Urban v's the Commentariat

[killer b]

That seems like a reasonable complaint to me.

 

[equationgirl]

That seems like a reasonable complaint to me.

Whatever flavour you like then. But the analogy holds - you still have crisps just like penny red still has a choice of food outlets to go to. Many of reasonably priced and far less than 20 quid.

Has anyone pointed out to her what being in a food desert actually means? Clue: it's not being more than a whole foods or waitress.

 

[killer b]

yeah, you've already made that point. She's exaggerating for effect, like everyone does. seriously, this is nothing - and it make it easier for people to dismiss any criticisms you might have about anything real.

 

[equationgirl]

yeah, you've already made that point. She's exaggerating for effect, like everyone does. seriously, this is nothing - and it make it easier for people to dismiss any criticisms you might have about anything real.

Penny goes a fair way beyond exaggeration though. Right into downright fabrication in some cases.

 

[killer b]

But not in this case. So why use it? What purpose does it serve than to make you look like obsessive weirdos who can be dismissed without engaging?

 

[equationgirl]

Because food deserts are actually affecting many people this country, and SOMEONE ELSE BOUGHT HER DINNER ANYWAY BY THE SOUNDS OF THINGS.

Are we to start grading her dishonesty now, so to only comment on the big fat whopping lies?

 

[killer b]

She isn't being dishonest though, she's just having a moan on twitter. And I do think picking and choosing what to criticise is a good idea, of course. Otherwise you just look weird.

 

[Bakunin]

Plus the fact that there are a great many people in this country at the moment for whom twenty quid on one meal would be a luxury they simply can't afford. So to hear somebody complaining about having to pay for one meal a price that, for them, might be half their weekly food budget, might just grate a little.

Maybe she should check her privilege.

 

[killer b]

Yeah, you've already said that too. Just stop and think for a minute instead of getting defensive. What are you hoping to achieve by highlighting this outrage? Do you think anyone gives a shit about some minor PC semantic transgression that mainly exists only in the heads of the 5 regular posters on this thread? Do you think anyone new to the topic is going to view that with anything other than scorn, and write you off as slightly unhinged ultra-left obsessives?

 

[Bakunin]

Yeah, you've already said that too. Just stop and think for a minute instead of getting defensive. What are you hoping to achieve by highlighting this outrage? Do you think anyone gives a shit about some minor PC semantic transgression that mainly exists only in the heads of the 5 regular posters on this thread? Do you think anyone new to the topic is going to view that with anything other than scorn, and write you off as slightly unhinged ultra-left obsessives?

I don't give a damn about people paying twenty quid for a meal. It irks me that they whine about it when to many it's a luxury they can't afford, especially when it's somebody so fond of telling other people to check their privilege. When I first signed on I was getting forty quid a week, eighty quid a fortnight. There were plenty of times that I either had to choose between feeding the leccy meter or eating and sometimes I'd run out of cash completely and find myself not eating at all for several days while sitting there cold and in the dark. And I'm not alone in that, more's the pity.

What irks me is her posing as some voice of the downtrodden and dispossessed while never having actually been either. If she had then she wouldn't be so crass as to whine about having to do something that for so many people is an option they simply don't have. It's crass, insensitive and betrays the privilege that she's so fond of telling other people, often people enduring a considerably less comfortable existence than her sainted self, that they should be checking at her command.

 

[killer b]

Someone moaning on twitter about a meal being 20 quid isn't crass or insensitive. You've just made that up.

 

[Bakunin]

Someone moaning on twitter about a meal being 20 quid isn't crass or insensitive. You've just made that up.

Wrong. I expressed an opinion. Whether or not you agree is up to you.

 

[killer b]

You've been posting in this thread too long. You don't have any perspective on this, only a blinkered obsession with getting penny at any cost. Its a bit pathetic tbh.

 

[frogwoman]

Got to agree with you killer b i really dont care what shes had for dinner, plenty of other outrages on this thread

 

[frogwoman]

Im interested in that cunt of a golden dawn apologist, anyone got any dirt on him? As one example

 

[Bakunin]

You've been posting in this thread too long. You don't have any perspective on this, only a blinkered obsession with getting penny at any cost. Its a bit pathetic tbh.

