Is Esther Walker just as bad as Giles Coren?

cousingregsgal · 2022-03-28T06:09:54+00:00

There have been lots of threads about Giles Coren already, but I read an article on Ukraine written by his wife, Esther Walker, and I think she’s just as bad as him. I know this was published last week but I’ve been catching up on news after a big work deadline and was totally shocked at this article Esther wrote about the “emotional labour” of talking about what is happening in Ukraine with her 8 year old. This is a week after Giles’ article about being totally bored of Ukraine. What is The Times thinking? It’s completely tone deaf and the worst sort of first world problem for Esther to complain about her “emotional labour” from the safety of one of the Corens’ multiple residences while Ukranian families are being shelled as they try to escape cities that are being bombed. Can’t she put Newsround on if she finds the “emotional labour” of it all so unbearable? Bloody hell, lady. Go and volunteer for the Red Cross or something rather than whinging on about your “emotional labour”!

NdefH81 · 28/03/2022 07:22

Did you actually read the entire article

Schools2023 · 28/03/2022 07:26

She doesn't write the headlines. Her blog is great and she's warm and sensible.
Also I know this is impossible for many to understand but her husband's columns are outrageous and sarcastic on purpose, it's Times' satire not the earnest Guardian telling you you're racist.

MiddleNameJane · 28/03/2022 07:31

I see you've screengrabbed that from Tattle, no doubt accompanied by criticism of her. Have you read what she's written? I haven't either, but will reserve judgement until I have. She's usually, as a pp said, warm and sensible in what she writes.

SleeplessInEngland · 28/03/2022 07:33

@Schools2023

She doesn't write the headlines. Her blog is great and she's warm and sensible. Also I know this is impossible for many to understand but her husband's columns are outrageous and sarcastic on purpose, it's Times' satire not the earnest Guardian telling you you're racist.

Nah, Giles Coren really is that bad. When you’ve pretended to be a dickhead all your life then eventually you’re just a dickhead.

GreenWheat · 28/03/2022 07:48

Isn't she saying that discussing heartbreaking news stories will children is emotionally draining? I think that's true. OP, I think you are projecting your dislike of her awful husband onto this.

Original poster

cousingregsgal · 28/03/2022 07:54

@Schools2023

She doesn't write the headlines. Her blog is great and she's warm and sensible. Also I know this is impossible for many to understand but her husband's columns are outrageous and sarcastic on purpose, it's Times' satire not the earnest Guardian telling you you're racist.

I used to read her Recipe Rifle blog, which I enjoyed. It was funny. I am definitely put off her by her horrible husband though.

Here is the link to the Times article if people want to read the whole thing. It is behind a paywall though. There are lots of negative comments on the article that sum up my feelings about it being tone deaf.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/explaining-ukraine-to-my-son-is-an-emotional-labour-cq5kxr9j8

OP posts:

overnightangel · 28/03/2022 07:55

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NdefH81 · 28/03/2022 08:24

Well noticed re tattle screen grab

Fact that you are even on tattle OP, speaks volumes

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 28/03/2022 08:33

I like her a lot. She seems warm and funny and clever.

Her husband is pretty rubbish satirist though - what he does only really works when you do it very well indeed, and he just isn't very good at finding the humour.

NdefH81 · 28/03/2022 08:37

Any reason why name changed just to start this thread OP?

Sailorsusan · 28/03/2022 08:47

I can't read the article but I really like Esther Walker. It would surprise me if this was the case tbh.

RaquelOak · 28/03/2022 09:48

A Giles Coren thread! I am here for this!

@overnightangel I'd also be much more interested in reading an article by Esther Walker in which she wrote about how she explained to her children why their house was graffitied after Giles mocked and celebrated the death of a 33 year old journalist.

BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 28/03/2022 09:58

I used to enjoy her recipe and lifestyle (the spike?) blogs but stopped reading them for a while and then went back to the spike and it just wasn’t quite the same. I’m not sure if it’s changed or if I have.

Ownedbymycats · 28/03/2022 09:59

Her article should be judged independently of her husband and I don't like the inference that she must be as 'bad' as him. She has her own agency and is an interesting writer.
Covid and the current Ukraine situation are very difficult issues for parents. It may seem wrong to bring it down to the level of how you speak to your children about it but these are huge issues.

Momicrone · 28/03/2022 10:36

Schools2023 - giles coren - just lols and bants eh?

