Times Interview with Kate Clanchy - shared article in post

[NorthSouthEast]

This is a sobering, thoughtful, harrowing, blood-boiling read. What Kate Clanchy went through 😡. I’ve put this in FWR as it’s yet another story of a woman being cancelled on the basis of rumour, supposition and hearsay with self-righteous people scrambling to jump on the “be kind” wagon as it rolls another human being and their career into the mud.

Kate Clanchy: I was cancelled. It made me contemplate suicide

www.thetimes.com/article/7681d5ec-3773-4b36-ab95-e4ab409d7899?shareToken=e76def471fd13ded750d7295fd554675

You’re the one saying it should be done. How?

I'm just interested in hearing how others might use their intuition to relate to young people.

Can you just answer the question? Because I got through my degree and dissertation without once being subjected to anything like this, so please educate me.

'subjected to'?

@musicismyboyfriend I'd also be interested to know how you "ensure and test (and monitor) a student's resilience".

What tests are carried out? What monitoring is done?

I have to admit I don't understand what you mean by this statement at all, so some explanation would be very helpful.

how would you?

@musicismyboyfriend I have no idea. You’re the one who is claiming expertise in this matter.

Why are you not answering the question?

You know what you posted. Just try thinking about how it comes across.

'to ensure and test (and monitor) a student's resilience'

What this sounds like is soliciting disclaimers and arse covering.

It sounds like a colossal grift to me.

It also sounds incredibly intrusive and infantilising. I would have hated it when I was at school, let alone university- what a stultifying atmosphere to try to study in.

I'd also be interested to know how the PP is actually qualified to monitor her students in this way- is she a trained mental health professional?

I reckon it means getting students to regularly sign agreements that they are fine and not traumatised by the institution and will seek help if they need it.

May on the face if it look like 'care' but is actually litigation-proofing.

It's fucking nuts. And these are adults, who presumably are responsible for their own emotions and experiences.

It's all so patronising and pathetic.

Among other reasons, yes. We are multi-faceted here 😊

Exactly. It sounds utterly suffocating although maybe it explains why there are few mental health specialists available to help younger kids - they are all ensconced in a nice arts university where apparently the mental health care is extremely engaged and hands on to preventative levels. Maybe even gold standard?

I wonder where this utopian university is?

I work at a university in the arts - even the level 6 students are supervised and protected by ethical frameworks to protect them when working creatively on something, such as a traumatic experience, which might cause them undue harm. They are discouraged from doing so and have to provide paperwork to acknowledge this, it’s basic safeguarding.

Looking back on these posts - I’m finding this bit very hard to believe. Do universities REALLY discourage students from making certain pieces of art on mental health grounds?

@musicismyboyfriend - are you sure you have understood the safeguarding practices correctly at this university?

Isn't there the problem that raising the issue of mental health problems might paradoxically encourage them? A bit like everyone feeling itchy when headlice are discussed. I believe this is a recognised phenomenon. One reason why responsible organisations are very careful about mentions of suicide.

Looking back on these posts - I’m finding this bit very hard to believe.

I agree. Also, how will universities know if students have had former trauma if they haven’t talked about it?
What about if a student creates something that could be triggering for another student?
Also, there has been no reply from musicismyboyfriend so maybe it was all a wind-up.

I think you’re right.

On the slightly wider view of the arts and these eye wateringly high but ill defined standards to which artists seem to be held these days, I wonder what impact that will have on artistic output by this generation.

In previous generations artists seemed to be left to get on and do their thing and it either worked or it didn’t but now it seems like some creativity is being stifled at source. Some of our greatest artists have been quite troubled people driven to produce art.

Certainly if any of Musicismboyfriends claims are remotely true, much freedom and creativity will be tied up in form filling and risk assessments.

Anyway. Getting back to Kate Clanchy

https://archive.ph/YuGBZ

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2025/11/kate-clanchy-has-nothing-to-teach-us

She calls MN 'just mad' 😁

TBF she's referring to her being compared to Jimmy Savile so I think her opinion is justified. It is mad.

I agree. That is mad. I didn't feel insulted.

She also refers to people treating her work as being a white saviour, something that a couple of people on this thread said.

She is right. Those people are mad.

It's very sad to hear how much she's been 'diminished' by the past few years, but I guess that should be unsurprising. Any human would be.

' She is not sure who to blame, or if she blames. For most of our conversation she justifies mobbings as “just a madness”. She points out that “many animals do ostracism and tearing apart”. At one point, she says anyone would have done what her persecutors did, in their position.'
...
'“I’m not going to say it’s salutary at all. I don’t think anyone learned anything except that people can be bullied. I think it’s horrible and I think I was only diminished.” '

I would just venture to add the word 'yet'. It can be placed at a couple of points and be useful.