Tuesday 21 June 2022

Amusing Week in the Culture War

'Nuff said
Some smiles to be had from this week's Culture War exchanges.  Firstly, and hearteningly, the world swimming body FINA has banned participation by 'trans women' in women's competitive swimming.  This is judged by some as likely to be a domino moment as the equivocal figure of Seb Coe of World Athletics is limbering up to consider enacting the same principles for track and field.   Cue the inevitable outbreak of counter-lobbying, including muttering from the cycling body that maybe fairness in competition isn't important after all, compared to the great 'inclusivity' imperative. 

Mercifully, in rugby and the fighting disciplines it's a stark and simple matter of safety all the way, and the disingenuous bleating of Stonewall cuts no ice whatever.  Sport will always provide nice, clean examples of the fundamental contradictions and illogicalities of the more extreme trans positions (if I may use that phrase) - one of several reasons why SJW lefties et al hate sport (see also "I always knew it would start with sport").

Secondly and outright hilarious is Amy Callaghan, an SNP MP, who has been recorded saying something she now greatly regrets.  (Well, regrets having been caught, anyhow.)  Guido has the full gen here, and her grovelling apology which is a gem, nay, a veritable collectors item of the woke art.

... a wholehearted apology to anyone who have been hurt or triggered ... I have been searingly reflective and honest with myself. Whilst I can’t forgive myself for how inappropriate it was for me to frame my input in this way, I owe everyone, not least survivors and my constituents, an explanation: I am both sorry and, ultimately, take full responsibility for my words, as insensitive, poorly worded and misplaced as they were. I’m taking full accountability for the hurt and disappointment I’ve caused ... This isn’t good enough...  Zero tolerance can’t be a slogan, it has to be real...  I got it wrong... I can see now how hollow and inappropriate ... I cannot condone the way this was presented on my part. This was wrong, insensitive and I am deeply sorry. I am hugely saddened that I have let myself down in this way... this isn’t reflective of who I am as a person. There is a complainant who has been let down this week by my words and by my party. There is no moral high ground or false equivalence when it comes to misconduct. We must do better, myself included.

I am guessing there's a woke handbook that contains all these phrases, and you just cut-and-paste them into your statement of contrition when you feel the need to abase yourself.  This one must surely be an 8 or a 9 on some scale?  But curiously she doesn't offer to resign or get herself to a nunnery or anything meaningful; so we can't be plumbing the full depths of this turgid stuff.

ND

  

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is Animal Farm no longer a book that is read?
Or 1984 ?

It begins with shaping the language to match the doctrine. Ends with famine caused by a failure of agriculture, due to throwing brand new tractors into furnaces, to hit the steel quota, for tractor production.

E-K said...

I was quite enjoying - that after decades of strident feminism - 'blokes' were getting back in charge again.

Hoist by their own panties, I think the phrase is.

(I am not on strike btw.)

Anonymous said...

By the panties, sounds painful. "Thank you for your service", Kev.

Has La Mordaunt said anything on this or has she decided she'd prefer to be PM instead?

formertory said...

A woke handbook, Mr Drew? Shurely in these latter days of our society's demise, an app? The full text of Ms Callaghan's certainly reads as though an app wrote it.

Parse a bit here, parse a bit there, shuggle it aboot a bit, stick it all back together..... there! Job sorted. A bit of a paraphrase of Ralph Waldo Emerson (may I be forgiven) might read "The longer she / he talked of his / her unfortunate and thoughtless error, the faster we counted our spoons.”

formertory said...

Couldn't get the "shome mishtake" in until after I pressed the go button. Duh.

E-K said...

At least one thing is being established. That direct male-on-female physical contest does not work - not even sub-par male on female physical contest.

One gets the impression that these participants weren't in it for the sport but for the medals. Any which way to get a medal.

Seb Coe was wrong to say it was an issue between fairness and inclusion. It is simply unsporting to force this agenda. Regardless of the sex issue, the transexuals have failed to show the true spirit of sportsmanship (if we are allowed to use such a word.)

Matt said...

If this was the beginning of a rollback of the whole identity politics bollocks then I'd be happy. Sadly however, this is an assault on the normal members of the public in order to denormalise them and their way of life. As such it'll continue unabated.

dustybloke said...

I must say I’m tremendously impressed by the lady’s apology. If you judge politicians by their words, she could end up leader of the woke world!
If, like me, you’re a cynical old geezer who judges them by their actions, at least she’s proven herself to be an unflushable “floater”and may well rise to the top of the SNP to replace the increasingly unhinged turbot. Sorry, you know who I mean…

Anonymous said...

@dustybloke … Wee Jimmy Krankie

visc said...

ND - I doubt she could even muster an iota self contemplation so time in a nunnery would be wasted, even if it wasn't viewed as a tool of oppressive cis gender religious oppression ...