‘I’m here for all the witches’

[JNicholson]

Watched some of the Emma Watson/Jay Shetty podcast the other day including what she said about how she feels about JK Rowling post their disagreement and rift about trans issues. Have also read JK Rowling’s recent response on Twitter, which she posted above a retweeted clip from GB News in which, among other things, a male newsreader claims that EW was ‘snidey’ at the BAFTAs a few years ago when she made her comment about ‘I’m here for all the witches’ (interpreted as a statement of support for trans rights). He claims that she said ‘I’m here for all the witches bar one’, and thus by implication that it was a clear attack against JKR.

Irrespective of what you think about trans issues or EW and JKR in general, AIBU to find it really frustrating that the GB newsreader makes this false claim? IMO if you watch the clip of EW at the BAFTAs, it’s pretty clear that she says ‘I’m here for all the witches BY THE WAY’ and not ‘BAR ONE’. Some of the news outlets at the time seem to have reported it one way, some the other. But it makes such a big difference, because ‘bar one’ would be a really horrible personal attack, whereas ‘by the way’, whatever you feel about the content of EW’s views, is clearly just saying that she has different views to JKR. JKR makes it clear in her post that she viewed that speech by EW as a turning point, which is her prerogative. She may just feel offended that EW made such a public point of disagreeing with hers which is also her prerogative. But I think it’s a real shame if she incorrectly believes that EW said ‘bar one’ and therefore believes it’s more of an attack than it was. IMO for anyone familiar with EW, whatever you think of her otherwise, making a spiteful remark about ‘bar one’ would be really out of character.

AIBU for thinking the media has a responsibility to report on this correctly, as it really changes the meaning of EW’s statement if you claim she said ‘bar one’?

Not looking for a discussion on the rights and wrongs of trans issues, as there are already lots of these on MN - this is a thread about media responsibility to report the news responsibly and not in a false inflammatory way.

I think it’s probably about time we didn’t pretend that the contents of a book, ie witches, were real. Or that actors are the part they played.

EW is not a witch. Nor is JKR, but by bringing witches into it, EW is clearly taking a swipe at JKR, even if she didn’t say “by the way”. JKR who wrote the book and created that particular world which includes witches (obviously she didn’t come up with the idea of witches!)

Just all feels a bit childish.

If EW had said, “I’m here for all the women” (using her definition of women) then it would have just been a statement about her beliefs and her side of the debate that was ongoing. But she didn’t. She said “I’m here for all the witches” which was a pointed turn of phrase, aimed squarely at JK. We all knew it, and Emma knew exactly what she was going.

That was a personal attack against JK. Which is why, I think, JK saw it as a turning point. Emma wasn’t just making a statement about her thoughts on it, she made an attack against JK personally in a very snide and up herself manner. If you look at the way they each speak, JK is always much more eloquent and even handed than Emma has been

EW was responding to her introduction by Rebel Wilson, who said something like ‘she claims to be a feminist but we all know she’s just a witch’. It was a crappy awards show pun which EW then riffed off, not anyone claiming that they actually think witches are real or that EW is one.

But it wasn’t just riffing off the intro. She could have taken it any direction, made any joke or just ignored Wilson’s terrible script. But she chose to turn it into a very pointed attack again JK. When no one was saying anything to do with the situation.

.

I don’t agree that it’s a pointed attack. EW played a witch, it’s her most famous role, which is what Rebel Wilson was referencing, not JKR. Yes EW could have chosen not to make the statement, but evidently she wanted to, and JKR has said herself that she is entitled to hold different views.

Anyway my main point is about the media falsely reporting that she said ‘bar one’.

I don't think it makes much difference whether she said "bar one" or "by the way", I would interpret both as an unsubtle dig at JK Rowling.

One of liberal feminists' - if you can really call them feminists - favourite things to say is that you're not a real feminist unless you support ALL women, by which they mean all women including biological males who identify as women. They say that if your feminism doesn't include trans identifying men, it's not real feminism.

