Yes, you heard, A fucking debacle.
I’ve been ummng-and-ahhing whether to write anything about this nonsense for some days now, but I need to vent on this and, hell, no-one ever really reads my wafflings so I will do it here and hope when fame hits my doorstep it is not commercial suicide!
Im going to try and be balanced, but I probably need to explain where my loyalties lie as a backdrop, or it won’t make any sense.
I’m talking about the debacle surrounding the recent tweet by Christian Henson from Spitfire Audio.
The tweet, and Henson’s account have been quickly deleted (albeit possibly temporarily). Current CEO Will Evans posted 2 statements, one a few hours after the other to the general effect that this tweet was Not OK and that Henson is taking a break from Spitfire.
Following this of course twitter and also the generally mild mannered spitfire group on facebook has gone crazy.
On one hand half the customer base is never buying from Spitfire again due to the transphobia evident in Henson’s tweet. The other half are never buying from Spitfire again due to “their treatment of Henson” and spouting every “free speech” trope under the sun.
Rowling has tweeted in support, and Linehan is spouting off on you-tube.
For Fuck’s Sake.
I, obviously, have some investment in Spitfire’s products and also try and think who I support (though I am not as good as I would like to think about this) and needed to have a think. But, you know, what’s pissed me off the most is the whole Freedom of Speech debate, and this is something I have been wanting to write about for some time. So probably against my better judgement, let’s wade in…
I guess the key issue is what’s wrong with the wrteched tweet in the first place? Surely Henson is just stating his opinion in a manner to which he is entitled (the key argument of the self-proclaimed Doyens of Free Speech). I have my views on both Rowling and Linehan – though I must confess the latter I was not as fully au fait with before this incident. As I am sure you know they are both accused of promulgating transphobic views, an allegation with which I agree. Both have specific pet issues, for Rowling it is women’s spaces and identity (toilets, to a great extent so far as I can see) and for Linehan it is the Tavistock Clinic, exaggerated to some beleif that Transgender-Activist Butchers are brainwashing children into taking puberty blockers and getting their bits mutilated (and of course their looney-left parents are the root of all this).
The whole debate about Rowling has done the rounds ad infinitum for some time. My thoughts on it all are basically that no-one is denying that there have been incidents of violence against women by trans-women, people who express a different gender but still have a penis, and perverts who wear a dress solely to infiltrate women’s spaces, but compared to the number of non-incidents they are few. We can’t base a disciminatory practice on a few incidents. But I don’t deny they matter is complex and sensitive and currently one or other set of people could feel their protected rights are being eoroded. Rowling is quite entitled and, one would hope given her literary provenance, able to discuss these without resorting to every transphobic agression in the book.
Linehan appears to be one of these commedians who champions “free speech” (seemingly without really understanding the concept in any more detail that the previous batch of You-Tubers it sounds like he recycles) because he wants to be able to be as offensive as he likes with total impunity. His bumbling challenge to his current obsession Stewart Lee as to whether Lee will stand up for the rights of Christian Henson was painful – Linehan demonstrating he must have done a quick 5 minute google he had undertaken to find out about this potential new ally Henson of whom he knew fuck all – “urm, Christian Henson, from Spitfire Audio, I think it is.
What pisses me off with Linehan and his fans is that he employs that wonderful “what we know” trope to make his little chums feel special – anyone who disagrees with him is plainly from the Looney-Left who Don’t Know What We Do. Actually he doesn’t piss me off, he’s not worth it, but it pisses me off that so many people fall for it.
As I said, his current issue is the Tavistock Clinic. Again, I do not doubt that mistakes have been made. I mean medicine and science has been making a car-crash of transgender (and before that non-heterosexuality) issues for time immemorial so why do we think they won’t still be doing so. I also do not doubt some people transition and regret it. There is an obvious and very complex and serious issue to consider between allowing younger people to make long term (or life long) decsions whilst also accepting the autonomy of the child. If Linehan was not so well known for deliberate and harassing mis-gendering and dead-naming he may also be able to get his concerns across better.
So where does this leave Henson’s Tweet? Hopefully you can see where I am going with this – it would be quite possible for Henson (who I fully believe to be a reasonable and intellegent man) to explore his concerns without pledging “full support” for Linehan and Rowling. In his current form his tweet pledges support for deliberate and calculated transphobic behaviour, some of which breaks current Laws.
Unless you wish to fully discount the existance of transphobia, or attempt to fully deny the existance of trans people, it is hard to see why this tweet is not at best ill-considered. Whether Henson intended this or not it is, for me, a transphobic tweet.
But, they cry, he’s entitle to his opinions. Spitfire Audio shouldn’t “cancel him”/deny his free speech/sack him from his own company. This is illegal they say.
