Biggus Titus of Oxford University

[Forecastsayssnowbutthereisnosnow]

Sadly, not a Monty Python sketch.

Matt Rattley, a large bearded bloke who wears giant fake breasts, appears to be happily working at Oxford Uni.

I was really hoping this wasn't true but there is even a youtube video with him talking while wearing the giant breasts and red lipstick, applied to a degree any circus clown would be accused of overdoing it. The video includes a slide stating he works as a lecturer and tutor in the Biochemistry Dept at Oxford. He's also on LinkedIn.

I mean, how obvious can it be that this is a sexual fetish which he is involving unconsenting students and staff in???

Dr P on X has been (correctly) very robust on this case:

""This is Matt Rattley saying, "I can do whatever I please and nobody can stop me".

This is highly antisocial, abnormal, boundary-violating, paraphilic behaviour.

And we should not be afraid to say so."

One thing that's missing here is the Uni of Oxford trying to find out how this man's students feel, honestly. They know if they speak up they'll receive the Dr North treatment aka witch hunt for sex realist views.

At the very least they should be doing an anonymous survey. But they won't of course because it doesn't take an academic to know that many students will find this offensive.

And it would mean they'd have to grow a spine and deal with the issue.

It's worth watching/ listening to Tanya de Grunwald on the more general issues in the workplace raised by this sexual harasser (yes, I think his wearing of gross comedy plastic breasts in the workplace is sexual harassment) - there's a lovely YouTube video discussion with Mr Menno - they're both so calm, sane & compassionate - so refreshing.

I just watched this. Just brilliant. I love Menno's reaction - he's just laughing in disbelief at the end that they can actually be discussing this. How can this be the world we live in where bringing a fetish to work is accepted?

Thanks for posting - excellent discussion. Sanity does seem to have left some workplaces and hopefully can make its way back soon. Such a great comment made about how having a topless picture on the wall wasn't considered harrassment previously, but is now better understood. These prosthetic breasts are the topless calenders of the 2020s - it's clearly going to be upsetting for women in the workplace even if there are many rushing to fawn and placate.

And where sane people keep catching themselves thinking 'how the fuck did I end up in clown world where we actually have to reason and justify the absolute bleeding obvious like this?'

The man is wearing big rubber tits. At work. End of. What more does anyone need to know?

It was fascinating the bit where Tanya said she'd put a comment on Biggus Titus's Linked in asking if anyone ever comments on his dress (meaning the big plastic tits to be clear) and he just deleted her comment. I mean he's dressing in a way which screams 'look at me' - enormous fake breasts - and yet isn't happy to be questioned about it mildly by an HR expert.

What I really like about their conversation is how reasonable they both are. And how respectful & compassionate of people who are - really - actually weirdos.

That was a good listen. And yes to the observation that back in the day young women workers (like me) were subjected to naked porn photos of women in countless workplaces, newspapers etc. We thought society had grown up a bit but men like this really are dragging us back to those days.
They and their supporters are so bloody regressive.

Oh, how they would hate to be called "regressive"! But they are.

As we've seen been lectured to above, the Righteous are not regressive: they're vewy vewy super-educated, socially sophisticated, intellectually agile and hyperflexible... and most importantly, really with-it-trendy-bang-up-to-date COOL.

But they identify as progressive. And very definitely superior.

It's not passing that's the issue.

Exactly. Everything goes in cycles. The current generation in the workplace have (mostly) only known the results of women’s lib and forgotten what was hard won. And how ghastly the men of that time behaved - so to them this is all mysteriously new… when it’s just same old shit dressed up in modern style. We need to keep reminding of past problems to illustrate this cycle so we don’t get caught out in future

Absolutely. There's little difference between these people and the Victorian gentlemen who saw women as possessions, having no agency, no right to speak and mere objects to be subject to their sexual and other demands. There to be passive in the face of all sorts of indignities.

I never would have believed society could regress so far backwards. It just shows how inadequate so many politicians and leaders are that they can be bought by these simplistic fantasies that displaying a sexual fetish in the work place is OK.

Absolutely - there's a parallel with lavatories & changing rooms.

I am old enough to have seen people justify not employing women because there were "no facilities." The provision of adequate and safe lavatory, washing, and changing facilities for women is an historic battle.

Seems like it still is. Plus ça change

(I'm also old enough to have been asked in an interview for a high-flying civil service job about what would happen when I had a family!)

I found it interesting that Mr Menno was more concerned with the motivation, specifically the extent to which it was sexual, that Tanya de Grunwald was. She was exploring the legal position for employers.

He has more insight into the darkness of some men's sex drive.

My sister had some work done for by a builder subcontracted by her regular builder. It transpired later that he was seriously dangerous and she asked if there had been anything which indicated he was problematic, and whether he should have been placed with a woman alone. The workers said that he had a more extreme interest in porn than usual. But just builder stuff only more so. This is relevant by comparison with the remarks about women exposed to porn in the work place above.
How does anyone know whether anyone with porny imclinations is another Fred West?
Transphobia contains within its word that it is an extreme fear, like arachnophobia or agarophobia, Why should a person be considered guilty of fault for feeling uneasy about someone who presents in a peculiar way?
My sister, who usually felt able to pop out to the shop leaving her children with trades, always took the boys when he was there. We are given ick for a reason.

As I understand it, phobia is an irrational fear. A woman's fear of a man displaying aberrant sexual fetishistic behaviour is not irrational.

Why should a person be considered guilty of fault for feeling uneasy about someone who presents in a peculiar way?

It says more about the accuser than it does about the doubter.

This.

What I find really chilling is that he removed Tanya's very reasonable and -given the context - quite mild question on Linkedin. I can only assume that many students may have been similarly silenced.

'Why is my lecturer wearing comedy extra large, fake breasts as if he's at a stag do? It makes me as a woman uncomfortable' would be a very reasonable statement for a female student to make. It's the first thing you'd mention if you felt you could speak freely.

I think we probably find the answer in Dr North's experience as subject of a witch hunt in the Dept of Biology at Oxford. He literally just put up quotes from well known (hitherto) uncontroversial literature/ authors and scientists!

Absolutely that.

What is this modern thing for trying to train women out of their own instincts?

A man who is signalling that he has at the very least, no grip on appropriacy, limited self awareness and respect for himself and others, and major boundary issues is someone to avoid as a walking field of red flags. There is a good reason humans have evolved to be wary of and disgusted by risky, unpleasant social behaviour.

I was carefully not sayimg that.

'Why is my lecturer wearing comedy extra large, fake breasts as if he's at a stag do? It makes me as a woman uncomfortable' would be a very reasonable statement for a female student to make. It's the first thing you'd mention if you felt you could speak freely.

Given all the fuss a few years ago about "cultural appropriation" in student drinking nights when they wear sombreros ...

No it doesn't. Not to anyone normal.
Perhaps I should have used something more expressive, like obscene. Because it is. To most women and men.

I'm happy that Matt R. is just getting on with their revision teaching as normal, despite all the hate speech.