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?

Crikey

I know lots of mums to boys who are as disgusted as I am about how GW seemed to think it was ok, with the balance of power being as it was, to constantly use "bantz" that made others uncomfortable.

If your bar for raising good men is "well they haven't raped or abused anyone" I pity any young women who interacts with them in the future.

Oh and the reason the middle class luvvies are talking out now is because they are in a privileged position compared to the young women coming up behind them just starting out. I don't blame anyone for speaking out when it's safe to do so.

I do have sons, and if they behaved like that I’d be ashamed of them, furious at them, and would expect them to lose their jobs.

I really don’t get your point. Class differences have jackshit to do with abusive behaviour.

He's not a boy or a young man.
Being working class doesn't make men misogynistic fuckwits like Ggreg Wallace.

It's not up to Mnetters to forgive him, it's up to all the women he sexually harassed. However I judge him and I judge him hard. He's a dick.

Production companies would do well not to risk employing him in the future as he's a fucking liability @Toodaloo1567.

Am fine with him being forgiven if he can demonstrate a permanent change in his behaviour.

So far, his blaming it on the women themselves suggests he will find this hard to do.

TBH I am also fine with him being cancelled from TV because he was a shit presenter and I have no idea how he kept being employed.

He’s an adult man, in a position of great influence and power. Yes his employer needs to take action however that is separate to his actions. He was and is in the wrong. His video at weekend was ultimate in deflection, a window into how he views women and how he can’t see he is the problem - not others. He seems madly selfish and entitled. Here’s hoping he is able to get the schooling he needs to understand how very wrong he has got things

In my experience most people spell Gregg with three Gs.
However, to answer the OP, some of what he did was of its time, some of it was foul.
I’m not against a bit of innuendo, nudge nudge wink wink know what I mean.
However, the lesbian stuff too far.

I totally agree OP. A load of middle class, oversensitive women who can't take a bit of banter, or are seeing a bandwagon to jump onto (Mel Sykes!)

Greg you've been told to stop talking about it! You're just digging a deeper hole! Log out hun xo

It's not a working class quirk to be a prick and it's offensive to the many working class men who haven't graphically described sex acts to women they don't know in the workplace, said lewd things to get a sign language interpreter to repeat them, and haven't been accused by multiple people of behaviour that far superceded ill-thought workplace banter and falls under sexual assault, to imply that it is.

Also, I think some people get confused about what they mean by being 'cancelled'. If people choose not to work with him any more because he's a horrible fucking lech, that's not him being cancelled. That's businesses at the very least realising it's bad PR to work with someone like that, and that's all his own doing.

Is this the crisis management company PR “testing” mums net opinions by stealth ;)

Bloody hell, you’re brave (or stupid).

Oh and also, fuck off.

Tell me you have relationships with shit men without telling me you have relationships with shit men.

Oh, and btw, your post has 'bloke here' written all over it.

Why should Greg Wallace be sent to hell when Gordon Ramsey publicly abuses people…. How is that right?

I'm putting money on the OP never reappearing on this thread

He's been running multi-million pound businesses for 30+ years. He is NOT working class FFS.

I agree that this absolutely should have been dealt before now. But that does not absolve Gregg Wallace from blame, it shows there needs to be a better system in place, as well as action being needed against him.

Re the complaints coming from middle aged women (and I think mainly/all (?) from celebrity masterchef) this could be a couple of different things - rather than your interpretation of them being stuck up luvvies. 1) maybe his behaviour was worse on this show (different presenters, production team maybe) - I'm just hypothesing, 2) maybe middled aged women have more confidence - I know I won't tolerate things now I'm older that I would have let slide when I was younger, 3) maybe the reason celebrities have spoken out (and felt able to) is there's less of a power imbalance compared to other non-celebrity contestants, 4) celebrity contestants are more likely to feel comfortable with going to the media.

He should be cancelled for being a talentless twat, never mind about the totally unacceptable "banter" and behaviour.

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?

Really? I'm a working class, hoary-handed daughter of toil and I've never felt I needed to "emulate" anyone's way of interacting.

Do you mean to associate "Working Class" with lack of manners?

Ggreg Wallace is a sleezy creep. I don't care what his roots are.

Ok Greggs wife (or are you in fact Gregg). I’m not going to get too worked up about an extremely privileged man not being on telly for a bit (because I’m certain he’ll end up on ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here).

Top marks for the shoehorn of ‘woke’ though. Don’t hear that word enough in ‘cancelled wah wah!’ posts

And for the two G’s

Away to fuck

Hello Greg

No. It's not ok to sexually harass a women whatever her class.

Yes, some privileged people do think they are above the law - like some of the groping middle aged men in the house of commons, in religious organisations and an infamous (not sweaty) one from the royal family. However, it's not a class thing. Some working class men, as well as middle class men and upper class men also think they can treat women however they like.

Being a working class lad that doesn't know the rules might be an excuse of sorts when you are 6 years old. But when you are middle-age I don't think you can apply the naive card.

🤷🙄

I sort of half agree with you, op. I think there would have been a way back for Gregg if he had apologised, said that he hadn’t meant to cause offence, he’d been trying to be funny but completely misjudged it and is heartily sorry. I don’t think that’s going to happen now though.

I think the level of press outrage is disproportionate to what he has done, and that’s partly because everyone knew what he was like and just treated it as one of those things, and now that it’s been pointed out that this isn’t an adequate response they’re desperately trying to distance themselves from their previous inaction.

Grew up on a massive council estate, first person I knew who went to university so now definitely read as MC - whether I am or not is a philosophical point I suppose, but definitely was WC as a kid, and see myself as MC now.

I grew up around a lot of men who 'joke' like GW. Many in my own family. I always found it upsetting and disgusting - and it was a very thinly veiled way to be aggressive and hostile to women by men who were shits. Not all the men around me behaved that way thank god. But enough that I have had plenty of them tell me I needed to get a sense of humour when I spoke up for myself.

OP, you post drips with disdain and reverse snobbery, trotting out whistle words like woke. No, he does not need to be forgiven, and you, and other mothers of sons need to hold them to better standards.