Christian Henson has, himself, expressed many times that he wishes to create a fully inclusive environment through the work of Spitfire Audio. Perhaps, in the heat of Getting Cross On The Internet, he didn’t really think, but he must have known this tweet was going to sit ill with that aim.
It is entirely proper that he takes some time out, but is it the best thing?
The thing that amuses me most in this, is nowhere does Spitfire Audio say he’s been sacked, or even forced to take this break. He may have been fired. But owning (as I understand it) 35% of the company that may be hard. Maybe it was “suggested” he took a holiday. Or maybe he thought “oh my God, what the fuck have I done?”, phoned up work and said “Imma taking some time off”.
We don’t know. Maybe at some point Spitfire (Paul Thompson, maybe, as joint founder rather than hired CEO) could do a nice video (I assume he’s not “very excited” at the moment) and say “hey, Christian’s been a jerk, and he’s taking some time to Have A Word With Himself”. Or even, “Sorry, Christian’s gone too far and he’s out”. At Least the would appease one side of this thing by doing so.
I suspect he’ll be back, I mean Vicky Hungerford was back at the helm of Bloodstock pretty quick after her “little incident”.
But of course according to the Free-Speech Brigade, because everyone who disagrees with them is the Looney-Left who Don’t Know What We Do, Christian has been sacked, he’s been cancelled and his right to free speech has been taken away.
Ultimately, (and I know Rowling as twittered on about certain specific cases here, mis-citing as she often does) free speech does not give you free reign to say what you like if you want to keep your job. But more to the point when you are the founder and figurehead of a much-loved company you need to adhere to the moral standards you have set for it, else it makes you and the company look Pretty Fucking Stupid. This is the saddest thing that they Free-Speech Bridage just don’t seem to get.
I admire Henson for many many things, and I hope this is an aberation and an ill-thought comment under stress. I hope he does come back and clarify what he does and does not support so people can make an informed choice, and I hope Spitfire offer some eventual transparency.
I am not going to stop buying Spitfire Products, either due to Henson’s tweet, or Spitfire’s (supposed) treatment of him. I support their quick statements that this was on acceptable, and I am please that for a while at least Henson is taking a break. My opinion of him has been somewhat mared. Ultimately I hope lessons can be learned, but for the Free Speech Brigade I won’t be holding my breath.
What an Absolute Fucking Debacle
Yes, you heard, A fucking debacle.
I’ve been ummng-and-ahhing whether to write anything about this nonsense for some days now, but I need to vent on this and, hell, no-one ever really reads my wafflings so I will do it here and hope when fame hits my doorstep it is not commercial suicide!
Im going to try and be balanced, but I probably need to explain where my loyalties lie as a backdrop, or it won’t make any sense.
I’m talking about the debacle surrounding the recent tweet by Christian Henson from Spitfire Audio.
The tweet, and Henson’s account have been quickly deleted (albeit possibly temporarily). Current CEO Will Evans posted 2 statements, one a few hours after the other to the general effect that this tweet was Not OK and that Henson is taking a break from Spitfire.
Following this of course twitter and also the generally mild mannered spitfire group on facebook has gone crazy.
On one hand half the customer base is never buying from Spitfire again due to the transphobia evident in Henson’s tweet. The other half are never buying from Spitfire again due to “their treatment of Henson” and spouting every “free speech” trope under the sun.
Rowling has tweeted in support, and Linehan is spouting off on you-tube.
For Fuck’s Sake.
I, obviously, have some investment in Spitfire’s products and also try and think who I support (though I am not as good as I would like to think about this) and needed to have a think. But, you know, what’s pissed me off the most is the whole Freedom of Speech debate, and this is something I have been wanting to write about for some time. So probably against my better judgement, let’s wade in…
I guess the key issue is what’s wrong with the wrteched tweet in the first place? Surely Henson is just stating his opinion in a manner to which he is entitled (the key argument of the self-proclaimed Doyens of Free Speech). I have my views on both Rowling and Linehan – though I must confess the latter I was not as fully au fait with before this incident. As I am sure you know they are both accused of promulgating transphobic views, an allegation with which I agree. Both have specific pet issues, for Rowling it is women’s spaces and identity (toilets, to a great extent so far as I can see) and for Linehan it is the Tavistock Clinic, exaggerated to some beleif that Transgender-Activist Butchers are brainwashing children into taking puberty blockers and getting their bits mutilated (and of course their looney-left parents are the root of all this).
