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?

So sick of this "I'm middle-class so I expect this sort of crass and inappropriate behaviour from working-class people because that's how they must behave normally".

It's so condescending towards the working class.

This is possibly one of the best things I've read on MN in the last 12 years, Arseynal.

Thank you.

I don't think you've read what he's been doing. He makes people feel profoundly uncomfortable. It's not innuendo, it's a power trip.

Very sad that grown man has to stoop so low and talk dirty to get a response, very churlish and down right rude , see I would have slapped him , he has lost everything because talking crude he thought was funny.

Is that you, Greggg?

Eh?

Do you think they’ve never watched it before becoming contestants? There’s been innuendo - which is entirely different, incidentally - ever since the first series.

Bald? Chip (metaphorical) on his shoulder? Feeling the cold hand of mortality and irrelevance advancing towards him. Just so, so bored with it all, trading in for younger wives over and over again just didn’t cut through the deep, crippling ennui. The horrible realisation that if he is ever thought about in 5 years time he’ll never be more than ‘that prick who did old media cooking shows and couldn't even cook’. Never even to reach the status of Delia fucking Smith. And now this, taken down by cackling middle aged women, the sort of women not even worthy of a quick touch up in the back office (they should be so lucky). Such shame. Such disappointment.

Oh come on. It’s a bit insulting to ‘working class’ men to suggest that this type of thing is commonplace and to be excused. It’s not his roots that are the issue here, but his choices and behaviour.
In my life, the sexist behaviour and harassment has largely come from ‘middle class’ professional men, not the numerous workmen that have worked in my and relatives homes over the years, the taxi drivers etc - all of whom have been ‘perfect gentlemen’ .
But that’s just my experience- bad behaviour is not attributable to, or excusable, on the basis of social class.

When I first started reading that I didn't realise where you were going with it and was like WTF, Mary 😯.

What do you think about gregg Wallace pushing his penis against a woman's bottom, groping another woman's bottom and lowering his trousers in front of a woman in the workplace? Is that the sort of thing you do in the workplace? If so I'd stop if I were you.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj64237v6zo

Well, perhaps some boys and men do say crass things...but I have never in my life had anything to do with the ones who do.
Why would I associate with misogynists? I wouldn't even if I were a man. It would be insane to considering I'm a woman.

Not so much tbh because these type of cookery shows have always been filled with double entendres and jokes that really aren’t suitable for a family audience.
As for naked attraction. It’s always interesting to see the rejects walk off, and it becomes apparent many of them barely speak a word of English.

I don't really know what to think of Gregg Wallace but I do know that I'm deeply uncomfortable about domestic abusers like Mel Sykes trying to reinvent herself to take the moral high ground in this story. She claims it was MasterChef that ended her TV career for good because of Wallace's behaviour but frankly she shouldn't have been allowed on TV again after she beat up her husband.

Innuendo is fine for any audience. If it’s unsuitable for you, you won’t understand it.

You can think that about Mel Sykes and be disgusted and horrified by Gregg Wallace's actions. Both of those things are allowed to be true at the same time.

Tbh I’d like to cancel Noel aswell and have no idea why he’s on a family show.

I agree. I'm from a WC background and my dad and brother wouldn't dream of disrespecting women or engaging in the kind of awful harassment GW did. It's offensive to imply that being a misogynist wanker is somehow a WC trait.

And for those that seem unable to grasp it - a bit of mild innuendo, with both parties in on the joke, is not the issue here. What GW did was repeated sexual harassment.

"But hes done nothing illegal. It's all just banter"

Hmm what about the four allegations of sexual assault, two allegations of indecent exposure and multiple accounts of sexual harassment in the world place for which production companies are legally liable for preventing?

Tumbleweed

"But it's just like Bake Off with the rude banter"

"Oh so Mary Berry and Prue Leith are alleged to have engaged in sexual assault and indecent exposure in the Bake Off Tent too?"

Tumbleweed

"They tell rude jokes AND EVERYTHING."

So the power dynamics are exactly the same then? I can wait to see the out take of Mel asking about rape.

"Yes it's just banter".

And repeat.

First the women, now the working classes. Wonder whose fault it will be tomorrow.

Very true. However, I do find it odd she was allowed to be on TV again after committing violence whilst Wallace was forced to step down before even the worst allegations came to light.

Overall I'm comfortable with neither being on the TV.

Greg W has not allegedly done what he is accused of because of class, or rave or sex or age.

It’s because he sees women as objects and is on a power trip.