Revolt at publisher Hachette re Rowling "transphobia"

[Lamahaha]

Young staff members threatened a strike apparently:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8424029/JK-Rowling-publishers-revolt-Workers-publishing-house-Hachette-threaten-tools.html

My heart sank when I read that headline and the opening paragraphs, since I have professional "connections" to Hachette:

Publishing staff working on JK Rowling’s latest book threatened to down tools yesterday in protest at her views on gender.
...
Yesterday morning at publishing house Hachette, several of those involved in Miss Rowling’s new children’s book, The Ickabog, are said to have staged their own rebellion during a heated meeting. One source said: ‘Staff in the children’s department at Hachette announced they were no longer prepared to work on the book.

‘They said they were opposed to her comments and wanted to show support for the trans lobby. These staff are all very “woke”, mainly in their twenties and early thirties, and apparently it is an issue they feel very strongly about.’

But fortunately the grown-ups held up to the toys-out-of-the-pram tantrum:

Last night Hachette issued a statement backing Miss Rowling’s right to express herself. It said: ‘We are proud to publish JK Rowling’s children’s fairy tale The Ickabog. Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of publishing. We fundamentally believe that everyone has the right to express their own thoughts and beliefs. That’s why we never comment on our authors’ personal views and we respect our employees’ right to hold a different view.

‘We will never make our employees work on a book whose content they find upsetting for personal reasons, but we draw a distinction between that and refusing to work on a book because they disagree with an author’s views outside their writing, which runs contrary to our belief in free speech.’

I can't say how pleased and proud I am. Well done Hachette.

It's good to see them holding up - especially in publishing, which is so close to the very core of issues around free speech.

The general behaviour, though, seems to be a general trend, though, including the expectation for ones personal ideals to matter in the work place. I've had a young employee explain to me in very earnest tones why they would not feel comfortable with working for big corporate banking clients and asking to be assigned to something of a more charitable nature. They work as and had only very recently applied for the position of ... financial services consultant, specialising in investment banking.

I'm glad firms are not caving in. It'd be disasterous especially when it runs the risk of ending up imposing de facto censorship. Having said that, I'm not sure how long this will remain a given as this type of behaviour becomes the norm.

And, for what it's worth, I'm a leftie and I also work for corporate banking clients. It's not always comfortable - but also: I don't expect my work to reflect values. Some of the cognitive dissonance may be a goid thing in that it teaches you to cope with internal conflict rather well. I've some red lines, e.g. I wouldn't work for a weapons manufacturer. But then I also wouldn't expect to be employed as a defense systems innovation consultant tasked with developing deadlier guns.

Hachette should have said ‘she pays your wages, if you don’t want to be a hypocrite there is the door’.

Interesting insights, Brexpat, it strikes me that there is a pattern here, common to all sorts of social justice causes (I hasten to call these movements because the idea seems to be that it's the individual's responsibility to change society) in the neoliberal age, where people such as your colleague have internalised the idea that they are somehow responsible for wider social issues and that their individual action will make a difference. It's antithetical to collective action or the democratic process (sorry, not sure I'm making sense here ...) and it politicises all aspects of human life. I would see this in the same area as becoming vegan, for example. But there are strict boundaries around this kind of permissible individual moralised behaviour, it still has to work within our capitalist consumerist society, which might explain why your employee was able to decide to become a financial services consultant in the first place instead of, say, a social worker.

I work with Hachette professionally too.

Luckily I'm a freelancer so not anymore it seems.

Well done Hachette. People working in book publishing - ideas - theories not wanting to work on JKR's book because they disagree with her ideas? We're moving so close to a totalitarian state with proscribed thinking it's unbelievable. These are the university educated elite coming out with these dangerous beliefs.

It is so clear why trans lobby groups target universities and children in schools because this is the outcome. Young narcissistic adults devoid of the most fundamental understanding of democratic principles and critical thinking.

Oh, bloody well done, Hachette! Hope the little upstarts put their money where their mouth is and resign in disgust 😂.

The utter neck of them making these sort of demands...
The pure arrogance is astounding.

Comments are not being moderated on that Daily Mail piece. That's the first time I have seen that happen.

On this subject, I mean

Unofficial strike, or strike outwith procedure, is a sackable offence in the UK.

They would really struggle to run this strike properly, so it’s really an empty threat. Empty threats of strike do nothing for your career.

I'm going to DM you, Lama. xx

Empty threats of strike do nothing for your career.
Let's hope their cards have been well and truly marked.

Oh no, how will they recruit more staff to replace the freelancers who can't bear to work with them during an upcoming recession and economic crisis.

Agree that it's the arrogance of these people that is so astounding. They think they have the right to dictate to their employer who they do and don't publish. JKR must be hugely profitable for Hachette - they're not going to ditch her just because some sulky 12-year old thinks she has a wrong opinion. I hope Hachette tells them they're welcome to go and find someone else to work for if they don't like it.

Something has gone very wrong somewhere hasn’t it?

In this time of mass future unemployment I would get my head down and do my job and be bloody grateful I could provide a roof and food each month. Maybe these kids are still living with their patents rent free? It’s so much easier to take the moral high ground on things when your stomach is nice and full and there’s hot water in the tank.

This is a purity spiral on steroids. I hope the woke stasi comrades also background check every single author whose work they’re involved with.

God, I'm so sick of this. I have to keep reminding myself that not all young people are so bloody entitled.

There is going to be a global recession (perhaps depression) and these young members of staff can be easily replaced. They’re not at school or university anymore and now need to grow up.
But tbh they’ve probably earmarked themselves as trouble makers and will be gently let go.

Very good news

The annoying thing is some authors will have said things that annoy and upset all sorts of people...and i bet most people won’t even think to check that their personal views align before threatening not to work with those authors

And there is no way warner bros would close down parts of their parks and films....

It’s the Cultural Revolution all over again, isn’t it? Except hopefully the grown ups will hold firm this time.

I do wonder how many will actually resign.

@MoltoAgitato

It’s the Cultural Revolution all over again, isn’t it? Except hopefully the grown ups will hold firm this time.

I do wonder how many will actually resign.

None. Who else would rush to take them on?

Oh god this is so funny!

Did the scream and scream and scream until they were sick?

Imagine throwing your little paddy like that, then being told to pack it in! by the grown ups! I bet none of them have quit in protest, have they? Morals not quite that hardy?

Not to worry, I'm sure it will all be remembered at appraisal time...

Imagine having to explain at a job interview why you left your last job. The interviewer will just think “troublemaker” and pop your CV in the bin.

They really are astonishingly immature - how the hell have they not worked out that the point of a business is to make money?

Imagine having to explain at a job interview why you left your last job.

When I am feeling down I like to think of our friendly work-wanker James Makings in this situation. I can now add these pomo woke little twits to the daydream!

I once resigned from a job where my colleagues were openly racist and the management didn’t do anything about it, I would expect that if these employees have the courage of their convictions they will do the same? Thought not.

The problem is this tactic has worked in so many other places and instances. Look at the hounding of Suzanne Moore at the Guardian. Hachette is probably one of the few places where it hasn't worked. Even the New Scientist has fallen to the thought police.