Statement from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

[Immunetypegoblin]

www.chimamanda.com/, published yesterday.

She is angry. One can understand why. One to watch I think.

I specifically came on here to say what a prize prick, Anthony Rapp is! The f**king smug arrogance of the man! 😡 Perhaps it’s not the two intelligent, liberal female authors that are wrong - it’s him. Think on that, smug white man 😡

Except you won’t because you’re probably too busy basking in the admiration of your equally dimwitted followers. And, of course, I’m sure the idea that women might be right never enters your head.

Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie absolutely towers above you in both intellect and ability.

Her essay was brilliant and eloquent. Everything Anthony Crapp is not.

His followers keep musing on how tragic it is that such a brilliant author disagrees with them.

Funny thing. When someone much more intelligent and educated than me disagrees with me, I listen to what they say and how they reached their position. I don't just dismiss them because I find their disagreement inconvenient.

Maybe one of the Rapp followers can go on Twitter to tell people to pretend that CNA didn't write the works of CNA, but that their favourite character did instead.

@WinterTrees

She sat there and made a decision to deliberately target a Black, queer, disabled, trans author during their launch week, ironically in a book in which I speak openly about how book launches often end in suicidality for me

Oppression bingo full house! (Or - translation: Behold my array of special characteristics, which render me beyond reproach and enable me to behave like a spoiled, entitled, backstabbing brat without any comeback.)

Gosh, it must have been really difficult to publish SEVEN BOOKS IN FOUR YEARS when just launching a book makes her feel suicidal. I guess we should be grateful that she is suffering to this degree to bring us her exulted oeuvre.

I'm going to be a little petty and point out that Emezi misused a personal reflexive pronoun (myself) in that instagram statement.

Tut.

Oh my god Rapp and Emezi are revolting. What a contrast with CNA.

There aren’t enough exclamation marks in the world for this drama.

But I had to add some extra for that opinion piece by Ayesha Hazarika.

Trans women are not only welcome [in a menopause group! called “Hot Girls!”], they are cherished — we have all learned from their stories and world class ability to accessorise.

not envy. I mean, there’s a common word for the type of XY who would join a menopause group and think it appropriate to share their stories. And as for the “ability to accessorise!” It makes my skin crawl when women pander like that. Do they not realise?

Sorry, there are much more interesting things happening here, both in the wider drama and on this thread. But I had to get this off my chest.

I would question the motivation of any male who joins a menopause group, and associating being a woman with the ability to accessorize is just tired old sexist bullshit.

The sheer audacity of that white man mansplaining intersectionality to a black feminist woman

CNA is an absolute goddess. I highly recommend her novels and her books on feminism. Dear Ijeowale is a beautiful book about bringing up a daughter.

Emezi’s response is unhinged. I do hope that level of distress been manufactured for effect, and if not, that there are people around to offer actual support, as that is not healthy.

I have no idea what a transwoman could constructively bring to a menopause support group, and I find it quite spectacularly offensive that they would suppose they belonged. WHY are women abasing themselves in this way? Menopause is a process that only happens to biological females.

Much more cheeringly, this debacle reminded me that Americanah has been in my to-read pile for a while, and I started it last night. My god, that woman can write. It is wonderful. Love her! (Properly, and not in a self serving way)

The correct response when someone says “this activity makes me feel suicidal” is to suggest that they a) stop that activity and b) seek help for their distress.

It is positively reckless to encourage them to wallow in those feelings, blame them on the actions of a named person, and suggest that other people sharing their characteristics ought to feel suicidal too.

Awful.

It's really insulting to anyone who has ever felt suicidal. If you genuinely felt that way on releasing a book, you'd avoid doing it ever again at all costs. Someone should advise her to stop writing for her own welfare, at least until she's had a lot of therapy, which she so clearly needs.

It's really insulting to anyone who has ever felt suicidal.

Exactly what I thought reading that. I've experienced what it takes to get to that point because of external pressures. The horrible journey there and the long, slow road back are not something that happens 7 times in 4 years because of one (positive) event.

I can’t help noticing how many intelligent women over the age of 40 are speaking their minds on trans issues and getting abuse for it now. It’s a real generational divide. Younger people are so fixated on the issue of trans rights they have forgotten about women’s rights and take them for granted.

