Radio 1 DJ and noted jurist Greg James has given his verdict

[UninformedOfficer]

I bought Greg James’ new book, hoping for some entertaining fluff along similar lines to his likeable breakfast show persona. In a chapter on ‘not growing up’ he is talking about accepting new ideas and then - of course - weighs in on the FWS Supreme Court decision.

“It’s a backwards step and another reminder that we all have to try and understand the world as it changes”.

I honestly can’t believe he thought it was worth wasting the paper to print this. Is it too much to ask that people who don’t have the slightest bit of understanding about something could just shut up about it?

You can almost smell the white, wealthy, male privilege

If only he'd said this before the SC prepared their judgment, I'm sure they would have taken note.

I guess Greg James doesn’t ‘know himself’ to be a person with any experience of the issues involved.
He sounds like he was writing down what drunk people were saying in the pub, and not in a good way.

It's just so jarring. He does actually talk about his own privilege, and even mentions the difference in male and female strength in relation to sports.

But he just doesn't join up the dots. And he's happy to imply that the SC judges are all a bit old and out of date, without making the slightest effort to find out what the judgment was all about.

Also, later: "People with amazing careers who in some cases have changed popular culture and garnered hundreds of millions of fans around the world with the things they've created get called out once for something they've done or said and instead of apologising or asking themselves some probing questions, they decide it's the hill they're willing to die on."

I couldn't possibly imagine who he might be thinking of here 🙄

The backward step is that we have to keep explaining to people, who can't be arsed looking into something before they pronounce their opinion, that nothing has actually changed.

Yes, reading the book is rather like listening to that boring bloke at the pub. "People like listening to me, so here goes ..."

I'm disappointed that he couldn't stick with what he actually knows about, as the stuff about radio and his career is quite interesting.

😂

"...they decide it's the hill they're willing to die on."
This is what gets me, yes it is the hill, you've noticed it seems remarkable but have no curiosity to look further at that person's motivations and just decide they must be a bigot!
So many women, including myself, have had friends for 20/30/40 years who then decide that you are now a horrible bigot, never to be spoken to again. It blows my mind!

Exactly.

And the very same people will say "If something really matters, you should stand up for it no matter what."

And to think that I used to regard him as a vacuous, intellectual lightweight who couldn't think his way out of a wet paper bag.

What an absolute cockwomble. Probably wouldn't have paid full price but wouldn't even buy it for 1p now.

"instead of .... asking themselves some probing questions, they decide it's the hill they're willing to die on."
It's been quite some time before I read her essay but didn't she say that she'd spent a couple of years or so, researching what it was all about? It would seem that it is Greg who needs to ask himself some probing questions.
You'd think that we were demanding all males had to wear certain clothes all the time and were only allowed to do certain jobs etc rather than stay out of the scant few things set aside to help women navigate a world that has been designed against them.

Do any of these people stop and think “why have so many women made this the hill to die on?”

Its misogyny of old dressed up as a new progressive movement.

I suspect James expresses most of the rules of misogyny somewhere in his book, but he definitely believe "Men are whatever men say they are and women are whatever men say they are" here.

Hes implying its a new, youth movement and JKR is just too old and stubborn to understand it. Conveniently forgetting that there has always been transvestites, and many of the men he supports are a lot older and more stuck into their (fetishistic) ways than the women he critises.

He's an absolute bozo though so no real surprise

Yes. The blithe assumption "I'm going to wade in while knowing nothing so that's probably what everybody else does too."

Why yes, yes they do. They stop and think this and then it comes to them: "Because they are old and not very cool. And some of them are called Karen".

Quite simple really.

GJ went to an all boys school known for sport, & especially rugby. He’s probably never had to consider the needs of women & girls.

The sad thing is, I think he's really good at his job. I bought his book because I enjoy his show.

But, like Emma Watson, he is ignorant of how ignorant he is.

He always gives off that vibe to me IMO. He's tall, white, male, chatty and rich. At no point does he have to care about what affects vulnerable girls and women.

He's long overdue being replaced at Breakfast. Although I think a senior R1 manager bought a baby so he won't care about women either.

I’m waaaay too old to listen to Radio 1 any more and so have never heard of this extremely erudite individual but the very fact that he’s used the F word to sound down with the kidz means he’s not worth listening to.

Can you take the book back and get a refund???

Greg James is very entertaining and empathetic. He is warm and great with his listeners. He has a caring nature and does not try to be all yoof. I really, really like him. However, this is just awful and these opinions really do put me off people, usually due to the arrogance and stupidity of their beliefs. I wonder if I will continue to listen knowing that he despises me.

So by his logic if I know myself to be Greg James then I should rock up to the BBC and demand they let me present a radio show and collect his salary?

He’s on the wrong side of history and it’ll always be there in black and white. What a silly thing to do.