Hoist With Her Own Petard

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From top: Kevin Myers (left), JK Rowling; A tweet from Ms Rowling following Mr Myers’ sacking from The Sunday Times

This afternoon.

In the latest issue of The Spectator.

Journalist and broadcaster Kevin Myers, writes (full article at link below):

…This time three years ago, I was a well-known journalist in Ireland, with a modest profile in Britain.

On the last weekend of July, on the basis of a poorly written column in the Irish edition of the Sunday Times about the pay differentials in the BBC, London social media vilified me.

I was then denounced worldwide as a misogynistic, anti-Semitic Holocaust-denier. One of my most successful accusers was J.K. Rowling.

And now it is her turn, as her entirely justifiable scepticism over the dogmas of transgenderism have rendered her into what she is clearly not, that mythical beast, a ‘transphobe’.

So welcome to the world you helped create, J.K.

In Ireland, I had long been recognised for my unremitting hostility to the IRA, support for Israel and my many articles about the horrors of the Holocaust.

Yet these easily verifiable points were ignored as some foul internet charlatan with my name but none of my beliefs briefly entered the global imagination.

A tsunami of smears from other publications obliterated protestations from the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland that I had told the Irish people truths about the Holocaust that they would not otherwise have known.

But perhaps the most damning contribution came from J.K. Rowling, whose global influence is tectonic.

She tweeted to her 13 million followers an utterly foul distortion of what I had said, namely:

‘Women and Jews deserve what they get. This filth was published in @thesundaytimes. Let that sink in for a moment.’

Deserve what they get? So women deserve to be paid less than men, and Jews merited the Holocaust? The former is bad enough, but the latter assertion is the most wicked representation even by Twitter’s sordid standards.

Despite the proclaimed support for me from Jewish groups, plus two Israeli ambassadors as well as numerous women, their voices could not be heard above the cacophony of my enemies. When the fangs of Rowling’s Twitter followers close on their prey, there is only one outcome….

Welcome to the world you created (Kevin Myers, The Spectator)

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62 thoughts on “Hoist With Her Own Petard

      1. Nigel

        It isn’t as if Rowling didn’t get masses of social media harassment before the trans comments because she was liberal on other issues and a highly succesful woman, but that came from the right and the usual mass of internet hate-trolls, so it doesn’t actually count until she says something other liberals disagree with her on. We’re just not allowed to disagree because it inconveniences the rich, powerful and prominent.

        1. scottser

          ‘if you bend over to smell another’s backside, you can be sure that someone is going to bend down to smell yours.’

      2. :-Joe

        I was thinking that too but was she completely aware of the ultimate outcome as though it was done with intent..

        Like using a flamethrower to light a cigarette…

        ?

        Well anyway, now that he’s a big player with the corrupt, apartheid, idealogically zionist governed state of Israel(that does not represent all Jews worldwide), so be careful what you say about him..

        You might get Epstein’d or something…

        (BANG!!) – Ahhhhh!!!….

        :-J – https://www.privacytools.io

  1. scundered

    It is encouraging to see the recent veil slipping from identity politics as it starts to consume itself, once you start putting people under labels and categorising them by group identity instead of respecting individuality, you are sunk. There are endless ways to categorise people, no two humans have an identical life experience so categorising them will lead to huge friction, I hope this is starting to sink in that identity politics is a huge plop show for mankind.

    You are an individual, let nobody tell you any different.

    1. Nigel

      ‘once you start putting people under labels and categorising them by group identity’

      Ah, yes, once you start doing this entirely new thing that has never happened before and which has not shaped history society culture and politics, for good and ill, we are sunk. What a pity women started to label themselves as women and engaged in the identity politics of feminism, causing them all sort of legal and social difficulties that would never have occurred if they’d kust been individuals. If black people hadn’t labeled themselves as black, they’d never have been slaves or subjected to massive repression and discrimination. If only gay people had never labeled themselves as gay then gay-bashing would never have been a thing. The real cause of misogyny is women being women, the real cause of racism is non-white people being not white, the real cause of homophobia is gay people being gay.