The whole debate about Rowling has done the rounds ad infinitum for some time. My thoughts on it all are basically that no-one is denying that there have been incidents of violence against women by trans-women, people who express a different gender but still have a penis, and perverts who wear a dress solely to infiltrate women’s spaces, but compared to the number of non-incidents they are few. We can’t base a disciminatory practice on a few incidents. But I don’t deny they matter is complex and sensitive and currently one or other set of people could feel their protected rights are being eoroded. Rowling is quite entitled and, one would hope given her literary provenance, able to discuss these without resorting to every transphobic agression in the book.
Linehan appears to be one of these commedians who champions “free speech” (seemingly without really understanding the concept in any more detail that the previous batch of You-Tubers it sounds like he recycles) because he wants to be able to be as offensive as he likes with total impunity. His bumbling challenge to his current obsession Stewart Lee as to whether Lee will stand up for the rights of Christian Henson was painful – Linehan demonstrating he must have done a quick 5 minute google he had undertaken to find out about this potential new ally Henson of whom he knew fuck all – “urm, Christian Henson, from Spitfire Audio, I think it is.
What pisses me off with Linehan and his fans is that he employs that wonderful “what we know” trope to make his little chums feel special – anyone who disagrees with him is plainly from the Looney-Left who Don’t Know What We Do. Actually he doesn’t piss me off, he’s not worth it, but it pisses me off that so many people fall for it.
As I said, his current issue is the Tavistock Clinic. Again, I do not doubt that mistakes have been made. I mean medicine and science has been making a car-crash of transgender (and before that non-heterosexuality) issues for time immemorial so why do we think they won’t still be doing so. I also do not doubt some people transition and regret it. There is an obvious and very complex and serious issue to consider between allowing younger people to make long term (or life long) decsions whilst also accepting the autonomy of the child. If Linehan was not so well known for deliberate and harassing mis-gendering and dead-naming he may also be able to get his concerns across better.
So where does this leave Henson’s Tweet? Hopefully you can see where I am going with this – it would be quite possible for Henson (who I fully believe to be a reasonable and intellegent man) to explore his concerns without pledging “full support” for Linehan and Rowling. In his current form his tweet pledges support for deliberate and calculated transphobic behaviour, some of which breaks current Laws.
Unless you wish to fully discount the existance of transphobia, or attempt to fully deny the existance of trans people, it is hard to see why this tweet is not at best ill-considered. Whether Henson intended this or not it is, for me, a transphobic tweet.
But, they cry, he’s entitle to his opinions. Spitfire Audio shouldn’t “cancel him”/deny his free speech/sack him from his own company. This is illegal they say.
Christian Henson has, himself, expressed many times that he wishes to create a fully inclusive environment through the work of Spitfire Audio. Perhaps, in the heat of Getting Cross On The Internet, he didn’t really think, but he must have known this tweet was going to sit ill with that aim.
It is entirely proper that he takes some time out, but is it the best thing?
The thing that amuses me most in this, is nowhere does Spitfire Audio say he’s been sacked, or even forced to take this break. He may have been fired. But owning (as I understand it) 35% of the company that may be hard. Maybe it was “suggested” he took a holiday. Or maybe he thought “oh my God, what the fuck have I done?”, phoned up work and said “Imma taking some time off”.
We don’t know. Maybe at some point Spitfire (Paul Thompson, maybe, as joint founder rather than hired CEO) could do a nice video (I assume he’s not “very excited” at the moment) and say “hey, Christian’s been a jerk, and he’s taking some time to Have A Word With Himself”. Or even, “Sorry, Christian’s gone too far and he’s out”. At Least the would appease one side of this thing by doing so.
I suspect he’ll be back, I mean Vicky Hungerford was back at the helm of Bloodstock pretty quick after her “little incident”.
But of course according to the Free-Speech Brigade, because everyone who disagrees with them is the Looney-Left who Don’t Know What We Do, Christian has been sacked, he’s been cancelled and his right to free speech has been taken away.
Ultimately, (and I know Rowling as twittered on about certain specific cases here, mis-citing as she often does) free speech does not give you free reign to say what you like if you want to keep your job. But more to the point when you are the founder and figurehead of a much-loved company you need to adhere to the moral standards you have set for it, else it makes you and the company look Pretty Fucking Stupid. This is the saddest thing that they Free-Speech Bridage just don’t seem to get.
I admire Henson for many many things, and I hope this is an aberation and an ill-thought comment under stress. I hope he does come back and clarify what he does and does not support so people can make an informed choice, and I hope Spitfire offer some eventual transparency.
I am not going to stop buying Spitfire Products, either due to Henson’s tweet, or Spitfire’s (supposed) treatment of him. I support their quick statements that this was on acceptable, and I am please that for a while at least Henson is taking a break. My opinion of him has been somewhat mared. Ultimately I hope lessons can be learned, but for the Free Speech Brigade I won’t be holding my breath.