Guest post: Their professional reputation is sinking beneath their feet
Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on Bitch opened her mouth did she?
And Metro falls into her trap. Once again, Rowling uses her uncancelleable position to amplify the messages of other women in a way that can’t be ignored, bringing more attention to the issue that these media outlets are quietly, complicitly sweeping under the rug. By commenting now, she keeps the story in the public eye, and brings it to the attention of readers and viewers who had not realized that they had been lied to in the original reportage. While Metro (and other media outlets) think that somehow “Rowling’s transphobia” is the story they’re telling, they’re unwittingly shedding more light on media capture. Interestingly, at least some of them, in recounting the “Scarlet Blake” story as part of the background to Rowling’s criticism of Sky News’ coverage of it, continue to use “she/her” in the Blake portions, unintentionally highlighting her exact concerns by repeating the lies, and thereby showing how disgusting and pervasive the ongoing deception is:
What, if anything will bring about some awareness in all of these editorial boards that this pandering to trans sensibilities is self-destructive folly that makes them look incredibly dishonest because it is incredibly dishonest? Their professional reputation is sinking beneath their feet, and Rowling is showing them the drill they’ve been using so diligently to put holes beneath the waterline. They can stop at any time. Yet, still they drill. Maybe it’s just too embarrassing to be schooled in the First Law of Holes by someone they’ve tried to bury.
Rowling has cleverly goaded trans “rights” advocates (once again) to defend the “identity” of a convicted criminal, placing the use of “preferred prouns” ahead of the truth, defending a murderer’s “identity” at the expense of all women. It’s become a reflex. There’s no longer any thought in the process. And not only activists, but the media particularly, which seem to be fully prepared to clutch their style guides even more tightly, even in the face of intense scrutiny and criticism. Rowling is showing just how mendacious and corrupt the media have become in reporting on trans issues, as they have become actors in their own right in deceiving the public. What is it that compels them to do this? Who can punish them or hold them accountable if they stop worrying about the “crime” of “misgendering” and start reporting the true sex of actual criminals? They’re so scrupulous about a suspect’s “alleged” crimes before a conviction (and rightly so), but quite free and easy to lie about their supposed “gender identities,” dishonestly stating that men are women, males are females, he is “she.” You’d think that would violate some kind of journalistic standards and guidelines, but apparently it doesn’t. It should. Rowling might not be building a case herself against the media, but she’s helping to amass plenty of evidence for anyone else who wants to. It’s continuous self-incrimination.
I know I’ve noted this before, but I still find it remarkable (even though, at this point, I shouldn’t); Rowling didn’t have to do this. She could have retired from the conflict; she’s already done so much; instead, once again, she uses her position of comparative strength and security to continue defending women. In some ways it’s become a bit easier, because now that her reputation has been trashed (in certain quarters), she has nothing to lose in that regard. If she had worried about this, she wouldn’t have stepped up in the first place. Those who have decided to believe the lies about her have written her off, but they just can’t resist writing about her when she speaks out. They have to put the boot in. Again. Whether or not they see her pattern and spot the trap, they’re just too dim and self-righteous to ignore the bait. Sometimes negative reinforcement simply doesn’t sink in. They just can’t pass up an opportunity to pile on JKR. Again. And when she has the spotlight turned on her, she redirects it to places her detractors might not expect. They still can’t see that she’s not going to respond to the continuing lies told about her. Instead, she focuses her attention (and everyone else’s) on the misogyny of her critics. Again.
Great post. Very insightful.
Thank you. My comments often go to places I didn’t know they were heading, picking up images and analogies along the way. I’m glad that some of them end up somewhere interesting. It’s certainly not premeditated.
I think JK Rowling would have been content if the murderer had been referred to as a “transwoman.” The people in the media are fighting that battle along with their refusal to call Scarlet a “man.” They’ve apparently got it into their skulls that writing a headline “Transwoman Commits Crime” is like writing “Negro Commits Crime.” It’s an irrelevant emphasis that only demonizes a marginalized group.
But trans people are a “marginalized” group unlike others: they’re actually claiming to be a different group. That second headline would rightfully read “Man Commits Crime” and not “(Asian)(Hispanic)(White) Man Commits Crime.”