Who is the real scourge of society?

When I was a small child, over 30 years ago, my dad used to swing me up on to his shoulders and carry me through the park.

One day, dad couldn’t do this any more.

It was explained to me that dad had had an accident at work (he was a dustman) and had damaged his back.  He needed to go into hospital for an operation.  Little did we know, this was the first of many.

Each operation seemed to make matters worse – things kept going wrong, and my dad ended up having numerous operations both at the local hospital and at Southampton General, at one point being told that he could be paralysed, so serious were the problems with his back and neck.

I have many memories from childhood of going to visit my dad in hospital, and of him spending months – including Christmas - flat on his back in a hospital bed.

Even after the final operation, he missed out on things that dads might otherwise do with their small children, and had trouble walking any distance, certainly not without pain.  Before this accident, he had been fit, healthy and very active.  Becoming disabled changed his life dramatically.

More recently, dad was diagnosed with blocked arteries in his legs and angina, and has had a heart bypass operation.  He also experiences anxiety and depression, which can leave him very distressed and upset.

Most of his days were spent indoors, right up until a few years ago when he took up bowls with the support of his doctor as it would help him to be as active as possible while also relieving depression.  This has been fantastic as he has become really involved with the bowls club and has given him something to fill his days.

So you can imagine how I felt when I heard that a Sun journalist and photographer had been knocking on his door, taking his picture, telling him that they were doing a story on benefit cheats.

While they were not at liberty to discuss why they had my dad’s name, this appears to follow a malicious complaint made to the DWP scroungers hotline last year suggesting that my dad was a faker, which was fully investigated (causing a huge amount of upset and distress) and correctly found to be a completely false accusation.  I feel rather sorry for whoever the person who made this report is, really, as they are one of the many in this country who have been completely suckered in by the Government and media’s anti-disabled people rhetoric, and clearly have no empathy or any understanding that being disabled doesn’t necessarily mean you are in a wheelchair or can’t do a single thing for yourself.  There but for the grace of God, some might say.

I don’t feel sorry for journalists, for this Frankie Cary who turned up on my dad’s doorstep tonight, because they should be educated enough and intelligent enough to understand what they are doing and the harm they are causing.  I am sure that they are not too dense to appreciate the damage they can cause and the actual truth behind the lies and false statistics that they peddle to turn the country in on itself.  Which makes me wonder just what sort of people they are.

Who are you, Frankie Cary?  When you decided to become a journalist, what did you see for yourself?  Did you see a long and glittering career seeking out the truth and highlighting society’s wrongs, did you see yourself being able to influence the world and all those around you, did you feel proud at getting your degree knowing that you were now in a position of great responsibility and power, that people would be reading your words and learning from them, that you would somehow help to make the world a more open, honest and better place?

Or did you see yourself standing on the doorstep of a 68 year old man with a long standing disability, anxiety issues and heart problems, harassing him and distressing him to talk about the lies you are peddling based on hearsay and rumour?

Are you proud of yourself, Frankie Cary?  Would your parents be proud?

Why people should never bet with Paddy Power again

I am quite ashamed of this country.

I am ashamed of the prejudice and vile stereotypes that are peddled in the media and in advertising, and of the way this is reflected in the opinions and attitudes of so many British citizens.

I honestly feel ashamed that I live in a country where it is seen as acceptable by many to create a blatantly transphobic television advert, or to write an article on a university-backed website encouraging rape.

It’s not just that a large company such as Paddy Power ever thought it would be OK to release an advert that calls transgender women “stallions” and encourages viewers to play “spot the man”, but also that swathes of the public have been commenting that they think this is funny and even admitting openly that they think trans people are “freaks”. 

And not just that one person thought it was funny to write an article suggesting that as 85% of rapes are never reported that is good odds to give it a go yourself, but also that hundreds of (mainly) men stood up in support of the article, even in some cases suggesting that people who complained “needed raping” themselves.

Of course, question them and the instant response is almost guaranteed to be “get over yourself”, “sense of humour failure”, “it’s just a laugh innit”, “political correctness gone mad” or something similar.  As for the complainant, you are uptight/dull/frigid/stuffy/humourless and you are the one with the problem.

What is wrong with these people?  Is it simply ignorance and lack of education, or is it that there is a general malaise in UK society which allows such views to breed unchecked?

Let’s look at just why this is a problem.

Here’s the Paddy Power advert in question, for those who have not seen it.

First of all, it is factually misrepresenting trans women.  Trans women are women.  Women.  The women represented in the advertisement are not men in a dress, they are not fetishists, nor are they a “stallion” as opposed to a “mare”.  They are not dogs, as no woman is.  They are women who have been born into a physical body incongruent with their gender identity, and the courage and fortitude needed to take the physically and mentally tough journey towards becoming physically a woman is enormous.  In all probability, a trans woman will have experienced discrimination, stereotyping and bullying in all areas of her life, from employment to relationships and even things that most people find simple, such as walking to the shop to buy a pint of milk without stares and harassment.

We know this is true because of some of the comments posted underneath this advert on Youtube, some examples are:

“ theres more ginger kids and adults picked on and or violently abused every day than transexuals wearing a frock. The difference being one has a choice the other doesn't.”

“you're either a man or woman, end of story. If you want to live that way, don't expect ordinary people who have come to terms with who they are to pander to your delusions about sexuality.”

“Transexuals have no reason to be offended by this ad. It was their choice to change genders in the first place. Live with it and don't be so sensitive.”

“Get a sense of humour. This ad is only highlighting what people already know - that there's something wrong with men who think they are women.”

“people still perpetuate the lie that you can be a 'woman trapped in a man's body' or vice-versa. What rubbish! You are what you are and that is either male or female. Deal with it and don't get upset if people don't agree with your ignorance of reality.”

“Hahaa, the artificial ladies.. poor souls...”

“Get a sense of humour people, if you're a man and have XY chromosomes you will never be a woman. Truth is that most people are too polite to tell you trannies that you're living a delusional falsehood”

“I hope more of them commit suicide. I's what those freaks deserve.”

“You people are political correctness gone mad, you fucking loons.”

“I'd rather be whatever that is [transphobic] than a big ugly bloke dressed up as a woman and bemoaning the fact that people are laughing at me."

“Nice ad PaddyPower its not in a bad way that I dont like transgender.  They are so sensitive people and they keep on hating thats why they feel like the world hate them too”

“Amazing ad. How is this offensive at all to most people ? It simply takes the piss out of trannies. Who cares.”

“Eww..lol.  Those are not gays they are manwoman.”

“this is fucking funny. Whats stupid is cross dressers getting their panties in a bunch over a fucking commercial. Get a life.”

Yes, some of these may be intentionally trolling, but there are many who would genuinely agree with what is being said here.  And the Paddy Power advert validates their prejudices and makes people think it’s OK to poke fun – or worse - at the “trannies”.  (Incidentally, the video on Youtube was tagged by Paddy Power with “Trannies” and “Tranny spotting” (now changed)).

This is the message that Paddy Power are sending out.

I could also mention the fact that they are marketing Ladies Day as some sort of shop window for men to ogle women, so not only is the advertisement transphobic but also misogynistic.

So, what was Paddy Power’s response to the email I sent them?

You can probably guess.

“Intended as mild mannered fun”.

Everything that they have posted since the advertisement being suspended from screens indicate that they are completely unrepentant and in fact suggestive that the entire campaign was intentionally designed to cause maximum offence in order to gain publicity.

For all the above reasons, I have closed my very long standing account with Paddy Power and fully encourage all readers to do the same.

I will look more at the “banter” and “humour” issue in my next blog.