Personally, I think it’s because those of us who are over 40 (I’m the same age as Adichie) have experienced real sexism and oppression on the basis of our sex. We’re old enough to remember a society where male superiority was unquestioned and we recognize the supremacist attitude of trans rights activists for what it is: male entitlement & a desire to silence women.

HeirloomTomato yes. As well as historical stuff, a 40something woman also faces menopause, ageism in the jobs market, the caring burden of kids and elderly parents. It's a huge slog at times. And niw we have this shit to deal with as well

now

I was really heartened to see the comments under this Facebook post from the guardian - most are fairly firmly GC, which feels like a real shift in the wind.

So many courageous women - PUUUULL

Now with link www.facebook.com/227934527222357/posts/4881927648489665/?d=n

@HeirloomTomato I'm 37. I was TWAW up until about 10 years ago when I read an article by Paris Lees, basically arguing that catcalling is great. That's when the scales fell from my eyes and I started reading stuff by Sarah Ditum and the like. The worm well and truly turned.

My mum and sister (41 and 66) are firmly on the GC side, but my main friendship group are TWAW and deeply embedded in the trans/queer community in the city I live in. I've talked a bit about my feelings with one of them, but the others have no idea about my views. It's very lonely.

@allmywhat

Oh my god Rapp and Emezi are revolting. What a contrast with CNA.

There aren’t enough exclamation marks in the world for this drama.

But I had to add some extra for that opinion piece by Ayesha Hazarika.

Trans women are not only welcome [in a menopause group! called “Hot Girls!”], they are cherished — we have all learned from their stories and world class ability to accessorise.

not envy. I mean, there’s a common word for the type of XY who would join a menopause group and think it appropriate to share their stories. And as for the “ability to accessorise!” It makes my skin crawl when women pander like that. Do they not realise?

Sorry, there are much more interesting things happening here, both in the wider drama and on this thread. But I had to get this off my chest.

I'm actually speechless. Wtaf!

Searching for "chimamanda ngozi adichie" in amazon brings first a whole line of sponsored books by Akwaeke Emezi

Still cashing in on Chimamanda's name, I see...

Trans women are not only welcome [in a menopause group! called “Hot Girls!”], they are cherished — we have all learned from their stories and world class ability to accessorise.

That sums it up right there. A MENOPAUSE group for support with a process that only affects biological women, being open to males who think they can "do" womanhood via make-up and handbags - and being ENCOURAGED in that delusion but "kind" women.

I have always, even long pre-genderism takeover, felt uncomfortable about the way trans women (and drag to an extent, though it can be more ironic I suppose) try to make womanhood all about cosmetic issues and fashion, and push at women the idea that we're all sitting around obsessing about lipstick and heels and that a male TW can bond with us as a woman over these things.

It's not that I'm not interested (I love clothes and sometimes like make-up too) but these things are not what makes me a woman. You can't make a male person into a woman by welcoming them to you menopause group and then trying to make it all about accessories.

And on top of that how patronising. Plenty of male men are far better at accessorising than a lot of the TW I've seen.

like him

I'm sure a transwoman's stories may be very interesting but they have nothing to do with menopause.

@HeirloomTomato

I can’t help noticing how many intelligent women over the age of 40 are speaking their minds on trans issues and getting abuse for it now. It’s a real generational divide. Younger people are so fixated on the issue of trans rights they have forgotten about women’s rights and take them for granted.

Personally, I think it’s because those of us who are over 40 (I’m the same age as Adichie) have experienced real sexism and oppression on the basis of our sex. We’re old enough to remember a society where male superiority was unquestioned and we recognize the supremacist attitude of trans rights activists for what it is: male entitlement & a desire to silence women.

I agree wholeheartedly. The sad thing is - it's not historical, it's experience. Once some of them have children and realise they are locked into a system totally skewed towards supporting men and sidelining women, once they have had a handful of serious physical ailments dismissed with offers of ADs, once they've seen their daughters fight the onslaught everything from pink or pink clothes choices to porn-driven relationships with men, then they will finally get sick of it all and stand up and shout.

I go past a Waterstones on the school run. It's good for when I wake up with a sudden urge to buy books.