Henning Wehn...getting there slowly

[RoyalCorgi]

Come on, Henning! You can do it!

https://twitter.com/henningwehn/status/1733973228324843632

Really does evidence, as with so many politicians last week, the narrative now is 'I get it and these are very serious problems/this is batshit, but I don't want to be shouted at or look in the wrong'.

Its a bit mindblowing to discover how limp so many people are, and so reliant on approval and being in with the in crowd, to the point of abandoning their own sense of right and wrong.

You're right, Frood, and yet that fear is real. People like Wehn see what's happened to Graham Linehan and understandably don't want their career ruined. Wehn might be protected a bit by the demographics of his fanbase, but even so you can see why he's cautious. Compare him to the rest of the cowards on the standup circuit (Dara O'Briain, Stewart Lee etc) and he looks like a tower of courage in comparison.

I clicked on the link to see what this was about.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-67650988.amp

A Tory MP called Green candidate Melissa Poulton "a man who wears a wig and calls himself a 'proud lesbian'."

Seems like a pretty accurate description to me.

"Melissa" was previously known as Matthew Viner. Poulter is apparently his ex wife's maiden name.

https://nitter.1d4.us/Sorelle_Arduino/status/1732066123388985732#m

Comedy used to be about calling out the absurd, especially the absurdness of the establishment. Now a lot of what gets on the BBC in particular seems to be only righteous posturing.

I keep thinking this will be the tipping point, oh wait no, this will, and it never is.

But I actually think this will!

There comes a point that not having an opinion about this, and a critical one at that, actually makes you look worse.

I don't know, Datun. I find that when this subject comes up in a work context I have to tiptoe around people's sensitivities. What will be the professional implications for me if I say the wrong thing? The ridiculous element of it is that I believe a lot of people agree with me but are also afraid to say anything. If just one of us had the courage to say "The emperor is naked" (or "This is a man in a wig") then I feel the dam might burst.

Its difficult for politicans, policy makers and the media to acknowledged what everyone else can see. Its going to be like nicola sturgeon and isla bryson.

They cant say this man is not a women because theyd have to impose standards. What policies can be introduce that say no to this man but allow izzard to be taken seriously. They are already fully committed to izzard being a women.

Yes, it's the fear. Awful situation. Which is why I hope this particular person gets publicised far and wide.

I see the BBC tweet had had a community note attached!

At work I'd let your eyebrows do the talking! You don't need to actually say anything, just raise one high enough, what are people going to do? report you for a facial expression?

That'll disappear soon enough, like thf community note on the Manchester Evening News' one about N. O'Brien.

At work I'd let your eyebrows do the talking! You don't need to actually say anything, just raise one high enough, what are people going to do? report you for a facial expression?

That's very funny. I can't actually raise one eyebrow, but perhaps I should practise a sceptical expression. Many of my work meetings take place over Teams or Zoom, which means I can see my own face, unfortunately, and most of the time I try and look as blank as possible.

Eyebrow raising has indeed been reported and brought the police to investigate.
Good for them, they went away, but "have to investigate complaints". So it's not a safe response.

I've begun to talk at work about clear and professional language (healthcare for context) and I'm getting a lot of sleight nods. It's like being in the secret nodding society.

That is a whole different level of stupid by the police!

This story is bonkers!
This 'woman' started transitioning last year. So far that seems to have been purely the sort of superficial shit which most women don't care about.
Now they're not only invading women's spaces, gay women's spaces and Roma spaces. Despite not mentioning being Roma or from another traveller background when they were a Tory MP (and presenting as a married man).
Like we've always said, where does it end? When we allow people to breezily decide to be another gender then why would they stop at that? Why wouldn't they completely lose track of reality and become Japanese or Guyanese or Senegalese?

Can you tell us more? Google didn't turn up anything.

I'm so glad I work in an environment where everyone thinks this is a crock of shit, I'm even bold enough to bring it up with clients in a round about way to see there reaction, then if they react the way I think to my harmless and inclusive question, we can delve a bit deeper. We talk about this shit daily in my office, but then they are a bunch of 20 - 30 year old blokes. Friends of mine work in other sectors where their jobs are more on the line.

I really thought Eddie Izzard would be the tipping point, but no. What on earth is it going to take?

Someone I know personally is on that thread basically claiming that the person is indeed a lovely woman totally indistinguishable from other women. He has a young daughter, I can't believe he thinks that person has anything whatsoever in common with her.

Haha! That was my thought when I saw it.

He has been concerned about the effects of cancel culture on comedy around this subject for a while (had some strong opinions about Jerry Sadowitz at the fringe but I think deleted some at the time). Think he mentioned 'men in skirts' the other day in a possible reference to Eddie Izzard.

He's getting a lot of support for the tweet - but it hasn't prompted any conversation with his peers, unsurprisingly.

The obvious majority reaction, is, but that's just a bloke in a dress. So what's going to be interesting, is the conversations that arise from that.

"That's just a bloke in a dress"

They're all just blokes in dresses

"What about the ones who have surgery?"

What, the 5%?

We so desperately need more people in the entertainment industry to be saying this stuff, the silence has been deafening. I've been listening to the 'Tough Crowd' audiobook and I completely agree on Linehan's comment about comedians being descended from jesters and that it's their duty to shed light on the uncomfortable. I hope Henning doesn't get cancelled like Glinner did... and I hope Glinner gets uncancelled soon!

Always knew Henning was a good egg!

This. Have these conversations, people, there will rarely be a better time!