begins there are double standards in the online reactions.

Yes. Although the people who will, do that anyway.

Just because there is one TV series that has a sympathetic transwoman character and a menacing woman you are claiming it as some kind of agenda? There are lovely, kind, wise transwomen around and why should that not be portrayed. Netflix are not captured - they took flack for streaming Ricky Gervaise and Dave Chapelle's comedy.

Seeing people on social media saying things like, "oh women are just as bad, look at Baby Reindeer, that's a true story," when I know he has literally made up all the stuff about Martha being violent makes me think that Gadd is not a normal person. What man in their right mind claims that a vulnerable woman sexually assaulted him when they didn't?

And are people going to extrapolate from Gadd's behaviour that women are also quite into having stalkers, and that they secretly encourage them and are turned on by them?

Well it went straight over my head that the character was trans. Just had to Google it.

@Signalbox I think you are absolutely right to be sceptical. Thank you for making important points.

Very sorry to hear about your experience and thanks for sharing.

In terms of the diagnosis of sociopathy (and other conditions) much of the DSM is opinion based rather than fact based so that is why I’m sceptical. I recently watched a very interesting interview with Mia Hughes who wrote the WPATH files report and her account of the development of the DSM and the conditions contained within it was quite shocking.

This is what I'm not really sure about. It seems there is no-one who has done what the Martha character has done, so to what extent/in what way is any real person "the real Martha"?

But the real Martha IS fat.

Can anyone suggest a kinder reason why Gadd would have made up a story where a mentally ill woman sexually assaulted him?

@Signalbox fair enough, I'm happy to agree to disagree. I'm invested in this topic because I happen to be one of many women who has actually had a stalker in real life and it was a terrifying experience. There's no way I would have put up with him emailing me, or coming to my place of work. I instantly would have walked away from the job I loved rather than see him every day. I categorically would not have had sexual fantasies about him.

So while I understand that men can also have stalkers, I don't think they have the same experience as us. Men commit 99% of sex crimes and the majority of violent crimes. They are also a lot bigger and stronger than us, on average.

Seeing people on social media saying things like, "oh women are just as bad, look at Baby Reindeer, that's a true story," when I know he has literally made up all the stuff about Martha being violent makes me think that Gadd is not a normal person. What man in their right mind claims that a vulnerable woman sexually assaulted him when they didn't?

I think there's a massive tendency for unqualified people to "diagnose" people a who behave in ways we don't like. Everyone seems to have a narcissistic ex/mother in law, a friend that had to cut out because she's a sociopath etc.

Thanks for the link. I remain unconvinced.

Around 5.5% of men are potentially sociopaths. Obviously it's not the same as being a psychopath - it just means that the person has very little empathy.

Are Narcissists and Sociopaths Increasing? | Psychology Today

Around one in 20 people are sociopaths so I don't think it's 'a bit much' to suggest that someone who has repeatedly lied about a vulnerable mentally ill woman is one.

1 in 20! Seriously? Is sociopath the latest social contagion? Or are we diagnosing slightly annoying people as being on the sociopath spectrum?

Around one in 20 people are sociopaths so I don't think it's 'a bit much' to suggest that someone who has repeatedly lied about a vulnerable mentally ill woman is one.

He's lied about the show being 100% emotionally true, he lied about her sexually assaulting him, he lied about her being violent, he lied about her having a criminal record, he lied about going to a lot of trouble to protect her identity.

He's also been investigated by Netflix for using the lure of fame to get intimate with a vulnerable transwoman much younger than him. He was cleared of nepotism because he lied about being able to make casting decisions, but his actions aren't exactly indicative of someone with empathy are they?

I mean, maybe. It's definitely pure speculation. It's the interview I read with his former coworker that made me think so. He sounds like an utterly misogynist pig. And he's definitely rewritten the "truth" to make himself look better. And lied about what actually happened. So...