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.

Yup. I can't for the life of me understand how he's not been 'cancelled'. Right political opinions and right friends I suppose. He's not even talented - other than at making friends with the right people; he's made an entire career out of clinging on to the coattails of his vastly more brilliant pals. In fairness, that whole gang's the same, I think the only ones with any genuine ability are Laurie and Atkinson. I suppose if the only way we could have Blackadder was to have Fry et al inflicted upon us it's probably worth it, but it's been 40 bloody years! And presumably millions in taxpayer cash handed to yet another pervert by the BBC.

Yes, of course.
Having differing opinions doesn’t make either party a bad person though.

That’s also an appalling age difference. Why don’t you start a thread on it to see if people will be up in arms about it.

That is not what champagne socialist means.

Do we really live in a world now where when someone has an opposing view to us we label them a terrible person?

We are all the product of our experiences. He is a gay man. Many gay men support Trans rights.

Are we to assume that all of them hate women?

Seems like a jump to me.

As hateful human beings go, I think we can do a LOT better than this.

We live in a World where the likes of Farage and Tommy Robinson exist, FFS. Or are they just fine and dandy because they agree with you on this one thing?

I know who the bigger cunts are, for sure.

Because they're two adults who've been married for 12 years so it's none of my business and I don't care?

So why did you mention them in the first place?

To make the point that there are lots and lots of male/female couples with bigger age differences than Stephen Fry and his husband, and nobody is ever really bothered. Zeroing in on that age difference with SF and husband isn't really relevant to anything.

Is that Louis Tomlinson?

Ha I rest my case. ‘Anyone who disagrees me is a thick povo.’ Great. Got it. 👍🏼 Brilliant socialism. So glad us thickky mcthickie poor people have you batting for us what ho! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

But they are bothered. There have been threads on the age difference between Al Pacino and his partner/baby’s mum (a 54 years age difference!) and Aaron Taylor Johnson and his wife Sam Taylor Johnson.

You’ve just happened on a thread about Stephen Fry today, tomorrow it will be someone else.

Wow. Just wow.

And his husband was 27, so it’s not like Fry kidnapped him from the playground.

Is he condescending and misogynistic? Yeah, and it’s disappointing. However, I still like him as an actor, I still appreciate his being vocal about antisemitism, and I don’t give a damn that his husband is thirty years younger.

A few years back the MCC started an initiative to help promising state school kids improve at cricket, which tends to be dominated by public school children. I was involved in running it in our area for a couple of years. It turned out that Stephen Fry was quietly funding the scheme behind the scenes, though he never made this public or took any credit for it.

I don't like everything he does or says but, like JKR, I admire him for supporting causes he believes in, and for doing so anonymously.

Sharkey pitched up in Scotland and gave a series of angry interviews to the media in which he ranted about private companies polluting our waterways, so maybe he's not quite as on the ball as you believe.

Wait what has Fry done now ? Has he demonised and witch hunted a minority or something ?

Oh what ? You’re angry because he hasn’t ?

Thanks for a sensible answer.

I don't hate him. He can sometimes be funny. He generally seems to reject the idea of No Debate which I think is important.

I don't care about him having a younger husband, they were both adults when they met, and that's all that matters with regards to age imo.

But he has a lot of opinions that are not really founded in much knowledge. I think he believes himself to be more of a free thinker than he likely is. He has something of a reputation as an intellectual, but he really isn't. Most of the areas he gets asked to comment on he knows little about - what women need and like, what to do about poverty, religion, etc.

I used to think he was quite funny, though not nearly as talented as he has always believed himself to be. Years ago I watched a video of "An Evening with Stephen Fry" where he talked a lot about how intelligent he thinks he is, despite failing exams, and his conviction for credit card fraud as a young man.

Although it became clear upon watching this video that he could barely fit his gigantic ego through doors, like too many others gave him a pass because he was entertaining and charming and did not dig too deep. I should have.

His comments about raped children and attempted minimisation of child rape cannot be excused, explained or forgiven.

Always knew I liked Rik Mayall.

Read this?

https://devilslane.com/theres-something-strange-about-stephen-fry-isnt-there/amp/

There are plenty of areas I can agree to disagree on. But if you think minimising and attempting to normalise child rape (as he did in his play and in his comments) and calling raped children child prostitutes is acceptable in the tiniest measure, you are outing yourself.

The only acceptable human response to raped children is absolute horror, shock and to want anyone who rapes children to be - at absolute minimum - locked up until they stop breathing in and out.

Normal people never discuss child rape in any other terms. If you are scrambling to support Fry - now that you know how he feels about child rape - there's something really wrong with you.

Oh my God he supports Peter Tatchell! JFC. Hard drive check, immediately.

I already knew a bit about his weird comments, but the piece shared "There's Something Strange about Stephen Fry" is stomach turning.

I disliked him before I knew he trivialized child rape. Now I despise him.