Is Stephen Fry a repulsive, condescending misogynistic turd?

[Absentmindedsmile]

I realised on the first thread about lovely Stephen Fry, that I should have put an AIBU. I’m interested to know the wider view, beyond us sex realists on the FWR board.

So if you’ve got time, take a flick through the last thread (link attached), and using that plus your existing knowledge of the man, what do you think?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5357749-stephen-fry-what-a-repulsive-condescending-misogynistic-turd?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

YABU - No he’s lovely.

YANBU - Yes, he is at the very least, a misogynistic wanker.

It's for posts like this, the laugh emoji was invented.

Less of the ageism, FFS. He was 57 when he got married, hardly in his dotage. The marriage has lasted over 10 years so far, so it sounds like it's pretty successful.

It usually takes the firm of the well off telling the less well off what they are going to do to improve their lives and when the less well off try to have a say they are insulted as too stupid, bigoted, feckless etc to know what's good for them.

People who come from a position of privilege need to take a seat when it comes to telling others what's good for them.

What, absolutely anyone?

https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1939783256620298492

You might want to caveat that one.

He's a smarmy git who has lost his looks and figure
Now rather pathetic

My understanding of the phrase is that it means someone well off who espouses beliefs about improving the lives of others but doesn't actually do anything to help others.

I can't take seriously someone who thinks that there is no expenses fiddling in the corporate environment!!

My mum was in a play with him in the 80's and said he was an absolute prick and the worst person she's ever worked with.

I always thought him a bit self satisfied but had no idea about any of this. I’m shocked

And he quite possibly slagged you off and laughed about you behind your back like with the woman in the BA lounge.

He should have a MN account ...

I always remember my counsellor telling me, when discussing my abusive ex husband that being charming isn’t a personality type, it’s a chosen behaviour put into use to manipulate a desired outcome. It described him well and I imagine also the charming Stephen Fry.

Yep..

I really liked some his re writing of the Greek myths.
but I listened to him on Rylan’s bbc podcast and he was revolting, just crass and inappropriately sexual comments.

I've met him, he was pleasant and normal, acted very professionally.

Some of his comments have been disgusting and I didn't like a lot of the stuff he came out with in his autobiographies, which I have read.

But I have a weird nostalgic soft spot for him because of Melchett.

So, mixed feelings.

Its generally that they want to 'improve' the lives of those less well off in the way they think they should be improved. They come at it from a position of no actual experience and do their brand of socialism to the less fortunate, whether they like it or not, and with never a thought of asking their opinions on the matter. Absolutely nothing wrong with being a wealthy socialist as long as you use your privilege to amplify the voices of the disadvantaged rather than speak for them, or embrace luxury causes they disagree with/don't care about under the socialist banner.

What an idiotic remark. J. K. Rowling has had incredible good luck in addition to a considerable talent for writing pageturning books and has become one of the highest earning women in the world. She has made a point of paying all her taxes and not using schemes to avoid any. She has given away so much money to good causes that she has dropped off the list of UK billionaires. She gives money for research into multiple sclerosis, which killed her mother far too young, and for work with orphaned children around the world who have been left in instiitutions far too long. She also makes huge donations to charities that support women in difficult circumstances. She is the sole funder of Beira's Place in Edinburgh, which is a free and confidential support service for women aged 16+ across the Lothians who have experienced any kind of sexual violence, and which is guaranteed to be a space for women only - clients, staff, volunteers, trustees, all female.

The fact that for the last few years she has been openly critical of gender ideology and the harm that it's doing to women's rights and minority and vulnerable groups such as children, people with disabilities, people on the autistic spectrum and same-sex attracted people has massively increased her standing in my view and that of many others. She is one of the only people in the world who could do this and not be 'cancelled', so she's done it, and suffered horrific threats and abuse online against her family as well as JKR herself as a result.

She is a diamond.

He’s allowed his opinion.

Think is broadly why I have issues with SF. He enjoys every privilege going and has a very privileged set of views yet bangs on, when it suits him, about equality and all the rest of it. Because it's trendy? That's what it feels like with him.

His socialism is skin-deep.

Also, when he was saying without any irony that women (almost all of us, apparently, as if we are all the same) should approach sex the way gay men (as if they are all the same too!) do. It didn't seem to occur to him for a nanoseccond why women (generally speaking) might approach sex with rather more caution (because of what the consequences might be, obviously. Women can get pregnant; men never can.)) That's privilege talking, too.

To be fair, he is an ex convict.

I really don't think he IS especially clever. He is an intelligent person with breezy Oxbridge confidence. Not the same thing.

What has Stephen Fry done to improve the lives of people who are less well off? (Particularly women.)

And other people are allowed to say that his opinion stinks.

I've said a number of times recently that I have no idea why people famous for acting or anything else that makes them a celebrity are asked for their opinions on current events and these opinions are treated seriously. They have no more clue about these issues than any random MN poster as a rule. Obviously some really do know what they're talking about - e.g. Feargal Sharkey, who's done fantastic work campaigning on water pollution. But he's an exception.