Zoe Williams -

[Sizzlysausage]

Kate doesn’t want Prince George to go to Eton – and for once I agree with her | Zoe Williams | The Guardian

Sorry if there is another thread on this article by Zoe Williams which is rather extraordinary on a number of counts, but especially confusing is the following:

"Which isn’t to say that nothing good came of it – my experience of an all-girls’ school, followed by twice as long as a trustee of a prison charity, informed a lot of my politics, including why I became a transgender ally. Before I had thought seriously about trans rights, and the immeasurable preciousness of any human being with the courage to live their most meaningful and truthful life, I thought: “Wait, are you saying all-female spaces are kinder? Purer? Inherently less violent? More supportive? Are you joking? Are you out of your mind?”"

I think I might be struggling with my comprehension today - but I don't think gender critical feminists are necessarily saying all-female spaces are kinder or purer - although, yes, almost certainly inherently less violent. It seems like a conflation of different points flung together to construct a straw man argument and entirely misunderstanding safeguarding as a concept in the process. Is this deliberate? Or is she not able to see this? Baffling.

She's 50.

I know - she's a similar age to me. I used to marvel at her lack of logical thought processes when we were both younger too!

Yes, definitely. Unfortunately it means they end up churning out things that don’t make sense thereby compromising any journalistic integrity they may have once had 🤷‍♀️

My mum is unfortunately quite deaf. She sometimes tries to cover up for this when she hasn't heard something and pretends that she has. It can lead to some very strange conversations and make her seem a bit mad (I mean that in a nice way). Anyway, I am trying to make a rather convoluted metaphor here. It's like Zoe Williams (and others) have stuck their fingers in their ears so they simply can't and won't hear anything resembling logic and it makes them seem .... well, a bit mad!

I think their fingers must be so firmly plugged in their ears that the tips have touched.

That's interesting, my post is now displayed....

https://twitter.com/zoesqwilliams/status/1750301076161487178

And she continues, this time being horrible to Sharron Davies. Has Zoe ever actually campaigned for anything? She complains about GC women and how mean we all are but has ever actually campaigned for trans rights? Beyond whinging about women in a column. I don’t think she’d do as Sharron has done and risked her income for a cause she cares about.

I searched for this but may have missed if anyone screenshotted this splendid riposte to ZW re: need for more Woman's Hour invitations to trans + ally guests.

https://twitter.com/blablafishcakes/status/1750102590564466909

That tweet!!!! 'Is there a way to call off Sharron Davies, or once she's activated, she fights to the death.' My. Word. Really showing her true colours now.

If you feel so strongly, Zoe, I'm sure you'd be happy to debate in public with Sharron?

QEII Conference Centre? I'd buy a ticket. Nothing to do with hoping I'd sit so close to Selina Todd and Daley Thompson again.

I am FASCINATED about whether she has any sense of internal cognitive dissonance. The idea that she has arrived at a position and will now stick to it, no matter what, even if a little voice inside her is saying she might be wrong. I would find that enormously stressful personally - much more stressful than saying, actually, you know what, I've been a dick, so sorry, will try harder. But ..... maybe she really does believe what she's saying? Or as others have said, there's some sort of skin in the game? Baffling.

Yes, saying that about SD is really uncalled for.

Rather unwise of Zoe to give Sharron an opening like that, because she absolutely nailed it.

She is not reading the replies and all reasonable critisism is labelled as a a pile on and hate. So standard tactics.

I take it Zoe Williams was one of the signatories to the Guardian staff letter damning Suzanne Moore?

Marlborough over Eton every time if you have to choose.
Kate far more well rounded than Wills, imho.

As for Zoe, she's a tedious prize prawn.

(Sorry, I dont like to be personal but am in a bad mood today, having been posh waffled at by a pompous, patronising prick of an emotionally and communicatively illiterate man (,not the dh )and it is making me feel a teensiest bit better to offlload here)

Doh! The article isnt about the choices the royals have, silly me, it's all about Zoe.....

I've literally said nothing about sport! There are things I could say, but I haven't said them! Is there a way to call off Sharron Davies, or once she's activated, she fights to the death?

Painful; Zoe's somewhat over-reliant on the Graun's subs, I see.

Am I alone in reading Zoe's line that "[t]here are things I could say" as an admission that she wants to tell female sportswomen to just try harder?

Foolish of Williams. Sharron Davies has been there and got the tshirt for just trying harder against female athletes doping with testosterone!

I love this !

Here's Zoe talking about women's sport. Worth watching just for the look on Ella Whelan's face.
https://twitter.com/crit_gen/status/1750498358014226910
She's an idiot. Amazing how far confidence can take you.

She's grabbed a point, misunderstood it, and based an entire argument on it.

The FA took against women's football in the 20s because their games were too popular (and taking revenue from the men's games); not because women were better in the sense of being faster or stronger.

Peter Twatchell also claimed that women were stronger than men and easily able to muscle them around on a football pitch.

Wow. Taking on a great woman athlete to argue that she should shut up about women's sports. That's a big call.

She basically teed it up and Sharron hit it down the fairway