Kathleen Stock article about Jack Monroe

[AnonWeeMouse]

Kathleen Stock writes:

unherd.com/2023/01/jack-monroe-the-acceptable-face-of-poverty/

Monroe responds by blaming these critical points on Kathleen Stocks GC views.

I don't think that's fair. I think Monroe is using that as an excuse to try and avoid criticism.

Her publisher has had to release a statement about the dangerous tips in Monroe's New Book and Trussel Trust are refusing to hand it out over safety fears.

I don't think it's right or fair for Monroe to try and hide behind being Non binary or trans etc. She hasn't claimed those identities for ages has she?

I thought KS was very gentle with her.

I’ve seen much harsher words written about JM, but I’d hazard a guess that the criticism isn’t really that unwelcome to her. It, and her subsequent responses, nurtures her SM profile.

I loved the phrase "'Look-at-me' showboating". Sums up social media. Am neutral on JM.

IIRC someone suggested on Twitter that Jack may have a neurodivergence around decision-making that is at the heart of her inconsistencies. Something about pleading poverty whilst showing off new diamond earrings. It's possible, I don't know anything about it and I really don't know enough about her and her history.

But, the problem with her latest book is not about her, it is that it clearly hasn't been properly edited. Or possibly not edited at all. Or reap by anyone at the publishing house (Pan Macmillan, who should be big enough to employ editors).

reap = read!

Well have to say that KS has shot way down in my estimation.

Of all the things going on in the world she wastes her time on this.

I have no feelings about JM, but this just looks like cheap journalism where we have people in the public eye talking about other people in the public eye. And not only that many of the points were made about her years ago once she got a profile.

And guess what look at how many of the comments are by men.

This is the problem now. Everyone thinks they are a commentator but belief they are far too important to for instance take part in shared discussion such as on here or on facebook or wherever.

To keep their profile up they start scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

Its getting like Sky News which is hardly ever about news but more often than not are Sky employees talking about each other and how wonderful they are at their work, or the same 4 empty headed commentators repeating the same well rehearsed responses.

I dont know whether to laugh or cry.

not only that this was written but that anyone thought it worth bringing to others attention.

People can have more than one concern and subject they wrote and think about.
If all my concerns were an hour, Monroe would take up 5 seconds.
I'd imagine, for most people, that is also the case.

Of all the things going on in the world she wastes her time on this

And with all the things going on I the world, you took several minutes to reply to a thread to tell others on the thread you don't understand why the thread was created. 🤪

@AnonWeeMouse
Most bizarre to me is if you don't have a rolling pin, use an empty glass bottle, fill it with some water, put the cork in (so a wine bottle then) freeze it and use it as a rolling pin. Freezing water makes it expand, freezing glass can't do it good. Then to suggest you put pressure on it to roll pastry or whatever? It's a disaster waiting to happen.

This gets to the heart of why her advice is a bit off - surely you can just use the bottle. No need to fill it with water or freeze it. I used to use a bottle to roll pastry for mince pies when I was a student because it wasn't worth getting a rolling pin for the one week a year that I ever used it.

KS was asked to review the book, and she produced an amusing, well written article. She’s got to pay the bills and not everything can be about putting the many current social wrongs to right.

JM makes a reasonable living off the back of her social media profile. If she can kick off a mildly heated debate about Stock’s review on Twatter, which it seems she’s decided to try, she drives more people to her site and makes more money.

If JM is still ‘poor’ after all her sales, TV appearances and SM hits then, tbh, her advice on being frugal might need careful reviewing.

Also it's a very amusing article but actually only pokes gentle fun at JM. It's the equivalent of the quizzical expression a mum puts on sometimes on seeing her teenage daughter's latest outfit for a night out.

Jack took T for all of a few months (she claims - even for a short period, it would have had very long lasting effects). Whilst talking about surgeries, binding, etc.

At the same time, she was posting on Mrs Gloss & The Goss on FB, make up, dresses, high heels, boobs very much pushed up not squashed down. She used her former surname to post on there. All posts still there.

