Hoping that Greg Wallace is forgiven, rather than cancelled

[Toodaloo1567]

Just a few concerns about this whole GW thing. Caveat: I do not condone behaviour that is illegal.

1. It does kind of look like a whole bunch of privileged TV luvvies are clamouring to denounce someone with really quite humble roots. I grew up in London and am constantly paranoid about how I come across to my mainly middle class colleagues. The thing is, middle class and privileged people operate by a set of unwritten rules. It’s like a full time job in itself trying to emulate their way of interacting, lest you be called out for not being ‘nice’ enough or doing something odd to them, like forgetting to start an email with ‘Hope you are well?’. Only, they won’t let you know to your face that you’ve accidentally been too sharp or direct, or maybe that your joke wasn’t woke enough - no, that stuff just goes straight to HR.
2. The equality act 2010 makes it the employer’s responsibility to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Why wasn’t all this lewd stuff dealt with? GW said that no one had made a formal complaint. Again, it makes me wonder whether the middle class luvvies just didn’t want to call things out at the time because it’s ‘beneath’ them to even consider doing something about it.
3. Even though he’s apologised, the public doesn’t think that’s good enough. It’s like only perfect people get to keep their careers. Woe betide you if you said something crass on twitter 10 years ago, or got caught speeding or something.

Of course, lots of you would want to shout me down over this, but you know what? We’re all mums here and many of us have sons. Boys and young men do and say crass things. GW hasn’t raped or systematically abused anyone. It doesn’t make what’s happened right, but I also don’t think it’s right that swarms of pitch-fork waving strangers get to play judge, jury and executioner. I’m a big fan of forgiveness. Am I the only one?

I hope she doesn’t have sons!
Imagine someone thinking the way she does and instilling the same beliefs in even more males.
Op seems to think sexual harassment is fine as long as he doesn’t get physical 🙄

GW said that no one had made a formal complaint

Hmmm what about his formal warning after impossible celebrities and nestle banning him due his conduct?

Or doesn't that count as a formal complaint?

Or the numerous women who said they did make a complaint but it went nowhere?

Hmm apart from that.

I’m middle class.
However, I have no idea about these middle class rules you’re on about.
Your first point is a load of class-ist bull imo.

Not a mum here. On what planet is this a 'class' issue?
The only one behaving like a 'tv luvvie' here is him.
This is yet another case of a (male) celebrity abusing his position and power and being allowed to get away with it for far too long. Inappropriate sexual comments that make women feel uncomfortable in the work place are not acceptable. It's not just 'banter'. It may have been 'the norm' once but the culture is changing. He's a dinosaur who obviously ignored the memo.

Lads gotta lad eh OP? LOL.

@Ravenbright unfortunately a number of people still ignore the memo

Fucking brilliant

Once again and louder for those at the back.

When a bloke at work treated me (and everyone he encountered) like shit (I was a temp, he was the owner), I just left at the end of the contract. When asked to return a few weeks later, I said no thank you. No complaints made etc. The lack of complaints against a person is meaningless imo.

These luvvies especially Beeb types are always so so quick to turn on the heretic/wrong-thinker.

You think showing your cock in a professional work environment is...wrongthink?

Lots of people really are giving themselves away this evening.

Gregg Wallace was a monumental twat even before these allegations surfaced. I hope he pisses off my tv for good.

Oh and also, my boys don't sexually harass women at work thanks. Gross that you think it's ok.

I work in the media. Powerful people whether in front or behind the camera can be really intimidating to junior people as there is always a constant worry about job insecurity . Whether it’s sexual innuendo, ordering around and shouting. I’m in my sixties now but am so fed up of these (usually) men getting away with it

Gregg would stand a better chance of forgiveness if he showed a bit of contrition. If he showed he’d reflected on what had been alleged and committed to learning and growing, he’d stand a chance of a comeback. I don’t hold out much hope.

I can only assume you've not come across the specific details given from the women, and that you've never researched why people often take a long time to report sexual assault (even more so when it's a famous person and their job is on the line).

You know if he hadn't posted that stupid video I'd have partly agreed......mainly because this sort of behaviour tends to be part of a workplace culture. He was the only one in the firing line but he won't have been the only one doing it or encouraging it.

