Can we take a moment to appreciate Piers Morgan

[mooncuplanding]

If anyone watches GMB, you will see that Piers Morgan is trying to advocate for women by challenging trans issues - in sport and awards ceremonies etc.

There is a petition to have him fired for being 'transphobic' yet he is quite courageous is saying he is not in agreement about the rights of transitioners to go into sport, to cancel the female category at awards ceremonies.

Although he seems a bit conflicting about how he actually deals with trans people in general, I for one, appreciate his courage to continue to talk about these issues. Especially on such a big platform.

[mooncuplanding]

Even if people think he is a misogynist etc. then is there no part of you that appreciates the free speech part of his style.

The trans ideology is a constant battle on free speech, shutting down people who hurt the feelz, and at the very very least he is an absolute advocate of free speech. And that does mean you may disagree with him, but that is part of the package with free speech, not everyone is going to agree.

[Babdoc]

None of us are “fawning over” him, BeMoreMagdalen. But it’s pragmatic to recognise that he can reach a bigger audience of the non feminist general public than we can here.
Publicity and sunlight are what will expose the trans rights movement for the damage they are inflicting on women and children.

[BeMoreMagdalen]

Yeah, like I said, Morgan has been making statements acknowledging that women should have rights and protections. If I wrote an article in which I laid out, in forceful, erudite argument that 'It's wrong to kill people who are a different skin colour to you', it wouldn't be a ground breaking brave thing, it would have everyone going "Well, duh." I wouldn't get head pats and cookies and a lot of very grateful people of colour thanking me, because that is a basic human decency position, not a brave one.

Morgan thrives on this kind of eye catching controversy. He has built his career on this schtick. Yes, good that he has a platform and all that. I agree with him that women should have rights and protections.

I just don't think he needs to be appreciated for doing so. I just nod, and carry on.

[BeMoreMagdalen]

Babdoc, sorry, but this a thread calling him courageous and suggesting we appreciate him. That's veering rather close to fawning.

I appear to have woken up rather terse this morning.

[LangCleg]

It all seems a very tabloid and clickbait to me. I'm sure ITV are encouraging him for the publicity. So I'm a bit yawntastic about it if I'm honest.

But y'know.... if he's got the average person nodding along with him, I'm all for it.

[mooncuplanding]

@bemoremagdalen

But no-one else is doing it on mainstream tv. He is actually quite unique, even if he is doing it for egotistical reasons (which is very probably is), he is still doing it, knowing that there will be controversy and demands to no-platform him. That takes some bravery, he is making himself further vulnerable to the massive criticism he already gets (and takes) and now he does have a challenge to no-platform him Not everybody can deal with that level of pressure, it takes some bravery.

[Aderyn19]

We've become very tribalistic in this country, dismissing anyone whose views are not 100% in alignment with our own. Piers Morgan might be a disagreeable person in many respects, but in this he is right. I think he deserves support - noone should be at threat from losing their jobs because they won't adhere to trans ideology. Or for any other occasion where they are exercising their right to free speech.
All this no platforming bollocks has to stop. Defending free speech and women's rights is what matters here, not the personality of the person defending them.

[Branleuse]

Being in favour of free speech, doesnt mean im going to take a moment to appreciate all the obnoxious misogynists mouthing off out there. Thanks all the same

[Branleuse]

I dont think anyone should lose their job for speaking up on this issue. Still dont give a fuck about poor piers though

[Aderyn19]

As an aside, you know the world's gone batshit crazy when it we are needing PM to defend women's rights.

[SingingLily]

I don't watch or read anything by Piers Morgan so much of what he does or says passes me by. I do, however, read Celia Walden in the Telegraph and although she makes it clear that she really doesn't hold the same views as her husband on many subjects, she is GC too. For that reason, I don't think he is seeking attention for the sake of it but saying what he genuinely believes needs to be said.

The more people who become aware of the issues, the better, in my opinion. PM reaches audiences that others do not.

[Mrsjayy]

Here is the thing Piers Morgan doesn't care about us he cares about him he bangs on about equality because he thinks womens rights have gone too far and he the man is being displaced ,but yeah nod along admire him all you want but his ranting and roaring will be something else tomorrow.

