Brendan O'Neill: Stop blaming women for men’s crimes

[Abitofalark]

"No, it was not an 83-year-old woman who killed Susan Leyden. Stop lying to us."

"It was a man. The NYT’s headline was a flagrant lie. So was the BBC’s entire account ...I had been told, in no uncertain terms, that a woman killed a woman, and it was completely untrue."

"This is not an isolated incident. The ideology of gender self-ID means that media outlets and actual courts of law are recording crimes committed by men as crimes committed by women if the man in question – the assaulter, the rapist, the murderer – claims to be a woman. Police Scotland, for example, recently said they would record rapes as having been committed by women if the rapist identifies as a woman. This is an offence against truth, reason and the very ability of society to record crimes and to understand the problems that it faces. It is also deeply insulting to the victims of male violence, who could find themselves forced in court to refer to the man who brutalised them as ‘she’. We need to stop pinning men’s crimes on women. More importantly, we need to overturn the mad idea that anyone who claims to be a woman is a woman. And we need to stop lying. BBC, NYT and all the rest of you: stop spreading misogynistic misinformation."

www.spiked-online.com/2022/03/17/stop-blaming-women-for-mens-crimes/

Brendan O'Neil is one heck of an ally.

Great (but tragic content) article.

Actually it was clear in both those articles that the person was trans. I wonder if being gender critical is more widespread than we might think? In that those news outlets have to walk a line, both did so while making it clear to the reader exactly what the killer was.

Two of the most established media institutions in the Western world are misinforming their readers, telling us that a woman murdered a woman, because they now put ideology before truth.
…
It is the moral choice made by the BBC and the New York Times – and others – that feels most disturbing. They have decided that the feelings of Mr Marcelin count for more than the truth about Susan Leyden’s violent demise…Like religious fanatics, they believe their articles of faith are holier than the realities the rest of us see with our own eyes.

It's instructive to see how many of the criteria for thought reform this story meets. In the book, Lifton outlines the "Eight Criteria for Thought Reform":

Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.

Mystical Manipulation. The manipulation of experiences that appears spontaneous but is, in fact, planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders to demonstrate divine authority, spiritual advancement, or some exceptional talent or insight that sets the leader and/or group apart from humanity, and that allows a reinterpretation of historical events, scripture, and other experiences. Coincidences and happenstance oddities are interpreted as omens or prophecies.

Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.

Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.

Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or all humanity, is likewise above criticism.

Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.

Doctrine over person. Members' personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.

Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious, and must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4382551-Live-not-by-lies-Solzhenitsyn-no-tambourines-involved?msgid=111900052

Yes, indeed re B O'N. And the crimes are horrific.
Spiked has been on this topic for a long time and regularly has articles from Jo Bartosch, and recently, Ella Whelan and Julie Burchill as well as Brendan O'Neill and occasionally others.

In the last few weeks Ella Whelan has gone on unfairness to Women's Sport (Lia Thomas}, Labour and 'Woman', International Women's Day being about everything but women, and Ideology in Universities.

And just the other day Julie Burchill took aim at Starmer and Labour with a couple of stingers.

@Kendodd

Actually it was clear in both those articles that the person was trans. I wonder if being gender critical is more widespread than we might think? In that those news outlets have to walk a line, both did so while making it clear to the reader exactly what the killer was.

Agree with this. Sanity is coming back into fashion, which will be interesting for contrarians like O'Neill. He can't stand agreeing with people he's "against," so as the Beeb starts acting more sensibly on this issue he'll be painted into a corner. Will be interesting to see which way he jumps.

When sanity returns from this "Orkney's Satanic Child Abuse" level of lunacy, as it hopefully will, be sure to remember all the names and organisation that where partaking in this as they will be busy shoving it all down the memory hole.

@Childrenofthestones

When sanity returns from this "Orkney's Satanic Child Abuse" level of lunacy, as it hopefully will, be sure to remember all the names and organisation that where partaking in this as they will be busy shoving it all down the memory hole.

I am less excited about the organisations than about the people in them making the decisions and calling the shots. Ben Hunte leaving the BBC has coincided with a distinct turn for the better in the quality of their coverage, or example. Why would I just put a blanket ban on entire organisations forever after rather than on the individuals responsible?