But his attitude speaks volumes.......and whilst I loathe ' cancel culture ' idiots like him don't deserve any sympathy for playing the fuck around and find out game once too often.

The next time we see not all men spouted on here I’d like it noted that the none of the ‘decent’ men who witnessed this behaviour reported it.

OP said "GW hasn’t raped or systematically abused anyone"

How do you know this?

There is stuff coming out on a daily/hourly basis. Without accusing him of anything it's not beyond the realms of possibility that this is highly likely.

Why women feel the need to defend someone who would quite happily abuse them is beyond me.

Indeed crumblingschools. I'm guessing the production company wanted to protect their commission and investment, while ignoring the women who raised concerns over the years. Money talks unfortunately.

The thing is it isn’t just the contestants it’s the production staff too. And it’s more difficult for them to complain because their jobs and livelihood depend on it.

The best thing at this stage is probably for TV companies and production companies to go and look at those people they have received multiple complaints about. Or just speak to people in the industry. Most of these things are open secrets anyway.

I quite agree op. I'm from a working class background and put myself through university and now struggle with my distinctly middle class workplace. I can never remember if it's the blacks or the cripples I shouldn't joke about and HR are kind but even they are getting fed up with my propensity to pat men's bottoms and comment on the cut of their trousers. I try, I really do, but my Dad was a milkman and that runs deep.

”We’re all mums here and many of us have sons. Boys and young men do and say crass things. GW hasn’t raped or systematically abused anyone. It doesn’t make what’s happened right, but I also don’t think it’s right that swarms of pitch-fork waving strangers get to play judge, jury and executioner.”

@Toodaloo1567 - I have three sons and no daughters, and I still want women and girls to live in a world where they do not have to put up with nasty, sexist talk either in the workplace or elsewhere. Gregg’s behaviour was not a one-off, stupid mistake, slip of the tongue - it was a pattern of behaviour predicated on his enjoyment of making women feel uncomfortable - women he perceived as being ‘below’ him. If one of my boys did something similar, I would expect them to have to face the consequences of their bad choices/behaviour.

Any TV personality’s reputation lives and dies by public opinion - we, the public, are the consumers of what they produce, and we do not have to consume it if we don’t want to. If they lose our respect, show themselves to be nasty misogynists, and are unrepentant, that is their own fault, not ours, and they should face the consequences, even if that means they lose their career.

Gregg has had warnings. And, as a human being, he must have known he was behaving atrociously - he could have stopped. He chose not to. Now we have every right to say we choose not to watch him any more. That’s not being a pitchfork waving mob, it’s having standards.

Nobody reported him.
It's just unbelievable really, but covering things up at the bbc is their default setting
People may have even been told to stay out of it , that wouldn't surprise me either tbh ;(
It's corrupt to its core

More allegations about sexual misconduct are coming out from young women, in subordinate positions, not the 'middle aged, middle class' women he has been moaning about.

One of them said:

'When she started fastening his bow tie, she says she noticed his trousers were "partially lowered". She did not see how this happened.

"His pubic hair was on show, where you can see the top part of his penis, and he was wearing no boxers underneath."

Anna says no apology was offered. Instead, she says, "he stared at me", in a way that felt like "a power play".'

His working class roots are irrelevant. He was in a position of power over these young women and he exploited it. He deserves everything he gets. Why on earth should people try and understand where he was coming from?

I can't believe that anyone would feel sorry for him.

@ShowOfHands 🤣🤣

But you just know that someone is going to take that seriously and report it

@WalterdelaMare

Why are women only coming forward now?

People are still really saying this kind of thing?
Do you even know what you're inplying?

Not just on the GW threads - you could read numerous others about similar cases and similar men in similar positions that answer your (at best) naive question. Or you could think about if for five minutes and easily come up with three good reasons yourself.

I do not like "cancel culture" but it sounds like he was absolutely unable to read a room.
Did someone not take him to one side and say "can it with the shit jokes for goodness sake"? We will probably never know.

However to be honest I found him irritating before and if I never saw him on tv again I would not care. A friend of mine said he eats like a tortoise eating a lettuce - tongue out and it has churned me a bit ever since.

I do not give a stuff about what class he came from and think that argument is not relevant as he is being discussed -if true- to have harassed junior staff members who would be less powerful than him.

Mind you I have unreasonable prejudices against various people on tv so my opinion is meaningless