The awful trend on Twitter

[imhereforthesanity]

Hi, I don't post often, but I've seen the awful twitter trend today in regard to J K Rowling, I just feel so scared and defeated about women's rights, why are more people not up in arms and defending us? I also fear for her and women's safety, as some of these TRA's seem really unhinged.

@CaraDuneRedux

Very sharp comment on Janice Turner's twitter feed (not Janice herself, one of the commenters):

"My god. We are this close from the aggressive regressive reactionary fashionable left declaring a Fatwa on a genuinely liberal woman for writing a book they haven’t seen."

This is absolutely bang-on. It reminds me very much of when The Satanic Verses was published, and white middle-class intellectuals were falling over themselves to condemn Rushdie and support the Muslims attacking him - even those who were burning copies of the book. As now, very few people had actually read the book. As now, people were keen to appear "woke", though that wasn't the word used, of course - but they wanted to appear on the side of the oppressed minority rather than the nasty Rushdie. I remember thinking at the time - and still think now - that a lot of the white liberal hostility towards Rushdie was because he was an articulated, opinion Indian who they considered to be getting above himself. It allowed them to exercise their racism while pretending to be progressive and tolerant.

Plus ca change, eh.

Damn! "he was an articulated, opinion" should be "he was an articulate, opinionated.."

What I remember being a child was that average people bought the Satanic Verses just to see what the fuss was about. Streisand effect. My working class Tory parents bought it, but didn't get very far in, however years later I read their copy myself, when I was staying at their house and bored with nothing to read. It sat in the bookcase for years

David Baddiel on Twitter:

Keen to know how a hashtag celebrating the idea of the death of a living woman trended for over a day on this platform devoted apparently to the removal of hate speech.

Good man, David Baddiel.

@SunsetBeetch

Good man, David Baddiel.

Of course there is a woke bloke in the replies saying "They just meant her career!". Twat.

Goodreads reviews are pretty dire, pretty biased and ridiculous. For instance, this one:

"This book comes out tomorrow. I will unfriend you if I see you reading this. Today, it's been revealed that the plot to this book is also transphobic, which you can read about here.

If you read this book, consider yourself a transphobe. Because you decided that her transphobia is something you can overlook to continue on with a book series.

July 2020

All reviews have been purged from this book, including mine that calls JKR out for being a transphobe (among other things).

Goodreads, where are your priorities? Obviously with protecting the authors rather than people giving out information to help readers mindfully choose their books. (less)"

I've pre-ordered the book. I expect loads of people have on the back of the free publicity. Thanks for the recommendation to the rip activists out there 😁😉👍

Of course there is a woke bloke in the replies saying "They just meant her career!". Twat.

I saw that too and it occurred to me that if that was in any way true, the hashtag would actually be RIPRobertGalbraith wouldn't it? I mean, she doesn't write Harry Potter any more so you couldn't retrospectively damage those sales. If you genuinely meant that you wanted to prevent people buying her books, then it would be the name they are published under that would be the target...

Sorry if already mentioned but GMB had a segment on her new book today. They had a journalist (Benjamin Butterworth) slagging her off but he got pretty short shrift from the others, including George Galloway and another really good interviewee whose name I can't find now). Piers basically saying how can you criticise a book you haven't read, etc - worth a look

2020 really is the year that keeps giving. If I could time travel back to, say, 2015 and tell future me 'there will come a time when you will be grateful to Piers Morgan for giving a sympathetic voice to certain issues related to women's rights and safety. And don't rule out George Galloway being in agreement. Don't bother looking to the Labour party for support though, they're a lost cause' I would think future me had banged my head in the time machine.

@hollyandkit

Sorry if already mentioned but GMB had a segment on her new book today. They had a journalist (Benjamin Butterworth) slagging her off but he got pretty short shrift from the others, including George Galloway and another really good interviewee whose name I can't find now). Piers basically saying how can you criticise a book you haven't read, etc - worth a look

The other interviewee was Rose of Dawn who is a trans woman youtuber. I find her a clever, articulate, nice person and worth listening to.

Goodreads is dire. I have author friends and they despise Goodreads.

Thanks Thingybob - yes she came across really well, very sensible and articulate.

I am a quarter of the way through Troubled Blood (it's an absolute monster of a book) and it is really, really good. Just the right side of dark - but make no mistake, it's a full-on crime thriller. It's about an investigation of a cold case and so far it has gone in some quite surprising directions [not least, the absence so far of anything that would provoke Twitter outrage].

GMB Segment:

The review section on Waterstones is interesting. A few reviewers giving 1 star because, you know, JKR...

The GMB segment was excellent. Benjamin should really turn down these invites but he can't help himself. Rose if Dawn managed to cram a lot of facts into their tiny section. I liked that they even mentioned the poster being removed.
I've abandoned Goodreads and am trying out a new books/reading website instead.

@Lowhum

The review section on Waterstones is interesting. A few reviewers giving 1 star because, you know, JKR...

I've reported them for inappropriate content. I doubt Waterstones will do anything about it, but badly reviewing a book you haven't read because the author said something you disagree with doesn't strike me as being an appropriate review.

@MeridaTheBold

The GMB segment was excellent. Benjamin should really turn down these invites but he can't help himself. Rose if Dawn managed to cram a lot of facts into their tiny section. I liked that they even mentioned the poster being removed. I've abandoned Goodreads and am trying out a new books/reading website instead.

Agree.

BB clear has a large ego doesn't he.

Why on Earth he thought it was a good idea as a non trans person to comment on the "transphobia" in a book he hasn't read nor even bothered to read the reviews on (which would explain the inappropriate reference to transphobia) is beyond me.

Anything to get on the TV eh?

Still no 1 on amazon books, kindle and audible. RIP her career, indeed

And so Wokepedi has removed a page on transgender serial killers in case it upsets people.

God above, the human race is heading for a cliff if this is the level of thinking...

@SerenityNowwwww

And so Wokepedi has removed a page on transgender serial killers in case it upsets people.

God above, the human race is heading for a cliff if this is the level of thinking...

On a positive note, after this last couple of days I am going to stop worrying about pandemics and climate change. There is no point because the human race is clearly not smart enough to make it anyway. I reckon however that the planet will be fine.

@SerenityNowwwww

And so Wokepedi has removed a page on transgender serial killers in case it upsets people.

God above, the human race is heading for a cliff if this is the level of thinking...

Seriously? That is absurd. But somehow unsurprising. This really is Orwellian territory. It is about total narrative control and skidding inconvenient facts down the Memory hole.

Must go and see if they have black inked pages like Alfred Hitchcock...