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Monday 14 December 2015

Sun Pundit Bullies ANOTHER Teenager

Those who look in regularly on Zelo Street may remember the way the Murdoch Sun harassed Abby Tomlinson of Milifandom fame earlier this year, turning up not only on her doorstep, but that of her Grandma. This was followed up with characteristically obsessive bullying from (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch, who gave every indication of enjoying using her position to harangue a 17 year old girl.
(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

And to no surprise at all, Ms Mensch is now at it again. After the Telegraph’s tedious pundit Julia Hartley Brewer found that a debate she had attended had turned out not necessarily to her advantage, she used the bully pulpit afforded her by that paper to tell anyone still reading of “My thoughts after an evening spent debating ‘Is feminism the new F word’. Deep sighs all round”. The subject of her ire was clear.
I spent most of the evening being lectured on how to be a proper feminist by a 17 year old fellow panellist” she whined. Just to make sure readers got the point, a link was inserted into the online version to confirm that that panellist was June Eric-Udorie, who has written for the Guardian and Staggers. Ms Mensch, who has a remarkable ability to detect arguments involving young pundits, decided to wade in. Ms Eric-Udorie was unimpressed.
Hello - thanks for RTing abuse and opening me up to more. Don't get what your *issue* is with outspoken young women … And one more thing - it says a lot about you to patronise young women like me and [Abby Tomlinson] on Twitter. It's really sad” she responded. Ms Mensch engaged maximum patronising mode: “You weren't ‘abused’, #GenerationSnowflake, you were rightly slammed by @JuliaHB for moronic fauxminism”.
Would Ms Mensch care to tell what was wrong with Ms Eric-Udorie’s arguments? You jest. It’s all about hectoring and patronising: “You chose to be a panel debater, and you will take the consequences that come from a public platform you asked for [not sure it was public, but hey ho] and, while this may be a shock to you, @TWCuddleston & #GenerationSnowflake being ‘young’ isn't a shield against criticism”.
So what criticism would Ms Mensch care to make? “‘Issue’ is with moronic arguments. Doubly if 17 year olds seek public platforms to make them, then protest criticism”. So what is wrong with those arguments, and where is the criticism? We don’t get to hear about that: “you are clearly mad because she didn't give you the oxygen of publicity by naming you”. In the online version of the Tel article, as I already mentioned, she was named.
But that isn’t the point: it’s all about bullying. “You tagged me, I reply to you. That's what we grown-up girls call ‘debating’. Try it sometime … If twitter's too much for you, try Club Penguin. My kids enjoyed that”. No engagement with the arguments: indeed, no attempt to find out what those arguments were. No real criticism. No listening and learning. Just a welter of patronising, bullying and abuse. Which Ms Mensch calls feminism.

So what will Sun on Sunday editor Victoria Newton and managing editor Stig Abell do about their pundit’s embarrassing behaviour? Er, they won’t do anything. Ms Mensch enjoys the approval of those far higher up in the organisation than them.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The difference is this:

Eric-Udorie is young enough to know the truth.

Hartley Brewer and Untermensch are old enough to ignore or lie about it.

Anonymous said...

Mensch claims June wasn't abused but was "slammed" for her "moronic" arguments.

The terms 'moron' and 'moronic' derive from outdated theories on psychology and suggest some sort of intellectual disability. Such words are inherently abusive.

According to Menschlogik, if June chose to be a "panel debater" then she's fair game for the ad-hominem attacks from people like her. People who are paid to have polemic and provocative opinions in time to meet a print deadline rather than adding any sort of thoughtful comment to the debate itself.

Observer said...

JHB made a wise move when she left radio to concentrate on writing.

She's an upcoming legend. IMO

Anonymous said...

Grown up 'girls'? Has Mensch no idea at all? Perhaps she really is still a juvenile and not a woman. It certainly reads that way.

hatty said...

So, how can we support younger woman and especially woman of colour to engage in feminism and politics? I know, let’s have a debate then use our huge platforms to humiliate one individual woman just starting out. Just a passive aggressive warning that if you challenge the old school this is what happens.

Thanks for picking up on this Zelo Street, I really hope June isn’t discouraged.

I don’t know why but the expression “be nice to your kids, they choose your nursing home one day” keeps popping in my head.

Philip Moriarty said...

I found this exchange with Mensch rather illuminating: https://muircheart.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/i-wasnt-going-to-menshn-this-again-but/#comment-716

On one hand she continaully bemoans the fact that, as she sees it, there is too much sensitivity to criticism and too many restrictions on free speech/ability to insult who we like. Yet, on the other, she asks for a comments thread that is critical of her to be censored.

It's fascinating, from a "cognitive dissonance" perspective...

Philip Moriarty said...

---- Apologies if the comment below gets posted twice. I don't quite know if the original version disappeared into the void or not.... ----

I found this exchange with Mensch rather illuminating: https://muircheart.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/i-wasnt-going-to-menshn-this-again-but/#comment-716

On one hand she continaully bemoans the fact that, as she sees it, there is too much sensitivity to criticism and too many restrictions on free speech/ability to insult who we like. Yet, on the other, she asks for a comments thread that is critical of her to be censored.

It's fascinating, from a "cognitive dissonance" perspective...

rob said...

For to view a tweet of Bully Don
Old Mensch's are not that pretty
Financed by Murdoch's filthy rags
On young girls her rage is petty

Still she is a bully girls, mad bully girls
Bully Don girls aren't funny
For they all go spare when broached in their lair
And Tom Dunn's not feeling so Sunny

Andy McDonald said...

Ah, everyone knows that the real way to debate is to spit out insults on Twitter while studiously avoiding any discussion of actual issues.

Bored said...

I see lots and lots of whinging, Moaning, and feet stamping.Rarely see any of these types (who obviously think they are worth stopping the world to listen to) offer solution.

These types are the 'gift of the gab' that keeps on giving.