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Suzanne Moore - How Progressive Misogyny works - Spectator

76 replies

highame · 27/08/2020 08:10

www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-progressive-misogyny-works

I like her writing just a flavour...........

You can say the word ‘-intersectionality’ as much as you like but, if you do, then defend Raquel Rosario Sánchez, the 29-year-old doing a PhD at Bristol on men paying for sex, who has been bullied for two years because she attends Woman’s Place meetings. Disciplinary hearings were closed down when balaclava-wearing trans activists appeared. Students yelled verbal attacks at ‘Terfs’, chanting: ‘SCUM! SCUM! SCUM! ............

OP posts:
CasuallyMasculine · 27/08/2020 15:47

Here you are, @Shedbuilder Smile

Suzanne Moore - How Progressive Misogyny works - Spectator
Floisme · 27/08/2020 15:59

In my more tinfoil hatted moments, I sometimes wonder what the full repercussions of breaking the Edward Snowden story had for the Guardian. They certainly haven't been the same since (although I'm sure there are other reasons too).

BovaryX · 27/08/2020 16:01

I think there is a chasm in the market for insightful, intelligent analysis, as well as solid investigation

Arabella

I agree. I think the abject failure of the fourth estate can't be blamed on its audience. Its readers have abandoned legacy media because of the latter's failure to report news. This is a dereliction of duty. Investigative reporting requires capital, and a robust journalistic ethic. Commissioning an opinion piece from some Twitter muppet? That costs nothing. Back in 2003, the scales fell from my eyes about the Western media. What is taking its place is citizen journalism. And millions are watching what CNN et al will not report.

merrymouse · 27/08/2020 16:05

unherd.com/2020/08/given-my-time-again-i-wouldnt-choose-journalism/

This is interesting on the economics of newspapers.

BovaryX · 27/08/2020 16:08

They certainly haven't been the same since

They certainly have not. The NYT and the Guardian have come a long way from when they were publishing leaks and being praised by Daniel Ellsberg. Now they report self referential Twitter spats and bloat their content with circle jerk opinion. If a Conservative viewpoint is accidentally given coverage? The editor who commissioned it must fall on his sword...

merrymouse · 27/08/2020 16:25

To be fair Suzanne Moore is still working for the Guardian.

However, they seem to have left the Mail to cover the sacking of Sasha White, although its clearly an issue that relates to women's rights.

Floisme · 27/08/2020 16:36

Yes that's a fair point. I did expect Moore and the Guardian to part company after that letter and especially when she named the signatories on Twitter (glorious moment!).

But if Edward Snowden were to approach them now with that story I can just imagine them deciding he was too right wing for them and sending him on his way. I really hope I'm being unfair when I say that.

MissLawls · 27/08/2020 16:46

To be fair to the Spectator it's always published a wide range of writers and I prefer reading it now to the Guardian for that reason. It surprises me, it isn't predictable. It's genuinely broad church. And I like reading Douglas Murray because while I don't agree with some of his politics, he's fluent, consistent and he makes sense.

The problem with some on the left now is that their arguments simply don't make sense. They aren't logical. If you're going to argue against science and insist biology is a social construct you're going to end up in some awful cul-de-sacs. That's why they tend to block on Twitter; they cannot make the argument.

Seems to me at the moment at least that broadly speaking the right and centre right make better arguments and have the best writers too.

Abhannmor · 27/08/2020 17:04

She did move to the Mail for a while. After her spat with Greer though I dont think the move was related. The Spectator is far right though. After all Boris Johnson was its editor for heaven's sake. And many of its contributors have been racist fruit cakes , Europhobes and misogynist. But this is the tragedy of Identity politics coming to fruition. Its what happens when the left falls for cheap gesture politics instead of Class. And women constitute a very large class of people.

EdgeOfACoin · 27/08/2020 17:15

The Spectator is far right though. After all Boris Johnson was its editor for heaven's sake

Look, I don't like Boris Johnson. However, calling the Spectator and the Prime Minister 'far right' just dilutes the meaning of the words and undermines your argument.

Abhannmor · 27/08/2020 17:15

@merrymouse

Although different UK publications have a clear political leaning, in reality many columnists write for a variety of newspapers and magazines. Katy Balls is the deputy political editor of the Spectator and also writes regularly for the Guardian. Nick Cohen has a regular Guardian column and also often writes for the Spectator.

I know we are all supposed to live in bubbles, but any publication that only wants to publish political diatribes from people with approved views limits its readership and also limits the quality of its writing.