[mooncuplanding]

We've become very tribalistic in this country, dismissing anyone whose views are not 100% in alignment with our own

I totally agree (am I in your tribe?)

[FriedasCarLoad]

You can agree with someone on one issue and not another

Absolutely. And it sounds like he’s got it right on the trans issue.

[SimonJT]

He’s a sexist pig who bullies both women and children on twitter, so I guess people who are pro those things would like him.

[mooncuplanding]

@simonJT

Where is the bullying? I did ask further upthread too

I genuinely haven't seen examples of bullying. Vehement disagreement, but not bullying?

[deydododatdodontdeydo]

He's a massive bully, always has been. Since he was Mirror editor and before.
Ask Naomi Campbell if he stands up for women after invading her privacy, then saying she didn't have a right to privacy because she was a celebrity (curiously, he demanded his right to privacy after his extra marital affair was revealed).
He should be in prison either for share price fiddling or phone hacking.
Next week he'll be shouting down a "stupid woman" and you might have a different opinion.

[Ereshkigal]

I very much doubt Piers is going to get the sack from itv based on a Twitter poll. I hope he loses and it's a big (fake) story in the press because it will get ordinary people talking about the trans issue.

[Juells]

I don't watch him or the programme, but I've never understood the undying hatred for him. To me, it all stems from when he had the cheek to draw attention to human rights violations by British troops in Iraq. Luckily for the establishment the photos he used turned out to be fake, and everyone conveniently brushed over the fact that the photos were fake, but the incidents referred to and the techniques used turned out to be true - and worse, if anything.

He was the first to try to bring to public notice the abuse of civilians in Iraq, so I give him credit for that.
He has stood firm for the need for gun control in the US, so I give him credit for that.
He supports the right of women to private spaces and their own sports, so I give him credit for that.

The dislike of him seems to be just an attitude that's generally accepted. "We all hate him, we do."

[Datun]

I don't really watch him, either. Only in relation to this issue. He's had Munroe Bergdorf on a couple of times, and Fox and Owl.

Asking them sensible, man of the street, kinds of questions showed up the entire issue for the nonsense it is. And it looked, to me, that the penny dropped with him.

And he wasn't afraid to ask very non-PC questions. I believe he asked Fox and Owl what would happen if he identified as an elephant. And of course they had no real answer, other than well you can't do that. Which just set him off.

There are millions of men like Piers. And millions of them like him. He doesn't deserve applause, but I'm happy influential people are seeing the light.

[Elodie2019]

You can agree with someone on one issue and not another.

The thread title calls for appreciation of Piers Morgan.
Not a chance.

[KatvonHostileExtremist]

And I think Naomi Campbell is a bully 🤷‍♀️
Hey ho

People need to stand up on these issues. I'm not suddenly a Piers Morgan fan, but I agree with him on this.

[BeMoreMagdalen]

Jesus, it's not tribalism to be saying that framing a thread about Morgan's recent comments as an appreciation thread is not very helpful. This is not about whether I agree with him on everything else.

If it had been simply a discussion about his comments,I'd be one of the first to acknowledge the use of the platform. It's the praise for something which costs him nothing, and the putting a well connected bloke as a hero again that fucks me off.

[7Days]

It's not a niche viewpoint is it, the GC one? It's the one most people hold, even obnoxious bollixes.

[mooncuplanding]

@deydododatdodontdeydo

I think you slip into identity politics so quickly here which just isn't helpful long-term.

There are stupid women that exist, and if someone calls that woman 'stupid' it is not necessarily misogyny, it can just be an opinion. And he, as acknowledged, is a very disagreeable person and is very likely to say what he sees, whether man or woman. I don't know whether there is convincing evidence that he is definitely a misogynist.

He uses the argument about celebrity privacy with any celebrity, not just Naomi Campbell. I happen to disagree with him, I do think celebrities are entitled to some privacy ,but it is not a male/female thing, he actually treats both sexes the same on this issue.