Alice Walker supports JK Rowling

Okay, top ten comments copied and pasted, from a total of 996:

‘Its not transphobic to think transwoman and genetic women are different. Its not transphobic to reject making language gender neutral to appeal to a small minority of people, some of which aren't even trans because transpeople believe in gender or else they wouldn't be trying to transition. Rowling is against a small group of people, some if not a lot who aren't even trans, who feel the need to attack women and language in the supposed name of inclusivity.'

'It appears to be more people that agree with J.K. and Alice, but the media will lead you to believe this is not true. We will absolutely not cancel Alice Walker.’

‘No matter how hard they try, Transgender women will never truly 100% be a woman. They can look like one (upper body only), dress like one, but the doctors are not going to change anything down there. No one is begrudging them the choice of transgender surgery or dressing like a woman if that makes them happier, but it is wrong for them to expect to participate in EVERYTHING that women participate in. What JK Rowlings is trying to get at, and what everyone else in the world is trying to explain to transgender people is that there are things that will forever be female only. Giving Birth, having a period, having a miscarriage, postpartum depression, etc. These are experiences transgender women will never have. Transgender women are not women. Having a transgender woman sit in on a post partum support group or miscarriage support group makes about as much sense as having a man sit in there. Having a transgender women compete with women in college level swimming is no different from having a man compete. Gender transition surgery is cosmetic, it does not undo development that a transgender woman had undergone as a man prior to the surgery.’

‘She nailed it. That is exactly the core issue for J.K. Rowling. Biological sex matters as it relates to women's rights. Now suddenly all these men want to call themselves women and with that, all the rights and protections that women have fought for, for hundreds of years are losing meaning.’

‘For those who support the Trans Movement, it's your leadership that will be your downfall. This isn't a fight for equality, its a power grab. To spout that violence is being done against the Trans Community simply because the average person understands basic genetics, is offensive, which is why Moderates are moving to the right on this issue. The average citizen doesn't care how a Trans sees themselves. The issues begin when the Trans Movement calls those who disagree with them as Violent.’

‘Words matter. There's no 'phobia" A phobia is a fear of.
Having a different opinion doesnt mean its a phobia’

‘JK Rowling has expressed concerns shared by many women about maintaining safe places for women and the basic unfairness of trans women competing against women who do not have the physiological and anatomical advantages of males. She's also commented unfavorably about the convoluted use of language. Does this constitute transphobia? Can't one criticize social and political issues without hating the people involved?’

‘Don't you just love this. MEN pretending to be women trying to shut down REAL WOMEN's rights, speech, opinions, etc. Isn't this rich? Women's rights are being taken away. Girls that voice concern of boys in their restrooms are being suspended, girls and women now have to compete with men in physical competitions that makes girls and women unsafe. You can't make this stuff up. And here I am, a woman, a mother, una Latina, a minority and I will get bullied by mostly MEN for my thoughts once I post this. It's utter craziness.’

‘0.02% of the population do not get to impose their delusional views on the rest of us. JK Rowling is 100% right and she deserves an apology for this slanderous nonsense from the media. I thought the left cared about women. Well act like it. A man wearing a dress is not a woman. You don't give men awards for international women's day. You don't let men compete against women. And most importantly of all, this dangerous ideology should be kept out of schools and far away from children, especially during their formative years when many are confused and highly impressionable. It's tragic that I even have to write this post in 2023.’

‘You will see trans supporters citing that gender is a construct. BUT those same people when you bring up that trans women should not be competing in women's sports, due to the biology, then completely lose all logic.
If you are trans, great. Live your life, but when it comes to sports, trans women need to compete either in their own category or against biological men.
To see it otherwise, is inconsistent logic....and also completely unfair, selfish, and delusional.’

Well, only this article so far, dreadfully written sneering bollocks that verges on libel. In fact, I would say it is libel.

www.yahoo.com/news/color-purple-author-alice-walker-100824581.html

But.

The comments.

JKR, who is very beloved by the Jewish community, as she stood by us when threatened by far-left antisemites under Corbyn (and as she wrote a series of children's books that are basically an allegory of the victory over Nazism), would not, I am sure, welcome Alice Walker's 'support', given that Walker is a notorious antisemite.

Those on this thread supporting Walker are really not covering yourself with glory here.

Yes, it's nice when famous people support us.

When it's famous people who are massive racists - not so much.

I'd stay shtum on this one, honestly.

I don't imagine I entirely agree with AW about how she sees Judaism.

However, I also don't think that it is totally odd to see a criticism from someone who married into a Jewish family about how some elements of Jewish culture, and even theological interpretations, sees outsiders. I've known individuals within Judaism to talk about these things and in one case as a young person to have some really negative experiences encountering them in what was meant to be a positive environment. So it's not surprising to me and I don't think in itself anti-Semitic.

As to the conspiracy theory stuff, I also can't help but contrast some of the books written about Christian belief, which are laden with bad 19th century potted history, or stupid, inaccurate statements about theology, or sometimes vaguely offensive things, by people like Dawkins for example, which tends to bring only fairly mild moral criticism, even from those who dispute their accuracy. And in fact I've found that some people who seem otherwise pretty reasonable and bright and nice people will take some of these books and theories quite seriously, even though they seem clearly inconsistent and inaccurate to me. It seems like a blind spot, from my perspective, not a sign of their moral unworthiness.

So I don't see why I'd treat a similar phenomena, if that's what it is, from AW, any differently. An odd blind spot, perhaps rooted in her personal experience and involving an inability to look at the big picture on that topic, but not necessarily indicating a deeper moral unworthiness.

I mean - sure, it could be. Maybe she is really inclined to bigotry, some people are. But I don't tend to assume that from this kind of evidence.

Great analysis. I wish I could it into words as well as you have here.

I don't imagine I entirely agree with AW about how she sees Judaism.

However, I also don't think that it is totally odd to see a criticism from someone who married into a Jewish family about how some elements of Jewish culture, and even theological interpretations, sees outsiders. I've known individuals within Judaism to talk about these things and in one case as a young person to have some really negative experiences encountering them in what was meant to be a positive environment. So it's not surprising to me and I don't think in itself anti-Semitic.

As to the conspiracy theory stuff, I also can't help but contrast some of the books written about Christian belief, which are laden with bad 19th century potted history, or stupid, inaccurate statements about theology, or sometimes vaguely offensive things, by people like Dawkins for example, which tends to bring only fairly mild moral criticism, even from those who dispute their accuracy. And in fact I've found that some people who seem otherwise pretty reasonable and bright and nice people will take some of these books and theories quite seriously, even though they seem clearly inconsistent and inaccurate to me. It seems like a blind spot, from my perspective, not a sign of their moral unworthiness.

So I don't see why I'd treat a similar phenomena, if that's what it is, from AW, any differently. An odd blind spot, perhaps rooted in her personal experience and involving an inability to look at the big picture on that topic, but not necessarily indicating a deeper moral unworthiness.

I mean - sure, it could be. Maybe she is really inclined to bigotry, some people are. But I don't tend to assume that from this kind of evidence.

It is not about "us" and "them". It is about people being prepared to speak the truth in the face of a censorious virtue signalling mob There are no purity tests that one must pass to do this. She supports JK Rowling is all that is relevant when it comes to this issue - and her support is important because she is a similarly iconic writer.

You're saying Alice Walker is a neo-Nazi. Don't be so bloody silly.