LittleGwyneth · 28/03/2022 10:48

Honestly I think it takes a very unhappy, very cruel person to enjoy being on Tattle life. It's just wall-to-wall complaining that certain types of people have more than they 'deserve'.

Pay for journalism. Read the article. Form an opinion based on the actual article, then come back and complain about her if you've still got a problem.

RaquelOak · 28/03/2022 11:09

@LittleGwyneth

Honestly I think it takes a very unhappy, very cruel person to enjoy being on Tattle life. It's just wall-to-wall complaining that certain types of people have more than they 'deserve'.

Pay for journalism. Read the article. Form an opinion based on the actual article, then come back and complain about her if you've still got a problem.

I disagree. I think Tattle life is quite interesting as the whole world of the influencer is like the wild west as far as unregulated advertising goes, and so people are naturally sceptical about whatever influencers are being paid to promote and the way that they market themselves and their families. I think Tattle exists to challenge and debunk the self styled narratives of influencers. It's not actually that different from Mumsnet and the thread about the Corens is very funny.

LittleGwyneth · 28/03/2022 11:50

@RaquelOak It's not unregulated. You can report people to the ASA for all sorts of violations.

Tattle life is honestly the bitterest place I've ever been on the internet - aside from an investigation into incels. The number of posts where women are complaining it's 'not fair' that someone got send a free pram 'they don't need' when they themselves 'really need one' is just madness.

It's all part of this culture where you diagnose someone as 'problematic' because you think they have more than they deserve and you resent it. We're increasingly unable to say 'I just don't like her', it has to be that they're evil and bad.

You might well find the Coren thread funny but imagine if it was you they were writing about. You only have to have 10K followers on any platform to be considered Tattlelife fair game. A couple of viral post and apparently it's okay for anyone to say anything horrible they want about you? A friend of mine ended up quitting her entire career because she couldn't handle having so many horrible things said about her parenting, her face, her body, her friendships, her house - the list goes on.

Honestly, I think the more time you spend in a place like Tattle the worse it is for your soul. Marinating in mutual hatred is never going to make you a happier person.

NdefH81 · 28/03/2022 12:07

@Momicrone

Schools2023 - giles coren - just lols and bants eh?

Well pretty much, yes

RaquelOak · 28/03/2022 12:15

Was her career being an influencer?

NdefH81 · 28/03/2022 12:19

[quote LittleGwyneth]@RaquelOak It's not unregulated. You can report people to the ASA for all sorts of violations.

Tattle life is honestly the bitterest place I've ever been on the internet - aside from an investigation into incels. The number of posts where women are complaining it's 'not fair' that someone got send a free pram 'they don't need' when they themselves 'really need one' is just madness.

It's all part of this culture where you diagnose someone as 'problematic' because you think they have more than they deserve and you resent it. We're increasingly unable to say 'I just don't like her', it has to be that they're evil and bad.

You might well find the Coren thread funny but imagine if it was you they were writing about. You only have to have 10K followers on any platform to be considered Tattlelife fair game. A couple of viral post and apparently it's okay for anyone to say anything horrible they want about you? A friend of mine ended up quitting her entire career because she couldn't handle having so many horrible things said about her parenting, her face, her body, her friendships, her house - the list goes on.

Honestly, I think the more time you spend in a place like Tattle the worse it is for your soul. Marinating in mutual hatred is never going to make you a happier person.[/quote]
I agree a lot with what you say in principle

But I do wonder why someone so impassioned would even click on this thread title? In fact, there’s a heck of a lot of marinading in mutual hatred on mumsnet full stop!

DuvetHugger · 28/03/2022 12:19

Fact that you are even on tattle OP, speaks volumes

this. vile site

LittleGwyneth · 28/03/2022 12:30

@NdefH81 It's a fair cop! I will own to the fact that I worked with EW for a while, like her very much and find comments about how awful she is hard to ignore. I should very much leave these things alone, but sometimes can be a bit weak about it.

MurderAtTheBeautyPageant · 28/03/2022 12:35

I don't know much about Esther Coren though I would be wary of anyone who chose to have Giles Coren in their life, never mind their bed. But nice people can be married to shits so I will hold fire on judging her for that.

Victoria Coren pissed me off a couple of weeks ago when simpering about what a nice guy Evgeny Lebedev and what lovely parties he threw.

Miriam101 · 28/03/2022 12:39

It's a perfectly reasonable, if slightly "so what-ish", piece. Unfair clickbaity headline which if I were here I'd be pretty pissed about.