‘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.

Where has EW made a statement or ask for newspapers and other SM to issue a correction statement?

Yes the papers print a retraction/correction on the page which has the ads for snake oil but they do print a correction.

Seems a moot point when the OP credits GB News as “the media” despite it not being a real news channel. It dresses up as the news but it’s an opinion show pushing an agenda without journalistic integrity. No real news channel would describe anyone as being “nasty” and definitely wouldn’t state as fact that EW said “bar one”. They present opinion as fact in their pretend news world and that’s why they’re dangerous - as demonstrated by OP being affronted by them on this issue, when, come on it’s GB News! I think EW was mad to take on JKR and the post JKR put on X was warranted but didn’t need a clip from them.

As for what EW said, her media reps would have been contacted at the time - as well as now - for clarification on what she mouthed and could have simply confirmed she said “by the way”. By choosing not to they really are as good as saying that either she said “bar one” or, she said “by the way (but are happy for people to believe she said bar one)”. Personally unsure EW would dare to be so direct to mouth “bar one” even in a cowardly way. She comes across to me like a bit of a dense industry puppet with her strength of feeling on the matter firmly directed on what looks best for her vanilla-can-be-cool brand and the witches line that someone crafted for her seemed hard work in itself for her nerves.

Hand on heart, I knew nothing about EW speech at the award ceremony so found it on YouTube yesterday morning and watched it as I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I was a bit gobsmacked at what I thought she had mouthed, (after saying 'I'm here for all the witches)' so watched it 3 more times and for me, I'm pretty convinced she said 'bar one'.

Me too, until I slowed it down as a pp suggested and her mouth seems to slightly close round a ‘th’ in the middle of what she says and goes up at the end in a way that it would with “ay” that wouldn’t go with a two-syllable “baaaarwon”. Not a lipreader or EW so could be wrong but either way, she has chosen not to clarify so may as well have said it.

Just rewatched it and yes, she does say ‘by the way’.

Emma Watson clearly made a personal attack on JKR by mouthing “bar one”.

If it was clear there wouldn’t be all this differing opinion. There’s no audio, so that doesn’t help.

I don't care if she was riffing off the delightful Rebel Wilson, or did or did not say bar one/by the way, she bloody well knew what she was doing and it's come back to bite her right on her smug arse.

Hell mend her, she deserves all the kick back she's getting.

I take the point of this post and other posts that have basically said ‘it’s GB News, what do you expect’. I do think ‘the media’ is bigger than just news channels though (and also includes social media), and really this is what’s scary, the slippage from news reported with at least some rigour and attempt at objectivity to opinion pieces masquerading as news. How many people at this point are getting their news from the former, and how many from the latter?

Agree that JKR’s X post would have been better without the GB News clip, but she chose to include it, which is what brought it to my attention (I am not otherwise a watcher!)

I think you and others have made a fair point that EW could have clarified via her reps that she didn’t say ‘bar one’ (which I still think she didn’t).

’Vanilla-can-be-cool’ brand is a great phrase! It’s an interesting question about whether somebody else crafted the line for her, or she came up with it (she’s doing a PhD in creative writing at Oxford. Whatever else you think of her, I do think she’s one of the celebrities who is potentially capable of writing her own material if she chooses to). As I’ve said above, to me she seemed nervous and emotional delivering the line, and I wonder if that’s because she was aware of the effect it was likely to have on JKR and her relationship with her.

I don’t view EW as purely cynical in the way that others evidently do. I’m sure she is conscious of her image, but apart from anything else I just don’t agree that she needed to become a spokesperson for trans rights in order to have a high profile, she already had a high profile and a huge fan base, and I’m sure both she and Daniel Radcliffe were aware that they would be alienating other people, not just JKR, by making the statements they did. The right wing press have had it in for her pretty much ever since, and that’s quite a powerful enemy to have. As an actress her audience isn’t just other luvvies, it’s the whole public, and I doubt she was unaware that opinions are significantly divided, both here and in the US. Some of the posts here are pretty much testament to the fact that she was alienating as many supporters as she gained by making the statements she did. I think JKR was entitled to say whatever she wanted to say and become an activist in whatever way she wanted to, but the reality is that by doing that, she put DR, EW and others in quite a difficult position in that they were always going to be asked about it and have to formulate some response. They weren’t the ones making the choice to take public positions on this issue initially.

Look carefully she says ‘ bar the one’ not ‘ bar one’ and her mouth goes down between bar and one which is why some people have said she says ‘ by the way’. The way she sniggers knowingly is very telling. Saying by the way after is doesn’t even make sense. Why snigger when saying ‘by the way’?

I’ve just watched it on 0.5 speed and zoomed in on her face and I agree with you. Faster you can’t see the “the” but it defo looks like “bar” and “one” to me, slowed down it is clear to me she is saying “bar the one”. As you and other pp have said, the facial expressions make more sense.

If you actually watch her mouth, and there have been hearing impaired posters that lip read and said that she said "bar one", it is more than obvious she said "bar one", OP, so you are very wrong. Media and press mentioned the "bar one" comment too. So what is more likely? The press, lip readers and us are all wrong, and you right? Or you are wrong and everyone else is right?