      Dear sweet mother of divine loving Jesus what is wrong with people?

      1. Clampers Outside

        He’s speaking of the levels of ID politics today. Yes, it is relative to the level of discourse achieved in the past, but even more so for the level it is being taken to today, such as, the racism of DiAngelo’s White Fragility towards black people (as well as white).

        By the way, have you been doing your daily flagelation, after all, you being a white woke progressive are the worst kind of racist, according to DiAngelo lol

        1. Do I need a username?

          Jeez Clampers. I used to be on here a good few years back. You’ve changed – very much on a different bandwagon now! Lol

          Obviously, you’ll claim “maturity” and bully for you!

          God though, if you use the word “woke” one more time…America has a lot to answer for.

        2. Nigel

          ‘Levels of ID politics today’ – minorities and marginalised daring to think they can speak as loudly as everyone else.

      2. Scundered

        Nigel going completely out of his way to misunderstand everything as much as possible, as usual.

        Never change Nigel.

        1. Nigel

          I just admire the way we’ve gone from treating people badly because they’re part of a group to telling people that being part of that group is bad now that their voices are being heard.

  2. JEH

    No idea who this guy is, but was his initial article meant to be satire or tongue-in-cheek? I don’t see where he thinks he has a leg to stand on.

  3. Nigel

    Poor old Kevin Myers, whose life and career and feedom of speech were destroyed by cancel culture, reducing him to writing articles in a prominent UK news magazine.

    1. Rob_G

      He lost his job – I doubt you would be so glib if the Twitter mob were after you and had gotten you fired from your job.

      1. Matt Pilates

        Cancel culture has no “undo” option; only “redo”.

        It’s like this – if there was no Twitter would he have had his life destroyed? He’s been at this shtick long before social media came around.

        The Stasi of the Instagram generation.

      2. Nigel

        That’s the marketplace of ideas for you. Cultural capitalism has no safety net. Except more jobs for contrarian conservative commentators.

  4. broadbag

    ..”a modest profile in Britain” really?

    Anyway, I’ve checked everywhere and can’t find a scintilla of sympathy for this contrarian gobpoo, although I used to like him on that quiz before I knew he was a loon.

  5. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

    I had forgotten about Kevin Myers. I now realise I conflated him with John Waters.

  6. arfton Clax

    Difference is Myers could be very witty when he chose to be. We had the same History Tutor, (though separated by two decades) She told me he never received less than a first for any of his essays.

    I must admit I always read his pieces in the Iriah Times when thy published him. I often despaired of his curmudgeonly persona and disliked his permanent rabid anti republicanism and frequent soi disant little Englander attitude, but he could certainly write very well.

    He often hit the mark, often enough so that it was worth reading him. I would disagree with his politics on Israel and the North.. and… most things in fairness but I was sorry to see him go. A bit of diversity I guess.

    His piece on Angelas Ashes was superb.

    1. Cian

      +100%
      Yeah, I always read them too – even when I totally disagreed with him it was well written (and thought provoking).

      1. Tom Wong

        We’ll have to agree to disagree. In the Irishman’s Diary the difference is that he had a strong editor and a historical context to the platform which served to constrain his most contrary impulses. When he goes on ShiIITalk or some other hairy red wingnut whinger platform there are no such supports in place.
        Hence this ostracism to the dustbin of contrarian history.

        1. Liam Deliverance

          I too enjoyed reading Myers pieces, if I didn’t agree with him I at least marveled at his writing style and his ability to get the story into my head.

    2. Lilly

      John Waters could write too. I didn’t often agree with him but he could write. The Irish Times is duller without them.

      1. Tony

        Here what’s with the patronising comment there new chap?
        Am I not allowed to correct Bodger?

