'He has a point, but he's too blunt.' JKR

[IwantToRetire]

In response to " Interesting interview with @Glinner on @GBNEWS a few minutes ago about the trans debate. It's interesting how the tide is turning in his favour. I've seen old friends who shunned him admit he has a point but that he was too blunt. Even that would was unthinkable a few years ago. "

From the start, a key tactic of the gender identitarians has been linguistic prescription, and it's proved shockingly successful. Trans activists' shibboleths and euphemisms have been allowed to penetrate the upper echelons of our culture with devastating consequences to freedom of speech and belief. Huge swathes of liberal media, the arts, academia and publishing have thrown themselves with gusto into the defence of a quasi-religious belief causing provable real world harm, and in their arrogance they've been outraged when people they assumed were part of their In Group have refused to march meekly along in lock step.

Time and again, I've seen and heard well-educated people who consider themselves critical thinkers and bold truth-tellers squirm when put on the spot. 'Well, yes, maybe there's something in what you're saying, but it's hateful/provocative/rude not to use the approved language/pretend people can literally change sex/keep drawing attention to medical malpractice or opportunistic sexual predators. Why can't you be nice? Why won't you pretend? We thought you were one of us! Don't you realise we have sophisticated new words and phrases these days that obviate the necessity of thinking any of this through?'

As the vibe shifts, and a lot of people in the elite professions start trying to reposition themselves, the obvious place to start is, 'it's not that I couldn't see your point, but did you have to say it that way?' We dissenters were supposed to find a way of questioning the chemical castration of children while calling it 'gender affirming care.' We were meant to defend the rights of vulnerable women while also using female pronouns for male rapists. We should have found a way to discuss fairness for women and girls in sport, while pretending that the ineradicable physical advantage men have over women doesn't exist.

Either a man can be a woman, or he can't. Either women deserve rights, or they don't. Either there's a provable medical benefit to transitioning children, or there isn't. Either you're on the side of a totalitarian ideology that seeks to impose falsehoods on society through the threat of ostracisation, shaming and violence, or you're not. The alternative to being 'blunt' - using accurate, factual language to describe what was going on - was to surrender freedom of speech and espouse ideological jargon that obfuscated the issues and the harms caused. We've always needed blunt people, but we need them most of all when being asked to bow down to a naked emperor.

https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1995491771950797148

Facts hurting feelings doesn't qualify as an insult….

So well said by JKR. People who took the cowardly position are simply trying to shift blame. It was our fault for not saying things kindly enough. Not theirs for refusing to listen to logic. Its a tactic so often used against women, less commonly against men so perhaps that’s a silver lining?

Ooh good. So when I tell a male with a trans identity he’s a man I’m not insulting him, just stating facts. That’s good to know.

I think men have to be significantly ruder to be targeted with that accusation! And Glinner was.

Apparently Elon Musk has a strategy about being at the cutting edge of design- if you aren’t getting regular failures, then you aren’t being bold enough. Being bold and progressing involves pushing hard at the boundaries.

We have been linguistically boxed in. It was evident even here on MN, when you could get a deletion for many, many things we wanted to say. Trans identified man, for example, was verboten. I think we still use Malaga Airport when referring to individuals, but are allowed to talk about AGP as a concept not directed at an individual.

The box is being smashed and dismantled and it’s a breath of fresh air.

By your logic 'telling' a butch lesbian they are a 'man' isn't offensive.

Denying self determination works both ways.

And Kitty, you know who I’m talking about. Pretending otherwise is a juvenile as saying ‘smelt it, dealt it!’. Playground stuff.

When we see someone running around with their arms out playing aeroplanes, we don’t generally bother to remind them they can’t actually fly. Though if they start buzzing us and trying insisting we step into the road so they can use the pavement as a runway, after a couple of polite refusals we might just tell them to fuck off with their silly games and go bother someone else.

Great article from JKR and really glad to see her supporting GL.

GL was utterly destroyed by TRAs. He lost the career he loved and was good at, his ability to work and earn a living, lost his family, lost his friends. He was utterly isolated and vilified. As a man, he didn’t even have the same supportive network of other women that we have had. Yet he stood firm on his principle and never backed down.

He has lived through a major, long term trauma. He’s had to move to America to try and start over.

To hear people complain that he wasn’t quite nice enough in the words he used about the group of people and movement who have deliberately sought to utterly destroy every part of his life, makes me feel a bit sick.

She's such an exceptionally insightful woman.

The zeitgeist she's nailing is that there is no other way to deal with this issue. There never has been. And all those people who thought they could have their cake and eat it, look kind and progressive, and not actually stick it to women, are finally realising that it's not possible.

Once the actual discussion is had, instead of the euphemisms, and the walking on eggshells, bluntness is the only thing left.

When you ask all the questions, put forward all the logic, and watch the person squirm their arse off, they finally, reluctantly agree that okay, you got me,TWAM.

I'm reminded of KJK shouting he's a man at the top of her voice at the Lia Thomas swim meet. Reverberating around a shocked, and massive, public space

As nutshells go, that was so it.

And while we're on bluntness, in terms of JKR leading everybody, we were here first, akcherly, hows.

She's following us.

I’m not a vet, but I know a dog when I see one. 😁

I’m tickled by Howse’s idea that because we know what a dog is, he can call a cat a giraffe.

Furthermore, I'm wondering if she's looking at people bleating on about the EHRC guidance.

Because, as I asked on a thread, what's the alternative? What do they want? And I don't mean transactivists - they bloody want everything on a stick. I mean MPs, etc.

That some men are women?

That okay, men can't be women if they rape someone or in a woman's prison, or alright then, not in sport, or fair enough, not if they're teaching in a girls school, but all toilets, yes absolutely. And changing rooms. Okay, not toilets in a school, and yes, obviously not changing rooms at work, but, um other changing rooms, certain changing rooms, what about toilets in a bar??

Or, or or, but, but, but.

Nah.

It's all or nothing, yes or no, black or white, men or women.

Still misogynist to say that women are ‘followers’ of JK Rowling. You’re trying to parse it and justify it, but it is just another misogynist viewpoint that you have expressed.

Did you get bored of ‘whoring it up’ and blaming male people’s violent behaviour on the fact that female people exclude those male people sometimes? All these posts on MN and you still cannot recognise misogyny and you try to justify your views.

Hahaha!

Of course you are because in your'e head you get to decide who everyone else should be…just like The Patriarchy did…

I guess you have to find comfort where you can.

Cats are never giraffes. And we all know what a dog is, and know when we are looking at one.

My friend’s Great Dane thinks he’s a lapdog. Sometimes she lets him try but it never ends well.

Ad hominem attacks are the resort of those who have no other arguments to make.

JKR isn't the one making ad hominem attacks.

Did you get bored of ‘whoring it up’

Ugh. Once these people can no longer use the 'euphemisms and shibboleths', this is what you're left with.

A stark bollock naked emperor

“Facts hurting feelings doesn't qualify as an insult….”

Brilliant. So Facts hurting feelings also doesn’t qualify as demonisation, dehumanisation and hate.

Glad we got that sorted.

I never said just women are followers of JKR…. because that's self evidently false.

But do keep on either falsely quoting me or quoting me out of context that way I know I'm 'winning'….

"Elastoplast, basket weave, bum crack"

The emperor really is starkers and all his bollocks are on display while he proudly brings everyone’s attention to them.

😂😂😂😂😂You really struggle with what facts are don’t you?

He's stark bollock naked and doing a whole lot more in certain cases.

(See world's strongest woman thread).

Why is anyone still engaging with Howse? It genuinely baffles me. Just ignore him!