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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Piers Morgan

185 replies

HavenKimmel · 16/03/2021 18:35

I'm on a group whatsapp chat with some friends. Mixed group, mostly white, one Asian, one black girl, 3 gay. I'm female, white, straight. Group is just mates talking nonesense, sharing memes etc.

White male posts a petition to reinstate Piers Morgan at GMB. Follows it up with 'I love Piers Morgan, he speaks for lots of people.'

I found this in poor taste and said so, cue a big kerfuffle, mostly denying that there was anything untoward about it. Black girl leaves the group. When contacted to ask why she left, she says she 'has a lot on and the group was a distraction' which they accept.

For context, he has form for stirring the pot, the party line is to condone, that's just x, we all know what he's like.

Was I being unreasonable to take issue?

OP posts:
Original poster
HavenKimmel · 19/03/2021 07:33

Oh good heavens, I wasn't denigrating anyone's voting choice - someone else said 'don't go their way' at the ballot box, I misquoted the words I thought they'd used.

No the Guardian isn't impartial - I read that about as much as the DM.

I think the conversation has gone past the point of being productive - for me at least.

Thanks for the advice all.

OP posts:
AlfonsoTheTerrible · 19/03/2021 08:12

@HavenKimmel

I'm not biased against Daily Mail readers, but I consider the DM to be propaganda and am cautious about taking advice from anyone who's been conditioned by it.
OP, don't go changing terms to suit yourself. You provided the definition of "bigot" and then when challenged, said that that you are not "biased".

That is dishonest and disingenuous.

AlfonsoTheTerrible · 19/03/2021 08:14

And, yes. By your own definition of "bigot" you are a bigot towards Daily Mail readers, which makes you a bigot.

That's the trouble with pointing fingers: they point back at you.

AlfonsoTheTerrible · 19/03/2021 08:15

you are bigoted toward

tangerinelollipop · 19/03/2021 08:16

That's the trouble with pointing fingers: they point back at you

Yes, AlfonsoTheTerrible that's what many people don't realise

Thehawki · 19/03/2021 08:23

Just ignore the man, he’s clearly trying to do what he admires in Piers Morgan. He’s riling everyone up to get a reaction. Only Piers does it because he’s on TV and it’s part of his arsehole act, it doesn’t work in real life and it clearly doesn’t work all that well on TV either.

User133847 · 19/03/2021 08:43

The British press has been predominantly conservative leaning for as long as I can remember and we have a had a Labour government during that time.

After Tony Blair won Murdoch's support and out-Toried the Tories.

Original poster
HavenKimmel · 19/03/2021 09:48

Alfonso & Tangerine, the DM are well known for inciting hate. Does it me a bigot to be mindful of it? Get a grip.

OP posts:
needaholidaynoww · 19/03/2021 09:52

I don't even understand how anyone can like piers Morgan he is dreadful. Spouts nothing but hate and rubbish.

Iamthewombat · 19/03/2021 10:11

Spouts nothing but hate and rubbish.

Nothing but? Are you sure? I get that you don’t like him but to claim that every word that somebody speaks is ‘hate and rubbish’ tends to undermine your position. You’d do better to acknowledge that you don’t like the position he takes on most issues. Then you would sound more credible and reasonable, because that would be a credible and reasonable view. Others may disagree, of course.

AlfonsoTheTerrible · 19/03/2021 10:26

@HavenKimmel

Alfonso & Tangerine, the DM are well known for inciting hate. Does it me a bigot to be mindful of it? Get a grip.
I have an excellent grip on critical thinking and that's the only grip I need, thank you.
LilMidge01 · 19/03/2021 10:54

I wonder if all the posters saying "life would be boring if we only had friends who agreed with us" and "he's just got a diffeerent opinion, is that not allowed" are also the same people who woudl be offended by a male friend using the term 'Karen' a lot.....?

Just a wondering on double standards...if PM's views dont really affect you and you are privileged enough to not be affected by them...?

I also do think that liking PM or not is not the same as having a different taste in music. It is political. And many people are very offended by PM. It's not the same thing as a friend with 'different taste'

User133847 · 19/03/2021 14:15

@LilMidge01

I wonder if all the posters saying "life would be boring if we only had friends who agreed with us" and "he's just got a diffeerent opinion, is that not allowed" are also the same people who woudl be offended by a male friend using the term 'Karen' a lot.....?

