Graham Linehan on the chapter about him in Jon Ronson's new book

Or indeed what relevance the funding of random influencers to visit Israel has to do with Graham.

I have gone to absolutely no lengths at all to defend Graham Linehan, on any topic whatsoever. I do spend a lot of time reading what you and other people write about him, and other topics, and I'm not shy about asking people (including you) to explain what they mean when what they say isn't clear.

I'm still not sure why you mentioned your husband's faith or children's heritage. Do you want to have another try at explaining?

Lineham can definitely be spiky, aggressive and bull-in-china-shop persistent. This has turned out to be very helpful for those who prefer to avoid awkward but pertinent questions like "is Eddie Izzard the same sex as your mother?"

It is hilarious! The lengths you’ll go to to defend the odious Graham Linehan, and the time you’ll spend arguing with other women about - nothing, really.

@Mikatdo

Hilarious.

I have never asked you about your thoughts about Israel. I don't really care what they are, but you chose to bring the Middle East into this thread about GL and then waved your husband's faith (and now your children's heritage) as an amulet to shut people up.

"These things affect us and our children" might have been a good reason not to have a go at the majority of this thread throwing down the I don’t see how so many feminists can line up , one after the other, on this thread to defend such a person gauntlet.

Having done so, you cannot possibly be surprised that others are going to respond to it and the points about the Middle East that you chose to make.

especially as that isn’t even relevant

I think my irony meter just exploded

we’re not addressing the coy insinuations thing by the looks of things

Honestly, why the need to type all that out?

I’m married to someone with Jewish heritage. These things affect us and our children. I don’t feel a need to confess to you my thoughts and opinions about Israel, especially as that isn’t even relevant. Is that enough for you?

The other person who claimed to have a Jewish husband did so purely to point out the absurdity of your position, which in your own words is "no, I don’t have a problem with Israel. My husband is Jewish."

Perhaps the point you were trying to make is that not only are some of your best friends Jewish, but you are so well disposed towards the Jews you were kind enough to marry one of them. Well, so what? Are you asking us to acknowledge you took one for the team? Should we honour your bravery? Do you hope it insulates you from criticism by others? It's really not clear. What should we infer from this fact?

Oh come off it. In relation to Israel/Palestine you said

"I don’t know if he actually believes this or is folllowing a party line of some sort, just as many conservative would-be ‘influencers’ are. Some have been paid by Israel to say certain things. (Not suggesting this of Glinner to be clear, and of course, the same could be said of the other side)."

You introduced the subject of people being paid to support Israel while saying that of course you weren't saying GL was. Which begged the question "then why mention it?" This isn't about calling him "amazing" - and indeed many PPs have expressed reservations about aspects of how he operates. It's about trying to make coy insinuations while claiming not to be making them at all.

Oy vey

you may wish to mull over why being asked to be clear about your views and assumptions upsets you quite this much

Thank you. I “used my own words”, across several posts. Thus, Ive been accused of derailing. I won’t be bothering to use my own words further, particularly as I sense whatever I words I use they won’t be the right ones, unless I say “Graham is amazing” or some such.

Asking someone to use their own words to expand on what they feel the meaning is of a particular term or why they introduced a particular (apparently unrelated) topic isn’t silencing. I’m still no clearer about what the relevance to GL is of Israel paying influencers to visit or their status as ‘pro-Israel but not necessarily Zionist’.

If they were not unrelated then tell us what the relation is maybe?

You made out Graham might be somehow linked to a bunch of influencers being paid to go to Israel. What is the link?

And the 'discussion going on in the background' is the discussion that anyone cam read, right here, in the thread.

Stop trying to make out there is something going on in secret all because you made weird connections that you wont or cant explain.

No discussion is “going on in the background”.

Projection, perhaps?

They weren’t totally unrelated. Being told I’m derailing (and that discussion going on between other posters in the background), when I am not, is silencing.

You introduced the right wing influencers paid to visit Israel. Nothing to do with GL. Presumably some kind of hope of introducing guilt by association.

I haven’t RTFT so this may have been mentioned but Ronson’s son isn’t trans, he’s referred to in recent articles by his male name and as Jon’s son.

People asking other people to explain why they have made spurious links totally unrelated to the discussion is not 'silencing' them.

You’re not silenced for heaven’s sake. You’re just being asked to be clear about the points you are making

feel free to continue being circular and obfuscatory if you prefer, obviously

It was about a tweet of GL’s relating to left-wing feminists, Gaza and Israel.

Is it really a “derail” if I’m discussing GL on a thread about GL? Or can you only say “Poor Graham, he’s been such a champion, and Jon Ronson is so irritating”.

Got it. That’s me silenced then!

You did rather start the derail involving Israel/Zionism when you jumped in on page 8 though, didn’t you? The third one, after gaming and Mitchfest.

I’m trying to make head or fucking tail of how you’re defining ‘Zionism’ vs ‘supports Israel’ since your posts are remarkably unclear on the matter and your stock response to being asked to explain anything is ‘I’ve already explained that’, when in actual fact you haven’t at all

I said that in response to your announcement because the point was irrelevant to the discussion.

Have you explained why you brought up a random bunch of people going to Israel in relation to Graham yet?

Bernard asked if I support a non-Jewish/secular Israel. I answered her questIon.

There’s another poster here who also says her DH is Jewish. Did you ask her the same question?

Why is your husband's faith relevant? It sounds like you're waving it as a talisman.