Yes I spotted that Katy Balls was Tory HQ representative to the Graun even before I knew she was on the Speccie! She always gives a nice moderate spin to the Tories machinations. On the other hand I enjoy her stuff as I imagine she has the inside track ?
Abhannmor · 27/08/2020 17:20

@EdgeOfACoin

The Spectator is far right though. After all Boris Johnson was its editor for heaven's sake

Look, I don't like Boris Johnson. However, calling the Spectator and the Prime Minister 'far right' just dilutes the meaning of the words and undermines your argument.

Oh for pity's sake there is no point in this. Johnson is so far right on the economy he is in grave danger of becoming invisible. That is if words are to retain their meanings at all. Which is kind of why we are in this mess over trans rights? Admittedly he has been forced into adopting social democratic measures by Covid 19. But he has not just binned his entire world view overnight.
BovaryX · 27/08/2020 17:29

Johnson is so far right on the economy he is in grave danger of becoming invisible

Seriously. Calling the current 'Conservative' government 'far right' is indicative of profound
historical and linguistic illiteracy. Aren't you embarrassed?

DillonPanthersTexas · 27/08/2020 17:35

It is very interesting that the Spectator is gaining readers, while other craven outlets are shedding their audience.

Interestingly the Spectator do actually frequently publish articles from 'the other side' politically speaking. Sure it has a stable of Conservative pundits but they seem more active in avoiding becoming an echo chamber unlike the Guardian. They have been criticising Boris quite a bit of late while giving Starmer positive write ups.

Floisme · 27/08/2020 17:39

I cannot imagine a far-right Prime Minister ever agreeing to the furlough scheme or any of the other measures that were rushed through to ease the impact of lockdown. Likewise the 'Plan for Jobs'.

Johnson may be thoroughly untrustworthy and his reliance on Cummings is troubling, but I would say he's far too pragmatic and self interested to be far-anything.

ArabellaScott · 27/08/2020 17:58

At least some of the Spectator is genuinely funny. I notice a tendency to serious humour failure seems to go hand in hand with wokeness.

merrymouse · 27/08/2020 18:47

Johnson may be thoroughly untrustworthy and his reliance on Cummings is troubling, but I would say he's far too pragmatic and self interested to be far-anything.

I agree. Essentially he is a columnist looking for an angle for his next column. That is why just couldn't be quiet about he Last Night of the Proms. He'd much rather be writing a column about schools than coming up with a policy about schools.

Mollscroll · 27/08/2020 18:52

Johnson is a centre right politician and particularly on the economy. He really isn’t far right. He’s probably left of most of his cabinet. That doesn’t make him decent or any good. It just means he’s not a far right economic Tory.

BovaryX · 27/08/2020 19:03

That is why just couldn't be quiet about he Last Night of the Proms

Why should he be silent? He's supposed to be a *Conservative. He won an 80 seat majority because constituencies that voted Labour for a century switched teams. Do any of the clowns in the media ever pause to ask why? Macron said in June 2020:

the Republic will not erase any trace, or any name from its history. It will not take down any statue

I wonder whether the Robespierre faction realise they can't control the narrative?

merrymouse · 27/08/2020 19:06

Why should he be silent?

Because perhaps not having the full Last Night of the Proms experience for one year because of Covid isn't the most pressing issue for the Prime minister at the moment?

Because most people don't care one way or the other about the proms?

Mollscroll · 27/08/2020 19:07

Why should he be silent?

Agree with this. I have no time for him but the endless wokerati hot take generators on Twitter do not actually control what people think or what they can care about.

Mollscroll · 27/08/2020 19:11

It’s symbolic and therefore it’s important. I actually think it’s increasingly important that we don’t disappear down the black hole that is swallowing up the US at the moment. We have borrowed lock stock and barrel their language and their attitudes and we need to stop doing that. Our issues are not the same and our way forward will not be the same.

I would greatly appreciate someone taking a Macron attitude here.

ArabellaScott · 27/08/2020 19:12

Cummings scares me.

Boris is just bafflingly ineffectual. He's not far anything, agree with Mollscroll. Attempts by the left to paint him as some evil Machiavaellian figure are risible - probably why Labour's election bid failed - the criticisms are just too silly. As ever, the Left fails to go for the most obvious observation (he's a bit shit and eminently unsuited to being PM) and go for the most emotive, dramatic bit out of their Big Book of Good Vs Evil. He's a Tory PM, therefore he must be really secretly clever, manipulative and evil, he's just better at hiding it behind mild, slightly confusing waffle.

BovaryX · 27/08/2020 19:15

isn't the most pressing issue

Perhaps instead of capitulating to the increasingly totalitarian demands of the activists that lost Labour the last election, the current Conservative PM should focus his attention on why the constituencies which had voted Labour for a century ditched their team.

merrymouse · 27/08/2020 19:30

the current Conservative PM should focus his attention on why the constituencies which had voted Labour for a century ditched their team.

I'd rather he were thinking about the economy and getting children back to school.

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