Then quietly went to non binary, never spoke about being FTM again. However, she only ever mentions being NB when she needs a shield. Because on Twitter, TRAs people don’t actually check or verify, they just swoop in and attack GC people.

The other site doesn’t discuss this aspect of Jack.

She does gently take the piss out of Monroe, but also makes an important wider point about middle-class attitudes to poverty.

I think she's a terrific writer. I am sure there are lots of professional journalists who look at her with envy.

I think it's a really good article. And I'm glad to see Stock forging a career for herself outside of academia where she has been royally shafted.

I think Monroe really wanted the TRAs to pile.on Stock and changed her Bio accordingly. I don't think she got what she hoped for though. Last I looked, the trans flag was gone from Monroe's bio.

I think I read that JM actually came from a middle-class family, went to grammar school but was pretty much a drop-out and got pregnant quite young.

That would be why she has quite a middle-class view on poverty.

I genuinely did not know what an egg ring was until I saw this come up on twitter, and I'm as middle class as they come. Why would anyone need an egg ring?!?!?

To make aesthetically pleasing round eggs..
I prefer my eggs kinda spread out a bit tbh.

I see Jean Hatchet has defended Jack... Sort of.

This article wasn't really my cup of team, excuse the pun. I found it unnecessarily snide but I guess that's the point.

I don’t think she’s a deliberate scammer. She strikes me as more of a disorganised, constitutionally inconsistent type who can’t remember what she last said from one moment to the next. Either way, I’m not too bothered

No sorry, that's a bit of nonsense isn't it. It's the casual throw away comment that people say when they are very much bothered about something, but don't want to seem bothered.....because they want to come across as casual and cool....because to care too much and show a degree of emotion would be unseemly ...... ghastly even! Something which I have found to be an incredibly English middle-class trait.

Kathleen's bothered-ness is very much evidenced by the detail and length of this writing this piece which is clearly a bit of a self-indulgence for a slow month.......fine....but you can't then say 'I'm not too bothered'. No Kathleen.....you most definitely are bothered....just own it.

KS is Scottish.

Unfortunately Jean Hatchet's tepid defense has resulted in the first couple of replies pointing to the kitten episode and the ongoing Patreon story. Which are likely to invite those who didn't know about these kinds of things, to go looking.

I thought KS was very gentle with her.

Yes, I think it was done with warmth, but even so, JM’s ‘hacks’ were made to look gloriously stupid by KS’ deft hand. The social commentary gave it depth - and I laughed at myself because of my own aspirations towards Swiss Family Robinson-style niftiness -so it couldn’t descend into coldly pointing and laughing.

I have no feelings about JM, but this just looks like cheap journalism where we have people in the public eye talking about other people in the public eye. And not only that many of the points were made about her years ago once she got a profile

I couldn’t finish it because it seemed so catty to me. I doubt she’d have written it without JM’s history.

I have no regard for JM’s thrifty ideas or recipes. They are, in my view, pretty awful.

I use egg rings and always have. My mother used egg rings and hers would have been bought circa 1950. She was very, very working class. I’ve just never mastered the art of not having the white run all over the pan without.

it seemed so catty to me

I sense untapped genius in her cattiness - real poetry.

Who is the target market of the book which is retailing at £9.99.

Is it people who can't afford a tin opener? Which retails at around a quid.

Maybe they can shoplift it or wait a while until it hits the bargain basement basket.

Or is the target market, more affluent middle classes who are keen to talk about her lifestyle...
.

Not the point, but a chilled glass bottle makes an excellent rolling pin for pastry because it helps keep the butter cold. My grandmother always did this (R Whites lemonade bottle, not wine).

Obviously, filling it with water and then freezing is daft - not only because of the breakage risk, but if it doesn't break you're likely to have an air bubble along one side so the weight won't be balanced. Instead, half fill it with a mix of cold tap water (or fridge-cold water if you're organised enough) and some crushed ice.

This is in no way a thrift tip, just a useful one.

The Times have run a piece on Monroe now.
It's not flattering.