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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

The Times is now turning off comments on all 'gender' articles

135 replies

MiladyBerserko · 13/03/2022 10:13

The Times continue to cover this issue but now turn off comments on all 'gender' related articles. They do not turn off reader comments on any other topic, except where there is an open legal issue.

I am beyond frustrated with this. The Guardian nailed their colours to the 'Transwomen are women' mast a long time ago and disallow comments.

Now The Times seemingly cannot / will not allow reader feedback.

What is it about this issue that makes organisations run scared?

OP posts:
Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/03/2022 11:35

You used to be able to read them.

MidCenturyClegs · 14/03/2022 12:15

@Ereshkigalangcleg

You used to be able to read them.
I wonder if it's just articles on women's rights that non Subs can't see. Can you see these? Oscar winner William Hurt dies aged 71

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/41659d74-a31a-11ec-b670-edca588c9993?shareToken=4dac1adbac870a2f1f667fabd33e3dbf

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/03/2022 12:17

I can't see the comments, no.

AlisonDonut · 14/03/2022 12:38

I can't see any comments either.

MrsOvertonsWindow · 14/03/2022 12:40

I see they've opened the comments on recent articles - the Sarah Ditum one for example.

butnobodytoldme · 14/03/2022 12:43

@lightand

Never underestimate the power of advertisers.
But without G.C. published comments, they won't know that anyone objects to bearded rapists in women's wards and refuges, any more than the policy makers of every political party do. (Apart from Tories, and I suspect it's idleness, not ideology, that stopped them)

There again, the sole aim of advertisers is to spend the client's money... apparently for years every detergent advertiser believed women think like men: Therefore, what else could motivate them, if not competition? Therefore, every advertiser used a patronising male voice to instruct women to use this, or that, soap powder, for the purpose of having whiter washing than neighbours, (who would slink away ashamed, defeated, and humiliated).

After twenty or so years, someone tried the peculiar idea of asking women what they like about soap adverts. Women said they hated the lot of them, hated a man telling them how to do laundry, hated the nastiness of the competetive angle. What they valued were things like not fading (the harsh whiteners ruined colours), and having things next to theirs, and their children's skin, which were not harsh, washing-wrecked, allergenic-rash producing..... After decades, and with women virtually the sole purchasers of the product, this was the first time anyone (men) asked.

I noticed a current campaign to get children eating vegetables..... 100% male steered, obviously. The basis is that vegetables are evil, intent on destroying the world, so we must defeat them by consuming them. Pow! Pow!. Wierdly, they chose a girl actor to menace a couple of peas on a fork, aggressively threatening them "You're going down", and grimacing at the camera as she eats them

Someone has been paid to create a tv advert with the message "Vegetables are nasty" "Vegetables want to harm you" "Vegetables are the enemy of the human race" "Put evil vegetables in your mouth"

Gastonia · 14/03/2022 12:44

I'd love to know what happened behind the scenes regarding OpenWeb. The editor clearly values freedom of speech.

happydappy2 · 14/03/2022 13:36

I don't understand how on some articles my comment will be printed immediately & on others can be pending for hours...

MidCenturyClegs · 14/03/2022 14:00

@Ereshkigalangcleg

I can't see the comments, no.
I think comments have been made invisible now for all non-subscribers for all articles, not just for sex/gender ones.
DisgustedofManchester · 14/03/2022 14:05

Anonymous armchair GCs upset they cannot post anti-trans rhetoric anonymously on a newspaper's pages. So 2022

MidCenturyClegs · 14/03/2022 14:07

@DisgustedofManchester

Anonymous armchair GCs upset they cannot post anti-trans rhetoric anonymously on a newspaper's pages. So 2022
I just waiting to see when you'd arrive. Pull up a chair, I'll put the kettle on.
highame · 14/03/2022 14:07

I would guess that many Times subscribers have been bombarding ToL. I wrote and never got a reply, however, Happy Days

