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?

This is Greggs wife right?

You are part of the problem OP.

As a middle class woman I am happy that this egregious man, who is happy to infer that women not like me would absolutely love his comments, is going to be sacked.

If you’ve raised a man who is this insensitive and crass then he will just have to navigate the world and raise his standards or also fall foul of the law on sexual harassment

I don't give a toss about GW. Why is this story getting so much attention? What about actual crimes against women? What about Gaza, Syria and Ukraine?

I'm sure there are corners of the Internet inhabited by creatures who think men should be allowed to rub their penis against women, pull their trousers down and grope women's bottoms in the work place like GW. Personally I'd rather hang out on mumsnet though

Exactly the same.

It's also totally insulting to working class men that GW should somehow be excused for such shocking behaviour because he's working class. My brother and I grew up in poverty, single parent, council house, benefits etc. He now manages a chain restaurant with around 70 staff, many of them under 25, that has a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment.

He'd be mortified if he heard or saw a man behaving half as badly as GW

Why would you forgive someone who clearly doesn't give a damn about the people they have hurt? Also he hasn't just made a few clumsy jokes, he's rubbing his cock on people and groping them. Would you forgive a man that did that to you and insisted it was all your fault?

Also you are clearly perpetuating prejudices yourself there about poor old working place people too stupid to understand middle class rules- sorry, everybody knows it isn't ok to grope people especially in a professional environment. Are you Gregg in disguise?

@ilovesushi do you not think there is a problem with sexual harassment?

The only reason he's sorry is because people complained about him. It came across as totally lacking in sincerity. And when he said he wasn't in a good headspace when he posted his original response,I thought oh excuse me while I get my tiny violin out.

Are you honestly this naive, @Ihopeyouhavent?

You think a junior member of production staff, or an ordinary contestant could say that to a show’s star, and get away with it?

Don’t get me wrong - it would be amazing if women could do this, without risking their careers, but I’m not sure we are there yet.

😆😆😆😆😆

@Ihopeyouhavent
In 2002 I was working in my first job post graduation. I was 21 (so an adult) and I was routinely sexually harassed and subjected to inappropriate comments and behaviour.

I said NOTHING and probably even laughed along at times.
I was scared of losing my job, I was the first person in my family to go university, the first with a professional graduate job - I didn't want to let my family down. And I needed to job to pay rent. My boyfriend at the time told me to encourage the sexual comments and behaviour as it would probably get me promoted.

I ended up leaving and changing sector entirely. (And dumped the bf)

If I was subjected too, or over heard just a fraction of what I put up with in the workplace today, I'd hit the fucking roof. I'm a middle class, middle aged woman with the confidence to fight back. So different to my 21 year old self.

Even in that relatively short period of time attitudes have changed.... but there are those like GW who have refused to accept this and therefore deserve everything they get.

So we’re now selective about what we care about? Misogyny and bullying at home fine while crying about women thousands of miles away. Some of us are capable of caring about more than one thing at a time.

Sexual harassment is a crime.

I think that if you look at the mainstream media these stories are also being covered.

Well in this instance it seems that people expressing outrage actually results in something changing, whereas people have been expressing outrage about the other things for years or decades to no discernible effect.

ETA also sexual harassment is an actual crime, in case you didn't realise.

@Toodaloo1567 AnneMarie, just because Greg has convinced you that being a lazy, entitled, misogynistic twat who offloads his life admin and child rearing onto the first woman who responds to his Twitter DMs are the actions of a salt of the earth working class hero and not those of a lazy, entitled, misogynistic twat, doesn’t make it true.

There’s forgiveness and there’s being a doormat for a deeply unpleasant, habitual creep who confuses having money with having power.

I'm from London too OP and no, I don't worry about how I come across because I don't flash my public hair and genitals to middle class luvvies in the workplace. Even salt of the earth cockneys can learn the rules.

It’s pretty patronising for you to suggest that sexually harassing women is somehow a working class trait and the issue is middle class people not accepting that.

What GW did was wrong. He knew it was wrong and he did it anyway. He shouldn’t be rewarded with a lucrative career. There are plenty of other people who could do his job just as well and without sexually harassing anyone.

Didn’t take Greg long to find Mumsnet, did it? Wonder what other threads tickle his fancy?

You can't say anything these days without getting 'cancelled'

Except you can.

What you can't do is make inappropriate sexual comments in the workplace. Which is what GW has done.

Hmm.

I have a list of women who did.

The literate amongst us can read it.

Why do we have to KEEP saying this? Why isn't it obvious? And what do any of these deluded people saying "oh just tell him to eff off, the silly sausage" think would have happened? That GW would've apologised, changed his ways and everyone's live happily ever after. What planet are they living on.

Actually still laughing at the thought that it's a full-time job to stay on top of whether talking about your cock or other people's genitals is okay for the workplace or not.

Christ OP get some self respect and raise your standards because they’re so low it’s an embarrassment to both yourself and your children. Victim blaming, predatory apologist garbage. 🤮🤮