Monday, October 31, 2022

Home Secretary's hate speech against vegetarians

Note since writing this about 10 days ago, the home secretary was sacked (for a data security breach / leak), the prime minister resigned (failed to deliver on the proposed economic policy?), a new prime minister was appointed (the same person the Tory membership just rejected?) and then the home secretary was re-imstated in the role she was just sacked from for a security breach) ...

This morning, when this House of Commons speech popup on my instagram feed I was shocked


https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2022/oct/18/suella-braverman-blames-guardian-reading-tofu-eating-wokerati-for-disruptive-protests-video


I'm not even sure what wokerati means, is it even a word? 

But what was clear to me as Suella Braverman smacked the table to drill home her attack on vegetarians, was that this vitriol wasn't remotely funny nor good humoured, what I heard in her voice was fear.


Reviewing Suella Braverman's wikipage (details below), she was educated as Cambridge and Sorbonne (Paris), is a Barrister and has held an impressive number of highest offices in the land. 


Putting aside the merits of vegetarian diets and/or eating less meat, personally I believe that given the standard western diet, eating significantly less meat is good for the health and the environment ie win-win. Furthermore, as one gets used to eating less meat, our taste buds adjust and personally I find fresh fruit and veggies delicious, better even than the traditional meat-rich diet I was brought up on.


However irrespective of my personal beliefs, Suella Braverman's attack on vegetarians would be totally unacceptable at any work place I've been in for the last couple of decades and seems almost form of hate speech to me. Her excessively angry and aggressive tone really shocked me.


It appears Suella Braverman is no longer Home Secretary, not sure if this was her final house House of Commons speech?




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suella_Braverman



Home Secretary

In office

6 September 2022 – 19 October 2022

Prime Minister

Liz Truss

Preceded by

Priti Patel

Succeeded by

Grant Shapps

Attorney General for England and Wales

Advocate General for Northern Ireland

In office

13 February 2020 – 6 September 2022[a]

Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

Preceded by

Geoffrey Cox

Succeeded by

Michael Ellis

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union

In office

9 January 2018 – 15 November 2018

Prime Minister

Theresa May

Preceded by

Office established

Succeeded by

Kwasi Kwarteng

Chair of the European Research Group

In office

19 June 2017 – 9 January 2018

Deputy

Michael Tomlinson

Party Leader

Theresa May

Preceded by

Steve Baker

Succeeded by

Jacob Rees-Mogg

Deputy Chair of the European Research Group

In office

20 November 2016 – 19 June 2017

Serving with Michael Tomlinson

Chair

Steve Baker

Party Leader

Theresa May

Preceded by

Office established

Succeeded by

Michael Tomlinson

Member of Parliament

for Fareham

Incumbent

Assumed office

7 May 2015

Preceded by

Mark Hoban

Majority

26,086 (45.6%)

Personal details

Born

Sue-Ellen Cassiana Fernandes

3 April 1980 (age 42)

Harrow, London, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Rael Braverman ​(m. 2018)​

Children

2

Alma mater



Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Scratching the underbelly of Jane Austen subculture


I originally wanted to call this blog post:

Fanny Price vs Mary Crawford and scratching the underbelly of Jane Austen subcultures

but that is too long and so went for the short

Scratching the underbelly of Jane Austen subculture

The strange thing is, that people I usually like and agree with i.e. are on the "same wavelength" I find myself passionately disagreeing with regarding Fanny Price and Mary Crawford: the heroine and anti-heroine of Jane Austen's possibly most controversial novel Mansfield Park.  My personal favourite with Emma i.e. I enjoy both more than Austen's most acclaimed novel Pride & Prejudice? 

Fanny Price is a character whom I greatly admire: with her inner strength, self-discipline and ultimately her incredible self-belief, she ultimately triumphs, although it is a long slog for both Fanny and the reader.

However Fanny is quite probably Jane Austen's "least favourite heroine" with Janeites (*) i.e. the sort of people who repeatedly read Austen, watch all the adaptions (good and bad) and/or join online Austen discussion groups… you get the picture.

Personally, I slightly struggle with Lizzy Bennett and the fairy-tale ending of Pride & Prejudice, yes it is a wonderful novel and an absolute romantic classic, but I'm not quite as satisfied with the fairy tale ending. 

Intriguingly Mary Crawford might satisfy/fill some of this gap; in many ways her quick wit and charm, make her seem a bit like Lizzy Bennett (Austen's most popular heroine from Pride & Prejudice). Still, ultimately she is overly ambitious, somewhat manipulative and overly self-confident. Not 100% surprisingly given Jane Austen's personal beliefs and faith; things never quite work out for Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park. Possibly Mary Crawford is an antidote to the overly saccharine fairy tale ending for Lizzy Bennett.

I'm also intrigued by parallels between Fanny and Anne Elliot, the very popular heroine (especially with seasoned Janeites). Both heroines are reserved, and stoical, whom eventually, after displaying a great deal of inner strength, self-discipline, and good judgement; both find their "true love". These two later novels, seem richer and even more revealing portraits of society to me. But why is Anne much more popular than Fanny? Fanny starts Manfield Park as the poor relative and is patronized plus heavily condescended to, but eventually makes good. Anne Elliot is an admirable character, but it is not as clear why she lets her family treat her in a condescending manner?

NB (*) Here is how the BBC describes modern Janeites

Some Janeites, as they call themselves, write their own fiction imagining the marital exploits of Mr and Mrs Darcy. Others don elaborate period dress and throw Jane Austen-themed tea parties and balls.

Blogs and forums dedicated to Austen and Austen-style fan fiction abound across the internet. The Jane Austen Society of North America (Jasna) boasts 4,500 members and no fewer than 65 branches. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21036818

 

 



https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21036818