MrsOvertonsWindow · 14/03/2022 14:11

@DisgustedofManchester

Anonymous armchair GCs upset they cannot post anti-trans rhetoric anonymously on a newspaper's pages. So 2022
At the time of posting this there are over 1,200 comments under that article . Yet again disgusted fails to read the room (or respect the rights of women to speak freely). Grin Grin
OvaHere · 14/03/2022 14:17

I thought we were Russian bots? Can bots be upset? Have we inadvertently solved the question of sentience?

happydappy2 · 14/03/2022 14:50

Disgustedofmanchester why shouldn't people be able to comment under an article that is not an ongoing criminal case? Why should people not be allowed to comment openly on a subject that is incredibly detrimental to women and children? Do yo really believe its transphobic to recognise that no amount of surgery can enable a human to change sex?

Gastonia · 14/03/2022 14:54

At the time of posting this there are over 1,200 comments under that article
Yes, by trying to silence people, it has shone an even brighter light on the situation. The comments are now up to 1,300 - a massive amount for The Times!

I got notified today that someone had recommended a comment I'd made in Oct 2018... I looked, and saw that there were only 136 comments on that article, and many people didn't really get the issue. How things have changed.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/03/2022 15:06

I got notified today that someone had recommended a comment I'd made in Oct 2018... I looked, and saw that there were only 136 comments on that article, and many people didn't really get the issue. How things have changed.

Yes I have received a message that I have a reply, agreeing with me from an article about then, reply was posted last week. I no longer have a Times account!

jhuizinga · 14/03/2022 15:11

I was able to comment on one of the gender articles yesterday when using my phone app. There were very few comments given the contents of the article and I could see why when I looked at the same article on my tablet because comments were switched off. Very strange.

Helleofabore · 14/03/2022 15:18

I wonder if it's just articles on women's rights that non Subs can't see. Can you see these? Oscar winner William Hurt dies aged 71

I cannot see any comments. But I am now a little sad to hear that William Hurt has died.

crispsarny · 14/03/2022 16:05

@Helleofabore

I wonder if it's just articles on women's rights that non Subs can't see. Can you see these? Oscar winner William Hurt dies aged 71

I cannot see any comments. But I am now a little sad to hear that William Hurt has died.

I wouldn’t feel too sorry for him www.thedailybeast.com/when-marlee-matlin-accused-william-hurt-of-rape
Helleofabore · 14/03/2022 16:11

oh no... Thanks Crisps

MoltenLasagne · 14/03/2022 16:14

Someone has been paid to create a tv advert with the message "Vegetables are nasty" "Vegetables want to harm you" "Vegetables are the enemy of the human race" "Put evil vegetables in your mouth"

I'm so glad somebody else thought the same as me about this absurd advert.

Theluggage15 · 14/03/2022 16:26

I can see the comments and I cancelled my subscription about a year ago.

SeaRabbit · 14/03/2022 17:46

They now seem to be allowing comments on Saturday's article about Keir Starmer's "definition" of woman.

Doubt they'll allow them under the article about poor trapped Sarah, with the clenched toes and trans-identifying husband.

happydappy2 · 14/03/2022 18:39

I've received a reply from The Times

Please be advised that if you posted a comment on an article and it has immediately disappeared, the article is likely being pre-moderated, which means that any comment posted will go into our moderation queue before being published. We set comments to pre-moderation on articles that are legally sensitive or attract a high number of comments which may contravene our community guidelines.

However, if your comment is published and subsequently disappears, it may have been flagged and removed for violating our community guidelines. These guidelines can be found by clicking here. Please be advised that there are children and young adults who identify as trans, and this comment therefore does include language that might upset or offend others, which may be why your comment has been removed on this occasion.

Just so you know, we do try to keep comments sections active on as many stories as possible. However, we do sometimes deactivate them for legal reasons (for example, because the story mentions an ongoing court case). Our newspaper and its comments sections are held to press standards outlined by the Independent Press Standards Organisation.