Gregg Wallace: I've bloody heard it all now

[SidewaysOtter]

https://www.thetimes.com/article/048274a6-0f4d-4840-a6d6-a762f3cd89b4?shareToken=c179de101201f5ff427273be03361fa3

Apparently, in addition to him being the "true victim" in the BBC's investigation (see his statement of yesterday on Instagram where "nothing was done to investigate my disability" or "protect me from...a dangerous environment"), his "friends" now claim that incidents such as him opening doors with a sock on his penis while he shouted "hooray" were due to his autism which, in turn, meant he couldn't wear underwear.

I have no words other than to say I know quite a few autistic people. Not one of them behaves as, or uses autism to excuse being, a sex pest.

Whoever is doing his crisis PR has really pulled out all the stops.

It really annoys me that as soon as someone gets caught doing despicable deeds such as Wallace, or hackers into various secure Government departments etc. They suddenly get diagnosed with autism.

I often wonder who does the diagnosis.
Is it correct or is it something else?

I suppose he could go for the Son of Sam defence and say his neighbour's dog told him to do it, but autism probably seems more credible.

Nice victim blaming 🙄🙄

It’s not ’underhand’ at all. A lot of the women Wallace targeted were young and in insecure freelance jobs. They felt uncomfortable, and didn’t want to report in case they were branded a troublemaker or sacked. Can’t you understand that?

Even with older women, if someone behaves like that you might freeze, think you are overreacting, doubt yourself, give him the benefit of the doubt, or not want to cause trouble.

but yes, some people did report him. Some were told they were overreacting, and their claims were not taken seriously. That’s on the BBC.

I think there may be Neurodivergence at play with him, but he is a disgrace of a human being. (See my previous posts; I'm Autistic myself)

However, I'm getting increasingly pissed off at the narrative of "I'm Autistic / I have ADHD (or even) I have a mental health condition, so I cannot be held accountable for my actions" when people try and wriggle out of shockingly inappropriate behaviour.

My Autism does not cause me to behave inappropriately. Being a predatory male arsehole is largely the common denominator in these situations. People who do really bad things tend to make excuses for their behaviour rather than own it. Neurodivergence or mental health conditions seem like the latest get out clause.

Sadly, you see it trotted out in court cases all the time and it muddies the waters massively in the understanding of Neurodivergence.

I hate it. It isn't doing genuine, good, Autistic people who live by the rules of society any favours at all.

That was a shitshow of an interview and no mistake. It was basically 'I spend 2 hours on a Saturday with my kid and the rest of it sequestered away in the pub or in the spare room building model soldiers and watching nazi documentaries on uktv Hitler' and thinking that makes him a historian.

The lack of self awareness was baffling.

A young researcher was pushed into a sofa, he dropped his pants, sand underwear and thrust himself at her.

She complained at the time to a manager ask was told “you’re an adult, it’s not as if you’ve been Jimmy Savilled”. The person who said that should be sacked and named and shamed and GW should also have been sacked in the spot. But they weren’t and that is why women don’t report!

I agree with you.

He surely can’t sue the bbc successfully for not taking his autism into consideration? Because if he won wouldn’t that mean it’s a green light for any autistic man to sexually harrass female colleagues ? Which obviously wouldn’t happen! And people with autism apart from gregg manage to not behave like this.

SquishedMallow I thought the same as you at first - probably just inappropriate banter and being a bit of a tit. Especially after that Alan Partridge-esque interview. I actually felt a bit sorry for him.

But do look up some of the allegations against him - some of them are really quite predatory.

No.

I actually think the Berkowitz/Son of Sam defence would be more credible...

I have had the unfortunate experience of being introduced to him In a professional capacity. No he didn’t drop his trousers but he was a thoroughly unlikeable misogynistic twat.

Forget the autism get out card he isn’t

He’s playing the autism card to cover his twat tendencies. I’ve worked with him he’s just a sleazebag

What an utter twat. And a predator.

You have my full sympathies.

I’d like to think this was unlikely but the courts have accepted all kinds of non-excuses for male predation on women.

I hadn't come across this cunt before. Just reading about him tonight. What an awful person! Has he no shame whatsoever, blaming women, blaming autism, blaming his employer...what an entitled, cowardly prick. Ugh.

My DS is 16 and autistic, he is also non-speaking and has moderate leaning disability. He knows how to behave both in public and when interacting with people at school or other places.

It's not always easy for him as he can be impulsive sometimes, and you can see him gritting his teeth as he stops himself from hopping about in the supermarket or stimming in a restaurant. Never in a million years would he be sexually inappropriate anywhere, he knows perfectly well that he can't do that (he went through a phase a year or two ago of wanting to hold hands with every little girl he met, we explained to him (once) why he couldn't do that now he is growing up, and it never happened again).

The older I get the less respect I have for men in general. It's like the Y chromosome has some special creep sauce on it. Double ugh.

There are photos of him wearing shorts..why couldn't he wear boxers of the same fit etc..hes so full of shit.

I heard on the radio yesterday that he jumped on some young researcher and pinned her to the couch. When she complained to her manager she was told ‘look you are over 17 it’s not like you’ve been jimmy savilled or anything’!

As someone said on the radio yesterday, it’s the Prince Andrew defence.

despicable.

The older I get the less respect I have for men in general. It's like the Y chromosome has some special creep sauce on it. Double ugh.

That missing “leg” of the otherwise-X chromosome (ie a Y is an X that’s missing a bit) must contain most of the “don’t be an entitled arsehole” genes.

Mind you, if Gregg’s PR team thought like that they’d be claiming he has a genetic condition too 🙄

TBH when I heard the story first time I assumed it was undiagnosed ADHD. The sensory stuff combined with impulsivity could produce some startling behaviour and unlikeability… (See the Owen Jones thread for example).

It’s certainly not an excuse but if no one told Greg in very plain terms about the complaints then it is feasible he had no idea people were upset.

Interesting the bit about 2018 and his claim of changing his behaviour. If he can demonstrate that all these complaints are prior to this then he probably deserves another chance.

It’s really odd that bit - an employer isnt responsible for attending to his medical needs. Why is it for the BBC to get him diagnosed?

It’s depressing enough that there are too many GreGG s in the world making women the butt of their jokes and a source of sexual gratification, but to blame women - FFS. Really?

Women aren’t jumping on a bandwagon, they are trying to get out of the way of a juggernaut.

The cult of celebrity in the media is a huge part of the problem, I don't get it, none of these stars are irreplaceable, I'm sure there are thousands who could do the job. Yet these presenters are pandered to, allowed to call the shots and act with impunity because of some perceived value.

He probably is shocked that hes being called out for his behaviour and feels aggreived, because for years no one has stopped him, in fact they covered for him and protected him. He was given the green light to continue by those around him. The young female freelancers were considered valueless and dispensable and they knew it, complaining risks destroying your career before you have even started.

I don't blame them for not coming forward, because even when they do they are not taken seriously,or accused of only doing it for fame and compensation.

Hes one of thousands of mysoginistic awful men, unfortunately he found himself in a position were he was allowed to be himself without any correction to his behaviour.