Regardless, EW knew about the commentary on her appearance and the contrary over it, if she was misrepresented, she could have clarified. The fact she didn't issue a clarification and protested her innocence, says everything.

Occams Razor, OP. She said "bar one". That is basically universally understood and accepted now.

Yes definitely ‘bar the one’. ‘By the way ‘doesn’t even make sense in that context especially from someone as articulate as EW.

‘Im here for all the witches by the way’ implies she is responding to a comment that said she wasn’t there for all the witches! There’s no chance someone with her apparent high level grasp of the English language ( Oxford writing student) would say this.

Which press, please? I’d be interested in any news outlets stating this as fact. Obviously not referring to GB “News”.

It’s not universally understood and accepted, hence differing perceptions on threads like these. She might have said it, her silence on the matter endorsed the idea she said it but firmly stating it as fact doesn’t just make it so.

EW was / is working in a very captured industry so being seen to be seen toe the pronoun line was the norm. William Shatner and Gina Carano were two stars who were bullied relentessely on line for not putting pronouns in their twitter bios.

JKR like many others were being bullied for who the dared to follow (not just like or retweet) so you may not be aware of the culture that TRA SM encouraged. In 2020 TRA on X were engaged in CSA by posting porn at children who drew pictures of the Ickabog book. < This was after TRA in her publisher tried to disrupt their employers publishers business in protest of JKRs views on Womens Rights

The BRITS award had removed best female / male awards in 2022 and NHS hospitals were busy training their staff to think This Man is the same as a Black Woman. So it was very chique and on trend to join the GI belief system.

It is just not likely that EW was ignorent of the GI culture she decided to leap into with both feet in her designer heels.

Plus
She is to be seen as a professional actress yet I am to believe she is not able to deliver a one liner which scripted or not will have been gone through in a rehersal?

2012 with pics of where people were to be placed

https://www.tomjones.com/blog/news/bafta-awards-rehearsals-royal-opera-house

As I’ve said above, to me she seemed nervous and emotional delivering the line, and I wonder if that’s because she was aware of the effect it was likely to have on JKR and her relationship with her.

This ^ reads as EW knew EW was going to smack throw her gloves and hit JKR in the face in a public fourm but choose to do it anyway while sending JKR a "lets still be friends" note

That ^ reads that you think EW is a very very mean girl.

“but the reality is that by doing that, she put DR, EW and others in quite a difficult position in that they were always going to be asked about it and have to formulate some response. They weren’t the ones making the choice to take public positions on this issue initially.”

This suggests that a woman whose work made it possible for them to be in a position that their opinion is of interest should keep quiet in case her thoughts don’t align with theirs, her ex protégées(?) employees (?). If they felt that being asked difficult questions was too much for them they should have used their vast wealth to hire smarter PR people.

No. Be fair. Your quote cuts off the lines directly above where I explicitly said that JKR is fully entitled to say whatever she wants.

People don’t say ‘bar the one’. The phrase is ‘bar one’. Which is why it’s not called ‘All Bar The One’.

“I think JKR was entitled to say whatever she wanted to say and become an activist in whatever way she wanted to, but the reality is that by doing that, she put DR, EW and others in quite a difficult position in that they were always going to be asked about it and have to formulate some response. They weren’t the ones making the choice to take public positions on this issue initially.”

There you go. Sorry that you viewed cutting that off as being unfair but it was quite a long sentence and what I said was directly in response to your words following “but”. Nothing preceding “but” changes what I said about the idea that JKR voicing her own opinion puts ex associates in a difficult position about theirs.

‘By the way’ doesn’t mean you’re responding to something that’s just been said, it means the direct opposite, that you’re acknowledging that you’re introducing something that is a diversion from what was being talked about before.

If you google ‘by the way meaning’, the first result that comes up is ‘incidentally (used to introduce a topic not directly connected with what was being spoken about previously).’

What you said was that I was suggesting JKR should keep quiet. Given that my whole sentence, when quoted, says the direct opposite, I’d say the whole sentence is relevant here, so thank you for now quoting it.

First time I've watched it. Wow, that is way more blatant than I had expected.

I think anyone who thinks Watson may be being misrepresented should make sure they watch the clip before they decide.

Ah, there's that wee smirk. Wondering if she's smirking now?

There’s absolutely no reason people can’t say “bar the one” when they are wanting to emphasise a particular person. All Bar One is not the arbiter of people’s language use.

All of the ex-child actors were adults (late 20s to 30s) by then.

All have 10 years plus in the public eye with people sticking recording devices in their faces asking rude and invasive questions.

Each of them could have opted for the holding reply of "I dont follow JKR on twitter/SM" a la Tom Felton or a generic "people have different opinions but we should be kind".
Or turn the question back on the asker by asking to report on their more recent work.
Or Micheal Caine it by pointing out they get paid to turn up and acting is like any other job so ask JKR directly about her politic

Abuse for deciding to be political for any reason was not new The Dixie Chics recoreded a song in reply to their abusers back in 2006

All EW needed to do was a quick press release (via the BAFT if she wanted) that she said "whatever"