AIBU that Giles Coren’s back to school tips column that includes “minor sexual abuse” is not funny?

[TulipRevolutionary]

I finally caught up on the weekend papers and Giles Coren wrote a pretty standard (fairly dull) back to school tips listicle column in the Times that was directed at his son who is starting a new secondary school. However, the idea that “minor sexual offenses” committed by teachers within schools are “just a fact of life” is totally wrong. The fact that the teacher who “taught me how to write” also “touched me in unwelcome ways” seems to insinuate that as long as they are a good teacher a bit of light pedophilia isn’t “necessarily anything to be afraid of”. It reminds me of the plot of The History Boys play in which pedophilia is also treated as fairly innocuous/a bit of a joke and something to be tolerated if the teacher is otherwise inspiring and will secure you a place at Oxford. My cousin was abused by a fencing tutor at his Catholic boarding school and although Giles Coren would probably consider it to be “minor” sexual abuse since no penetration ever occurred I think it completely ruined his teenage years and much of his 20s and arguably he is still negatively affected by it.

I think there is some accounts on here with either Giles or his wife as the author! I understand the rage bait aspects of these articles but if the writer is skilled then they can be humorous without being distasteful.

The letter to the Times is brilliant, even though I actually agree with his point, the fact it was a huge letter about the loss of an "a" that probably could have been a reasonable phone call says a lot about just how exasperated the editing staff must be with him.

In all honesty his twatish and petulant posh-school boy behaviour made Beyond the Lobby compelling viewing. It demonstrated the high levels of professionalism of the staff at the hotels in expertly managing a person with disproportionately high epicurean needs. This worked well with in comparison to the more reasonable interactions they were had with Monica, a highly skilled service professional. This sadly doesn't happen with Rinder as he is also a professional but not in the service industry. He is clearly trying very hard to be portrayed as a reasonable and compassionate which are not the guests these hotels are set up to cater for. This really lost the entertainment and slightly voyeuristic aspect of the show, that balanced out the satisfying understanding of the operational competency of well-run establishments.

I don't live in the UK so don't read much by Giles Coren as I just don't come across him. Howewer I have read some things he has written when people comment on this site.

I read somewhere that so much of his working life is a flow on from the high respect and regard in which his father Alan Coren was, and still is held. I used to read a lot of Alan Coren's stuff and especially always read Punch when he was its editor and the quality was truly excellent - funny, well written and often with an underlying meaning. Plus, concise.

People who think Giles Coren is funny are basic imo

It was all in Saturdays paper. The warning about paedo teachers, the M5 fat people article and also an article above a safari trip he’d taken with his family (think that last one was him, didn’t read it). The first two were both dire.

I don’t know how he’s got away with his rape and sex remarks in relation to children tbh. Imagine a female columnist doing the equivalent, they wouldn’t but if they did it wouldn’t be in any way seen as funny or given a free pass. Once you decide that someone gets a special pass to be obscene and creepy because it’s being done to shock, that’s very dodgy ground. His editors should still have a moral and legal responsibility to say ‘hang on that’s crossed a line”.

Why is he still writing for The Times? Connections. Without them he'd try hard for employment and have to seek the Lozza Fox route.

I was referencing the original point. Get back in your box

Make yourself clear then and get back in your own box

Anyway the same goes for the original point too

Get back in your box

What? How rude. Are you Giles peewee or are you his wife.

I'm expecting him on GB News any day now.🫣

The "quite minor" in brackets is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the effort to make this piece satirical and it doesn't really work. If you were to omit the "quite minor" references, it's a fairly straight warning based on his own experiences. The brackets require the reader to do a lot of work, wondering whose voice is saying "quite minor"? Is it a bitter, sarcastic reference to abuse being minimised by schools? Society? It's ambiguous and not the crux of the piece so falls flat.

At worst, skim readers believe The Times supports minimising CSA and that some sexual abuse can be a "minor offence". This piece isn't skilled enough to pull off a 'lighthearted' warning about such a serious issue.

I think his vocabulary is the worst crime in that excerpt. Did he just use ‘defenestrated’ because it has 5 syllables?

@peeweemermaid Why do your posts keep getting deleted?

When you say keep do you mean the one time Tulip? Not sure I am not mumsnet probably because I told someone to get back in their box as they couldnt read properly.

You've been deleted twice peewee, once yesterday and once the day before. Admittedly that's not loads but can't you read properly?

😂

I missed peewee’s posts before they got deleted. I was intrigued. Were they abusive?

I can’t stand Giles Coren, he is awful!

I can believe he wrote this however and think it’s completely inappropriate!

It was true for two of my male teachers later convicted of sexual offences with kids. We gossiped about them being inappropriate or weird and we were right.

IMO, when it comes to child sex offences, there are no “quite minor” ones.

Be aware though that he is a an awful writer and will just say things to make people react. dreadful man in my opinion and completely unfunny.

I think he's not far from that point as is.

And Laurence Fox only achieved his modest success because of his family connections too. Two sad little men. Literally in Coren's case.

True. Fox wins on inches, no dispute. Every family has an embarassing relative in the cupboard, I suppose.

I think Lawrence Fox is quite tall. I saw him at a festival years ago when he was married to Billie Piper and he was definitely lanky, and I’m tall for a woman. According to the internet he is 6’3 so no one can use small man syndrome to explain his behaviour.