        1. Tom Wong

          Bodger’s headlines are usually for the ages Tony
          By nitpicking you’re coming across a little pedantic old fellow.

      1. Tony

        Bodger me oul segotia it seems you are right. I always though the original Hamlet quote was ‘hoist by his own petard’. Turns out it was ‘with’ after all. I apologise for ever doubting you and hope you can forgive me

          1. Daisy Chainsaw

            Only if it comes from the Pedant region of France, otherwise it’s nitpicking.

          2. Tony

            Hoist my own pedant?

            What kind of crazy talk is this Bisty? You were one of the good ones man…

          3. bisted

            …ok Tony…it’s a fair cop…you’ve spotted I’m on the gin…and to my eternal shame…the Famine Queen…but it was on special offer in Sainsburys in Newry…

          4. SOQ

            Sainsburys in Newry is very British. No matter how few customers in the shop- you will still queue for at least ten minutes at the till.

  7. RuilleBuille

    He still does not get it that using an anti-Semitic trope is anti-anti-semitism.

  8. Do I need a username?

    Is there anyone more odious and hypocritical than little Catering-Corps Kevin Myers?

    I have no sympathy for runty Myers, who became, even before his delightful fall at his own hands, nothing more than an omni-present bar stool bore at the local golf club. His back catalogue of simply saying the most dreadful things about whatever minority he took a dislike to probably laid the foundations for people to so readily believe he is anti-Semitic. And that is what made this runt’s comeuppance even more glorious: I never once thought he was an anti-Semite but he became so toxic that it just stuck to him so easily.

    As for Rowling, it defies belief why a woman of such stature and wealth would want to wade into the trans debate and be backed up by literally the worst set of far-right nuts. Look, I don’t know that much about trans issues and nor does Rowling despite her protestations. What I do know is that they are a tiny minority of people, with grim life expectancies and histories who deserve to be able to live their lives with some dignity and peace and not to be seen as the sum of all evil and an acceptable source of hatred and denigration.

  9. Junkface

    Well thats terrible from JK Rowling too! I never knew about this case. Not too familiar with the journalist, I might have heard him on the radio before. Not sure, but jesus talk about her own history shooting her in the foot. You reap what you sow sometimes. JK Rowling’s fans just learned her methods and applied them to her. That famous quote about “The Left will eat itself” seems to come through a lot.

  10. Matt Pilates

    If Rowling is so against people looking like other people how come she used her bore-gotten gains to copy another woman’s nose job (Meryl Streep’s)? She’s had more work done than the Luke Kelly statue.

    For once, I agree with Myers – though still can’t stand the Airfix Solider mentality of his outlook.

  11. Holden

    Man who says he did not say “Women deserve what they get” says to woman “you deserve what you get”.

    1. Cian

      Telling one person in one specific situation they got what they deserve (and explaining why) is totally different to telling all women that they all get what they deserve.

  12. d

    i believe in free speech but he has shared his views far too many times over the years. enough is enough. im appalled by Broadsheet for publishing this article as chances are it will influence weaker minds of broadsheet readers.

  13. jamesjoist

    Bodger , my comment was a reply to that of Arfton Clax. It looks bewilderingly out of context where it’s
    sited.

  14. Paul

    Kevin Myers can say whatever he wants. But he’s not entitled to have his view published in a national newspaper. No more than you or I are.

    Funnily enough, the fact that he’s writing in The Spectator suggests that this supposed entitlement hasn’t actually been curtailed as much as he thinks it has.

  15. Gabby

    The Spectator is an old Tory magazine noted for its stylish writing. It doesn’t have much of a circulation in Ireland – certainly not among Hot Press and St. Anthony Messenger devotees. So move on, and dip into the Sunday World now and then if you are looking for racier content and prose.

  16. Shitferbrains

    Why do people keep gibbering about Myers being English ? His father was the IRA officer who did the dirty work that Lemass was too squemish – or crafty – to do.

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