JK Rowling threatening legal action

[TheLashKingOfScotland]

A TRA and Canadian Green Party rep has made libellous comments about JK regarding her position on trans rights and her suitability to be trusted around children.
JK asked her to retract them or they would hear from JK's lawyers. Currently they are digging in. Seemingly unaware that JK has pursued legal cases based on Twitter comments before and that it isn't acceptable to make unfounded statements about people.
It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.
It could have wider reaching consequences if certain sectors see they can't just make unfounded accusations any more.

Where you’re not even allowed the freedom of your own mind.

I read animal farm when I was too young to understand the context, but I could see the unfairness. I read it again when I was older and understood it better. I think it's a good book, good story and good lesson behind it. I've attempted to read 1984 several times and never finished it, I didn't find it engaging as a story.

I read Animal Farm and 1984 50-60 years ago and though I have forgotten the details, I do remember the impression both books made on me, and I am reminded of the key points when they are mentioned and discussed here. Hurrah for that! I do want to re-read them, but my TBR pile is so huge and calling...

It seemed to me that Animal Farm was the manual on how to capture and take over control, and 1984 was the manual on how to keep control.

See to me Animal Farm’s lasting message is power corrupts (and humans are generally shit and will always create unfair systems). It’s a warning about idealism and thinks that sound simple and wonderful. You always have to remember base human nature will show it’s face.

I am a terrible cynic maybe but I just don’t think we’re capable of the ideal systems we envision. I suspect that cynicism/awareness is a part of why Corbyn elicited the response he did, especially when the cracks started to show

Excellent point well put Floral, thank you.

Being convinced you're right definitely leads to unjust means and also to appalling self-righteousness, abuse and aggression.

No, I agree, HoneyBadger. One of the flaws of the left, I think, is that they are aiming for an unimaginable utopia. I think a far more pragmatic approach would be better, somewhere between trad conservative and labour. I mean, I'm a natural Lib Dem, if only they hadn't gone insane.

In randomly related news, I read an account about the 'real' Lord of the Flies recently, that I found immensely heartening. Worth remembering that dystopian fiction is fiction. Utopia and dystopia aren't really very common, we are generally mucking about somewhere in the middle.

www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months

@BatShite

I also have never read animal farm

Something thats to be rectified shortly, as it seems am pretty much the only adult who hasn't..will look this afternoon

I've read both but I think I was about 8 or so and it went right over my head. So I shall join you and order it soon as I've had a full weeks pay and read it again. Hopefully it'll make more sense now.

What a very interesting article. And sadly supportive of the truism that 'strife sells'. The story of 'civilised' boys degenerating into uncivilised, destructive behaviour, compared to the story of non-Western boys co-operating and surviving peacefully.

@TheHoneyBadger

I think the rights tactics seem to be more about divide and rule rather than trying to induce societal level group think. That’s what I meant. I’m more focused on relatively recent history. Going further than that gets tricky because our ideas of what is left, right or centre have changed dramatically over time.

I agree. "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

There is nothing more or else to it, and there never has been, in any place or time."Wilhoit

History bears this out.

Interesting. I’ve never come across Wilhoit.

Nor me; adding to the google list.

Just found another great comment on the Twitter ickabog tag:

"Emailed Waterstones and got them to agree to slip a screenshot of Magdalen Berns calling trans women "sick fetishists" and "black face actors" into all copies of Harry Potter.
JK Rowling will be so happy she was always a fan of Magdalen. "

They attach a quote from Magdalen including "you're not women; you're men getting sexual kicks from being treated as women...our oppression isn't a fetish you dirty sick fuck"

I'm not sure that that would have quite the effect that they intended!

Yes of course they did 🙄

I sincerely doubt anyone at a Waterstones would do that and keep their job. It's all a bit "the whole room stood up and applauded".

‘Then I jumped onto my magic unicorn and flew to the moon...’

Oh honestly

They must think we are as stupid as some of them are.

Also, even IF they managed this feat..its not going to do them any favours as people who bought potter would then search Magdalen..and people viewing Magdalen..tend to only go one way after that!

Pls, I thought they were absolutely disgusted that JK accidentally put a swear in her tweet? Rectify this by shoving sweary leafelts in kids books. Almost as great an idea as showing shes a danger towards children by flooding her twitter (where she is currently interacting with kids..) with dick pics!

But ffs. I canot believe they even try to claim thats real. Bizarre. There is an ever so tiny possbility that they might have a TRA working in one of the shops batshit enough to do it, but they would quickly be shown the door and go back to spending all day begging for patreon donations.

I think one of the reasons the right may be less prone to this sort of groupthink, at least in recent history, is that they are more likely to be somewhat individualistic, or sometimes they see the basic social unit as the family.

If you are emphasising that kind of freedom, you can't really come down to hard on freedom of thought.

I also think though that the right typically has a practical vision which has almost gone from the left. The left is all ideology these days, and ideology that can't be instantiated in any real way, it's full of abstractions which you can't see real life examples of. This difference means things play out quite differently when it comes to actually looking at empirical information or making arguments about policy. The right actually has something to talk about, to do, even compromises to make. The right has it's ideologues too, the difference is the people doing practical politics on the left are very thin on the ground.

Certainly the people currently in power have the ability to negotiate the practical aspects of how they apply the boot to get their desired result.

I don't think that's quite the issue.

The right actually has something to talk about, to do, even compromises to make.

This is the part of your remarks I was addressing.

See to me Animal Farm’s lasting message is power corrupts (and humans are generally shit and will always create unfair systems). It’s a warning about idealism and thinks that sound simple and wonderful. You always have to remember base human nature will show it’s face.

My interpretation was not that power corrupts, but that the people (or pigs) who seek power, are more likely to be corrupt. I thought the intention of being in command of the other animals was there very early on (at least in one of the pigs I think it was, I can't remember the story exactly). I suppose it's a bit like the chicken and egg thing but with power.