Thoughts on Calvin Robinson?

[meatbasedbreakfast]

Long time lurker, stepping out the darkness to ask this.

Was asked today by a friend who knows I'm GC what my thoughts are on Calvin Robinson. Apparently he's becoming a face of GC views?!

I was shocked. He is anti abortion (in all cases), doesn't think same sex marriage should be legal, and isn't a feminist in any sense of the word.

I'm genuinely concerned that our movement is being picked up by people like him, who couldn't care less about women. When he says biological sex is real, he couldn't give a damn about how that leads to discrimination/violence. It made my blood boil and I want to know what other people think.

Maybe he wears a cassock as an outward sign of his committed faith which he subscribes to very traditionally.
Maybe it's traditional in his church?

Why do you ascribe negative intentions to his choice of dress without any basis?

Wearing a cassock hardly benefits him in the current climate it is more likely to lead to him being dismissed and ostracised for his views rather than give him special authority in most people's view.

Glenn Loury (and John McWhorter, too) talks a lot of sense, but gets dismissed for being "the wrong kind of black". As did Kwasi Kwarteng (who doesn't make any sense, in my view), when he was called "superficially black" by Rupa Huq. (At least Labour had the sense to suspend her.)

I don't know enough about Calvin Robinson, although I suspect that he's closer to Kwarteng than Loury and McWhorter and that I wouldn't agree with him on very much at all.

I live near a seminary: lots of cassock wearing there.

Also I live near a convent where the nuns still wear habits.

It's like being in a Monty Python sketch round here 😁

I think CR is closer to Loury and McWhorter from what I've heard him say about critical race theory and "woke" authoritarianism. But I wouldn't say I've heard a lot from him on any subject @TheBiologyStupid . I expect we'd disagree on an awful lot but quite probably agree on CRT and the woke!

This thread drove me to google him

wikipedia informs me that his GB News Sunday show is called ‘Calvin’s Common Sense Crusade’

i’m as GC as they come and if someone wants to criticise him for the shit name of his TV show, that’s a bandwagon I’ll happily jump on

He's been quite open that until late last year that he was a theology student, not ordained at all. You are imagining something that seems to be unrelated to reality.

Cassocks aren't that uncommon in either the CofE or among theology students. Probably more than among Catholics.

I don't disagree that the guy seems to be interested in becoming some kind of public figure. But so do a lot of people.Lots of people who go into writing or activism, journalism. There are some where you get a sense they are chasing some kind of fame, or money, but I don't think that necessarily means they don't believe in the cause also.

I didn’t spot that on the “I’m as GC as they come but...” thread!

In that case apologies. I just wondered where the commentary had come from. This thread took a weird church and cassock based turn and I couldn't keep up.

Eyerollcentral didn't say he doesn't talk about Christ, what she said was I don’t know that I’ve ever heard CR talking about Christ though Unless the only thing he ever talks about is Christ it is perfectly possible that he does talk about Christ but she's only heard him talking about other things like covid vaccines or something.

I looked at something on GBNews the other night, it was called Free Speech Nation and the bit I saw was all about criticising Gary Lineker because of what he said about the govt. I thought it was hilarious and wondered if they knew what the programme was about.

I don't know if it is always so funny but I thought it might be tuning in if I needed a laugh sometime.

I haven't seen a nun in a traditional habit for years. I was taught by nuns who were Daughters of Charity of St Vincent De Paul and they wore the white butterfly headdresses, I think they went out in the 60s.

Free Speech Nation is Andrew Doyle's show and he is brilliant. He wrote a book about free speech which sets out all the issues very clearly and is well worth a read.

There are some people in the public eye who are actually in need of support away from the media, not more limelight.

Laurence Fox is one. A man who openly talks about his struggles with mental health, and yet whose provocative views are published in newspapers to his own detriment. CR is another.

Is there not an ethical code to prevent this sort of acting out being published by news agencies? Even on a personal level, can we not just politely look away?

Sorry I didn't get his name but if he believes in Free Speech why doesn't it apply to Gary Lineker?

Do they 'run about' in them? Please say they do!

Were they criticising what he said or were they saying he should not have been allowed to say it?

I only watched a few minutes so I wouldn't like to say what the whole show was about, the bit I watched seemed to be a bit of both to be honest. Fair enough if they don't agree with him but there definitely seemed to be some of it being he shouldn't have said it and shouldn't be allowed back on the BBC.

It was more criticism but also pointing out that he may have been breaching his contract so potentially not a free speech issue anyway. They weren't calling for him to be sacked or anything.

Oh right, well that sounds fair enough.

OT, but I believe monastic orders with traditional habits have been doing a lot better recently than those without.

I was thinking, CR almost looks like he could shape up to be a sort of conservative English Al Sharpton one day. Whatever one thinks of that!

I didn't see the show you're referring to so I've no idea what was discussed.

What is CR acting out and what does he need protection from?

He seems very confident and happy In the public space and with his private life as far as I know.
Do you know any different?

What do I think of him? It is my sincerely-held personal belief that he’s a seriously creepy fucker. If I saw him in the street I’d shudder.