James Wong quits the Observer

[WarningToTheCurious]

James was rather vocal on Twitter about Catherine Bennett’s piece on misogyny in the Labour Party and complained to The Observer about her - no doubt she was being “transphobic” because … reasons.

Poor James didn’t get the LOJ misogyny free pass and instead got reprimanded about his Twittering so has quit.

This has brightened my day, thanks for sharing the Twitter feed!😂

He wasn't just critisized for saying he'd encountered racism though.
He says that gardening has racism "baked into its DNA" and that talking about things like native plants means having racist assumptions, the word "gardening" itself is about maintaining a narrow conception of who can participate, that a historical culture of gardening related to place is a form of racism.

Some of it's batshit, and some of it I suspect made up, and it's all completely immersed in victimhood politics and identity politics.

I’m loving the replies of the intelligent women on this thread who can see through the trans smoke screen and James Wongs outrage for what it is. Also, if gardening is so racist how can he bare to keep popping up on Gardeners world and Gardeners question time?

He was criticised repeatedly for raiding the issue of racist comments directed at him personally. On that, he was in the right. A separate thing from his views on using native plants.

Ha!

She's 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Makes no difference to me. I wouldn't read The Guardian or the The Observer if you paid me. Sneering, sanctimonious smugness has never been my thing.

The chip on that lads shoulder is something else. I wonder when his mum told him to tidy his room he screamed " DAMN YOU HATEFUL WESTERN OPPRESSOR"

On the point of avatars, look at the misogynist responses to Frances Wheatmans tweet, based on her profile picture. Not all of us want to deal with that kind of bullying.

*Sweetman

Interesting that the Observer took such a different tack when it came to a white man and an East Asian man. Looks suspiciously like racism. Who’d have thunk such a pillar of woke identity politics would be capable.

I am from Singapore and used to follow him on twitter like many from my part of the world interested in tropical flora. However his increasing intolerance to different forms of views and arrogance made me unfollow him ages ago. The contention then wasnt about race or trans issues but some minor (food) issue where he was absolutely rude to and blocking SE Asian people who reasonably disagreed with him. Then after 2020, he set off on a social justice trajectory that seemed very shallow and attention-seeking.

Interesting, Mirax. He does seem to have a low tolerance of minor disagreements. Pity.

James Wong is an internet bully. He tried to turn his massive 200k following to attack small accounts. It's a tactic beloved of people like Jack Monroe.

Someone tweets him something he doesn't like. He doesn't engage but screenshots and blocks. Then he posts the screenshot in the hope that his followers will target the tiny account.

He did it to someone with 7 followers who has tweeted just over 400 times in 18 months. A total nobody.

If you express controversial opinions and you have a big account, people will retweet and then weird little accounts will see it and may reply in a less than pleasant way. Most people in the public eye will ignore it. What do you care about what Bryan in Sidcup thinks about you and your opinions?

But not James.

In conclusion, James is a nasty cunt and deserves all the shit he's getting.

I second this! Owen, if you're reading - this is what a principled stand looks like. Resign now and history will remember your bravery and integrity.

Also, Owen. If you're reading this, it's probably past your bedtime.

houseplant twitter is full of blue hair and rainbow flags.
sadly I'm not surprised.
shame. I found his kew garden podcast and his contributions on gqt.

The Observer and The Guardian have different editors.

James Wong got told off by the Observer and we only know that because he left.

Who knows if OJ has been told off in private but it would have been the Guardian anyway so its possible he hasn’t.

I do think James has come if for some nasty racism but there’s insufficient info for us to see if that’s what’s in play here

I don't think the Observer pays a massive amount, but walking away from a steady income makes me wonder has he got a contract or something else in the works.

He's obviously being funded by the far right.

Oh no, hang on, that's us. 😂

I don’t get Frances Weetman’s tweet. What am I missing?

It’s a play on when someone says they see giant pink dragons (for example) and the psychiatrist says ‘I see, and are they in the room here with us now?’

Oh I see! Thanks @risefromyourgrave . I was a bit slow on the uptake there.

Me too, Winterbourne.

No problem, it could have easily been me asking, sometimes things just don’t ‘click’ do they?!

Maybe.

The problem with guys who argue that gardening is inherently racist is that I don't trust their judgement about racism in the interactions they have with people. I also wonder if he's honest.

It's like people who claim everything is transphobic making a claim that someone said something to them - you kind of wonder.

Same here,we'll never know what we missed.