So I think it's pretty clear that she was being snide about JK Rowling, and in the incredibly unlikely event that she wasn't, she was happy for the world to believe that that is what she meant.

Sending a private "sorry about what's happening to you" note right after that was just jaw-droppingly awful. Oh, so you're sorry your friend/mentor/fairy-godmother is getting all these rape and death threats but not sorry enough to tell your friends to put down their pitchforks? Pathetic.

If you think any differently, then you need some lessons in comprehension.

Seems like you’re the one making pointed attacks. ‘If you think any differently to me then you’re stupid’ is never a great starting place for an argument.

I agree about the misreporting 'bar one', which wasn't said. It does put an even worse spin on it.

Tbh I was unaware of that rumour/misreporting at the time- I'm sure on here it was quoted correctly. JKR doesnt say that EW said 'bar one' in her excellent response. And all interpreted that it was a weaselly little dig to score brownie points with the luvvies. Which it was.

Well, you obviously don’t understand the implication of what she said. When she knew what she was saying, JK knew what she was saying and the press at the time knew. And you’re here trying to say that her witches comment wasn’t directed at JK. It was. I’m sorry that you don’t understand that but it does mean that we can’t have much of a conversation about it.

I don’t understand poetry a lot of the time, right now I’m at a poetry reading/drinks night. There isn’t much I can contribute to the conversation people are having about some of the poems because I just don’t get it. I’m not offended at people telling me if I don’t understand something, because it’s true. You can’t really contribute if you don’t actually understand the implications of what she said.

I'm not really sure what she was trying to say or why jkr found it cutting. I don't get the joke mouthing " bar one" which is what she mouths. By the way makes even less sense.

I liked JKRs response regardless.

I've watched the clip and I think watson does mouth bar one not by the way

I agree, just watched the clip for the first time and it’s 100% “bar one” rather than “by the way”. She mouths 2 words, both one syllable.

By the way wouldn’t even make sense in the context, if she was saying that she’d have said it out loud, no need for it to be mouthed which you’d only do if making a snidey joke (and not having the courage to say it out loud).

Has EW ever made an effort to publicly clarify what she said? Surely if she felt misrepresented she could have made a statement to counter the media mistake.

Are you trying to sell the idea that the show was not scripted?

That EW was shoved up on stage infront of a teleprompter and had no idea what the was going to come up on the screen and somehow managed to fluff up her lines?

That after quote hit SM where is EW correcting the narrative?

And where is the clip that you are relying on?

I wouldn't find it surprising that a GB 'newsreader' said something misleading. It's not a news channel.

Did you watch her speak. She says “bar one.” It wasn’t misquoted. The OP is misquoting.

I don’t think it is false reporting though, I have watched the clip a few times and do think she said “bar one”

THIS.

OP: But it makes such a big difference, because ‘bar one’ would be a really horrible personal attack
I believe that EW has let the quotation / misquotation stand so, by default, she made a really horrible personal attack.

I hear ‘by the way’

but also, GB newsreader tells you what you need to know.

She barely says it; she mouths it. And she only mouths two words, not three. It’s very clearly a whispered “bar one.”

Apologies if I'm being dense here. But I don't understand why "I'm here for all the witches" would be an attack on JKN. Surely it's more of a tribute? Isn't she saying that she and the other witches all identify with one of JKN's characters?

This.

The Rebel Wilson comment was fine, just a reference to EWs most famous role. EW said very clearly into the microphone 'I'm here for all the witches' then silently opened and shut her mouth twice and gave a cheeky look. If she'd said 'by the way' firstly there would have been no reason to not say it out loud and secondly there would have been three mouth shapes.

She does mouth "bar one".

I think JKR's point is that EW sent her a note saying "sorry for what you are going through" whilst also inflaming the situation with her remarks. This supports JKR's argument about EW's privilege, EW was too protected to even begin to understand the intensity of the threats being made against JKR. If she did know but poured petrol on the flames anyway then she's a psychopath.