Baby reindeer anti woman pro trans slant

[NZadultwoman]

Watched the series this weekend and like with so many things happening today I'm struck by what I can't unseen. When you really see the narrative, you see it everywhere! Anyone else notice how the trans woman was painted "innocent" and that the "Martha" character was "guilty". And inferred that the trans woman was more of a woman than the actual woman? In fact, the writer may as well have called her Karen! I tried to confirm whether or not the plot was in line with the "true story". All I could find out was that the writer combined many different experiences to construct the plot. I wouldn't be surprised if the writer capitalized on the popularity of the pro trans anti woman element to help popularize he story. I have to admit I liked the show anyway. And I appreciate it as a reflection of our society. It's a useful looking glass me thinks

Seeing people on social media saying things like, "oh women are just as bad, look at Baby Reindeer, that's a true story," when I know he has literally made up all the stuff about Martha being violent makes me think that Gadd is not a normal person. What man in their right mind claims that a vulnerable woman sexually assaulted him when they didn't?

And are people going to extrapolate from Gadd's behaviour that women are also quite into having stalkers, and that they secretly encourage them and are turned on by them?

Just because there is one TV series that has a sympathetic transwoman character and a menacing woman you are claiming it as some kind of agenda? There are lovely, kind, wise transwomen around and why should that not be portrayed. Netflix are not captured - they took flack for streaming Ricky Gervaise and Dave Chapelle's comedy.

Yes. Although the people who will, do that anyway.

@heathspeedwell Yes, you are right. But in general terms- unpleasant people have always made art often using (and hurting) the people around them in the process. Men have traditionally gotten away with this a hell of a lot more than women. E.g. BBC Arts - BBC Arts - Picasso's ex-factor: The six women who shaped his life and work What's really interesting is that the final woman Francoise Gilot "In 1964, she wrote a book, Life with Picasso, looking back at their time together. When Picasso failed to prevent its publication, he instead cut off all contact with the two children he had with her." Picasso relied on women as his "muses" throughout his life. He was perfectly willing (and actually wanted) to shape the way the world saw those women through his own art. But when the table were turned and a women wrote about him he was genuinely outraged.

And I was thinking, in recent times you might have a man who is far from perfect. He is an alcoholic, takes drugs has mental health issues and loud arguments with his wife. His wife embellishes on her experiences living with him to include physical abuse not just a toxic relationship. Though she doesn't name him directly its obvious who she meant. He sues, they both come across badly in court but there is no evidence he was a "wife beater" and she becomes a huge hate figure. A symbol of everything wrong with Me Too and the "reputational damage" women are known for inflicting
Then you have a woman who is far from perfect. She has severe mental health issues and a history of obsessive behaviour. She stalks a man. He tells the story of this embellishing it to include her being physically abusive and being convicted of the back of this. He doesn't name her but its obvious who it is....

I don't think they are the same because Amber Heard gave an interview to a newspaper which is different to the more creative (in theory) process of a drama. And he did say it was "emotionally true" not actually true. But its blurry, because part of the selling point of the show was it was based on Gad's own experiences and that's what made it brave and ground-breaking. And celebrities are increasingly expected to sell their "authentic" selves and emotional truths to the public as part of marketing themselves. So wherever art ends and truth begins there are double standards in the online reactions.

But his trans partner at the time didn't do anything wrong and his stalker and rapist both did. I don't think accurately reflecting Teri as the only voice of reason in the series is pro-trans and anti-woman; it struck me as just a device to show how far he'd strayed from being able to listen to reason even when it was in his best interests.

The fact that the stalker has been vilified far more than his rapist is, in my opinion, on the vilifiers not on RG too.

@anothernamitynamenamechange really interesting points, thank you.

The fact that the stalker has been vilified far more than his rapist is, in my opinion, on the vilifiers not on RG too

I don't actually think she has. It's just that nobody has been able to identify the rapist.

I think perhaps Gadd took more care in hiding the identity of the rapist because he's actually scared of him and what he might do in a way in which he isn't frightened of Martha.

He hasn’t been outed in the press but his name is everywhere online

Also, the person the rapist is based on is keeping a low profile. He hasn't made any statements about how he is "innocent", or that Gadd made stuff up. Probably because he is much more mentally healthy, more calculating and has better legal advice than the Martha character. I wish the worst always got their comeuppance in real life.

Agreed. I feel so sorry for the real life Martha character. Of course you would want to make statements protesting your innocence if millions of people saw a tv show and believed you sexually assaulted someone and went to prison for it, when in reality that never happened. But I think Gadd and the Netflix legal people knew that she was too vulnerable to put her side across effectively. I didn't watch the Piers Morgan interview but I very much doubt he or his team were in the least bit interested in truth or fairness.