Just a wondering on double standards...if PM's views dont really affect you and you are privileged enough to not be affected by them...?

I also do think that liking PM or not is not the same as having a different taste in music. It is political. And many people are very offended by PM. It's not the same thing as a friend with 'different taste'

This is what Morgan wants. He wants to cause division and rancor among people.
Iamthewombat · 19/03/2021 14:24

I wonder if all the posters saying "life would be boring if we only had friends who agreed with us" and "he's just got a diffeerent opinion, is that not allowed" are also the same people who woudl be offended by a male friend using the term 'Karen' a lot.....?

If he was calling me ‘Karen’, and he was my mate, I’d say stop using that word unless you want a smack! Joking of course, I tend not to physically assault my friends.

If he was a bit of a contrarian who liked to muse about the wrongdoings of a group of hypothetical women he labelled ‘Karen’ then I’d engage in a debate with him. Why not? As somebody pointed out upthread, people with inflammatory views are good value socially and are often great fun to debate with. I have lots of friends like this, and we argue about all sorts of issues we disagree on. We are still friends despite that: we respect each other’s views.

enigma16 · 19/03/2021 15:22

people with inflammatory views are good value socially and are often great fun to debate with

Not so much fun when people like PM question your right to live in your own country, as he did to Professor Kehinde Andrews in the video clip I shared here. Afua Hirsch was asked the same question when she dared to ask for the legacy of some controversial figures such as Churchill to be re-evaluated.

What I've noticed in my work in a fairly male-dominated environment is that what tends to spark the most ire and aggressive defensiveness are any attempts to talk about misogyny and violence against women. Here it seems to be race. You mention it or question people's attitudes and you get extreme defensiveness and denial, a barrage of childish jibes and shutting down of conversation.

We are all a part of the problem and people like PM are not helping. He should use his platform more constructively and responsibly if he isn't racist as many of your claim.

MummyJ12 · 19/03/2021 16:52

Churchill is not a controversial figure. Only to those who can’t appreciate that he lived in a different era. I’m not saying that some of his statements were ok now we are having these conversations. But he is far from controversial. He is a hero for saving us from Nazi fascism. Please don’t make divisive comments such as this. It’s offensive.

User133847 · 19/03/2021 16:59

Piers Morgan would be great value and fun to debate with.

Except for the fact you'd never get a word in and if you get the better of him he'll take his ball and go home (or just walk off in a tantrum).

enigma16 · 19/03/2021 17:06

"Of course, it’s easy to dismiss any criticism of these actions as anachronistic. Didn’t everybody think that way then? One of the most striking findings of Toye’s research is that they really didn’t: even at the time, Churchill was seen as at the most brutal and brutish end of the British imperialist spectrum. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was warned by Cabinet colleagues not to appoint him because his views were so antedeluvian. Even his startled doctor, Lord Moran, said of other races: “Winston thinks only of the colour of their skin.” Many of his colleagues thought Churchill was driven by a deep loathing of democracy for anyone other than the British and a tiny clique of supposedly superior races."

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/not-his-finest-hour-dark-side-winston-churchill-2118317.html

MummyJ12 · 19/03/2021 17:27

A lot of criticism towards Churchill is from hearsay or from his adversaries.
As I previously posted, some of his alleged statements were not ok. However, if he didn’t lead this country the way he did and help towards victory in WW2, arguably, we would not have the freedom and liberty that we do today. That includes freedom of speech and a democracy!

tangerinelollipop · 19/03/2021 17:28

Please don’t make divisive comments such as this

MummyJ12 I agree. Some groups constantly trying to rewrite history and force new meanings on words to push their agenda. And people are expected to shut up and put up with this.

enigma16 · 19/03/2021 17:31

A lot of criticism towards Churchill is from hearsay or from his adversaries.

You are simply wrong about this, which you can find out easily just by doing a tiny bit of research.

MummyJ12 · 19/03/2021 17:34

I have done my research. A lot of it. I’m not wrong, you’re just reading the wrong things or cherry picking by the sound of it.

MummyJ12 · 19/03/2021 17:37

winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/churchills-racist-epithets/

An example for you.

MummyJ12 · 19/03/2021 17:38

And research not from a newspaper funnily enough!

enigma16 · 19/03/2021 17:41

Nice source. Talk about reading the wrong things or cherry picking!

www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/education/edlife/hillsdale-college-great-books-constitution-conservatives.html