Peak cynical opportunism

Scotland embraces its own:

An arts company based in Edinburgh is launching a new show about JK Rowling and her part in the transgender debate called TERF CUNT.

Civil Disobedience, which has its roots in the Edinburgh Fringe and was launched by Barry and Josef Church-Woods in May 2016, described it as a “vital think-piece on Joanne, exploring just what could motivate a person with such privilege to take such a divisive stance on issues that affect her fans”.

Ah yes, two men do civil disobedience by calling a woman a cunt as publicly and showily as they can. And while they’re at it they patronizingly call her “Joanne” as if she were four years old and they were her nanny. And they whine about her “privilege” when it arises entirely from the fact that she writes exceedingly popular books. And they call it “divisive” to defend women’s rights while they don’t call it “divisive” to trample all over women’s rights. A pair of privileged male idiots and no mistake.

It has been written by Joshua Kaplan, a “queer screenwriter and playwright”, and will be performed at The Actors Studio in New York City on Thursday, February 8. The plot involves Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson staging an “intervention” with Rowling.

Oh get a grip. Three talentless movie actors who owe their fame entirely to Rowling. They’re not seers, they’re not thinkers, they’re not very bright. Why not get Donald Duck and Goofy and Bugs Bunny to stage an intervention with “Lia” Thomas instead?

The synopsis for the show continues: “Joanne led a blessed life – for a woman. Billionaire. Literary phenomenon. Natural ginger. And most importantly, beloved. Completely beloved. Until she blew it all to hell.”

Stupid little piggies. They carefully leave out the pre-Potter part of her “blessed life” – the part where she was a single mother who’d escaped a violent husband.

I hope the first performance on February 8 is also the last.

Comments

12 responses to “Peak cynical opportunism”

  1. J.A. Avatar

    Didactic art doesn’t always stink, but it’s the way to bet and this play is definitely already a stinker.

  2. Ophelia Benson Avatar

    Plus, even didactic art isn’t generally about raging at one female civilian. A tyrant or mob boss or genocider, yes, but one woman with opinions, no. It’s just a TINY bit out of proportion.

  3. KBPlayer Avatar

    Absolute balloooooons as they say in Scaw’land.

    “vital think-piece on Joanne, exploring just what could motivate a person with such privilege to take such a divisive stance on issues that affect her fans”.

    Vital? How is it “vital”? It’s not a defibrillator. More like a carbon monoxide cloud.

    Think piece? I can’t see much thinking going on there.

    “Joanne led a blessed life – for a woman. Billionaire. Literary phenomenon. Natural ginger. And most importantly, beloved. Completely beloved. Until she blew it all to hell.”

    I understand that she is no longer a billionaire, having given away quite a lot of her fortune. As for “beloved” – she is more beloved than ever from the stance she has taken against these self-righteous idiots. Far more Scots are on Team Jo than Team Anti-Jo.

  4. Papito Avatar

    Some good lines from the article, anyway:

    Now, Joanne’s surrogate children – Daniel, Rupert, and Emma – have had enough. It’s time for an intervention. But Joanne isn’t in the mood for one, especially not one held at a Shoreditch ‘test kitchen’ organised by three overentitled Judases who know nothing about the world into which they were born with platinum spoons (thanks to her).

    It’s almost like there’s dissension in the newsroom:

    Rowling has refused to back down on her stance and won the love and admiration of many feminists across the world. She has said: “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives.

    The TRAs are no doubt going to give Ben Borland a stern talking-to. No, wait, he’s a man. Never mind.

  5. Screechy Monkey Avatar
    Screechy Monkey

    I don’t understand the problem. Many online dudes have assured me that “cunt” is a term of endearment in Scotland, just a nice friendly thing you say to your mates. Surely this means that this play is an affectionate tribute to Rowling?

  6. Lady Mondegreen Avatar
    Lady Mondegreen

    Joanne led a blessed life – for a woman. Billionaire. Literary phenomenon. Natural ginger. And most importantly, beloved. Completely beloved. Until she blew it all to hell

    She hasn’t blown anything to hell. She stopped being a billionaire by choice, before she spoke up about genderism. She’s still a multimillionaire, her books still sell, the franchises based on her books are still going strong, and she’s still beloved by many.

    She’s lost the admiration of some lackwits, but I recall her saying their opinion means about as much as the dust under her fridge.

  7. Freemage Avatar

    I think calling the trio ‘talentless movie actors” is unfair. Watson has at least a modicum of talent, and Radcliffe is quite good. (I don’t know much about Grint.) Now, if you’d called them ‘ungrateful’, then I’d totally be on board with you. And of course, even the two I find to have some talent owe the opportunity to develop that talent to JKR.

  8. Mostly Cloudy Avatar
    Mostly Cloudy

    Freemage: I agree with your assessment of Radcliffe. “Kill Your Darlings”, “What If”, “The Woman In Black”, the TV series “A Young Doctor’s Notebook”….he gave excellent performances in all of them.

    I may strongly disagree with Radcliffe’s politics (as I do with the politics of say, Kelsey Grammer) but it doesn’t stop me respecting both men as actors.

  9. Arcadia Avatar

    The turnaround in Rowling’s fortunes wasn’t so instant once Potter reached the heights of success either, she still had an abusive ex and had her address made public. There were details in the podcast by Megan Phelps-Roper.

  10. Holms Avatar

    I wonder if this is actionable in UK law. Even for a public figure, this seems a bit on the nose.

    #5 Screechy

    Context of this one is decidedly leaning towards insult.

  11. Rob Avatar

    The use of that word between male friends is the topic for an academic treatise, not a blog comment. While it might be common in certain societal sub-groups, its use in general would be akin to taking a shit on the middle of the table during dinner. Even within those sub-groups, that use is edgy. It will more commonly be used from males higher in the social hierarchy to those lower. It’s a brave lower status male that will use it against higher status, because these sub-groups tend to have an underlying level of potential physical aggression, even if seldom manifested.

  12. Holms Avatar

    Hm, let’s just say we had different social environments and leave it there.