No, I have a dislike of fakery, hypocrisy and dishonesty. I've no objection to being fair with people. I also have serious doubts as to her professional competence and professional ethics, doubts for which there is ample reason. Not the same thing at all, and it's dishonest to claim otherwise.

 

[frogwoman]

I dont like penny but shes nothing compared with say the henry jackson columnists or that 'fathom' guy

 

[frogwoman]

Pretty much most people exaggerate, half remember stuff and downright lie about things some of the time

Some of the scum we discuss here have done far worse (and her friendship with the nazi falls in that category)

Pick you battles I think

 

[Bakunin]

Pretty much most people exaggerate, half remember stuff and downright lie about things some of the time

Some of the scum we discuss here have done far worse

Agreed, absolutely. It's a storm in a teacup, certainly. But it did irritate me a little for the reasons I've given.

 

[killer b]

No, I have a dislike of fakery, hypocrisy and dishonesty. I've no objection to being fair with people. I also have serious doubts as to her professional competence and professional ethics, doubts for which there is ample reason. Not the same thing at all, and it's dishonest to claim otherwise.

This has no relevance whatsoever to the tweet in question. If you're bothered about her dishonesty, fakery, professional competence etc then perhaps you should stick to highlighting occasions where her dishonesty, fakery and professional competence can be criticised. As you seem to have a much wider remit than that, it should be no surprise that you can easily get mistaken for someone with less noble motives.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Im interested in that cunt of a golden dawn apologist, anyone got any dirt on him? As one example

You mean Taki? He's got a bit of, erm, history...

 

[frogwoman]

Sure, but saying something is a food desert is the least of her crimes, its like that light bulb stuff a year ago. If i say my house is 'a bit ghetto' as theres rats and damp and holes in the wall is that trivialising the holocaust? Its in the same sort of league i reckon

 

[Bakunin]

This has no relevance whatsoever to the tweet in question. If you're bothered about her dishonesty, fakery, professional competence etc then perhaps you should stick to highlighting occasions where her dishonesty, fakery and professional competence can be criticised. As you seem to have a much wider remit than that, it should be no surprise that you can easily get mistaken for someone with less noble motives.

I've already stated my reasons and made them crystal clear. I don't have to justify them or prove that they are what they are, not some hidden agenda you seem to be implying, or do so at your convenience. It irked me so I commented on it. Simple.

Sure, but saying something is a food desert is the least of her crimes, its like that light bulb stuff a year ago. If i say my house is 'a bit ghetto' as theres rats and damp and holes in the wall is that trivialising the holocaust? Its in the same sort of league i reckon

It's a trivial nothing, yes. And, to be fair, I am feeling slightly crabby this evening.

 

[killer b]

Clearly you aren't obliged to justify anything to me. But this is a discussion forum, and presumably when you post up your opinions, theyre up for discussion? Or do you only discuss them with people who're nodding along?

 

[Citizen66]

Who cares about the New Statesman? It's shit.

 

[Bakunin]

Clearly you aren't obliged to justify anything to me. But this is a discussion forum, and presumably when you post up your opinions, theyre up for discussion? Or do you only discuss them with people who're nodding along?

Your tone came across as unnecessarily confrontational, if I'm honest. I've no objection to debating with people, but it comes across as though you're looking more for a row than a debate. To me, anyway.

 

[equationgirl]

Your tone came across as unnecessarily confrontational, if I'm honest. I've no objection to debating with people, but it comes across as though you're looking more for a row than a debate. To me, anyway.

Have to agree with this killer b - yes, it might not be her absolute worst journalistic 'crime' but still - you were coming across as looking for a fight.

Yes, this is a discussion forum where we disagree and discuss many things, but you're continuing to try to pick a fight with both me and Bakunin even though we've both stated why we think she's being crass, insensitive and dishonest.

 

[toggle]

it's not the whining about the cost of hotel food, it's the relating the whine to food deserts. fucking ignorance and really does show how far she is from the people she claims to speak for.

 

[equationgirl]

My gran lives in a food desert. Nearest convenience shop is about two miles from her house. There's no footpath between her house and the shop, it's a country road with no path on either side, so walking is foolhardy because people speed along it and there's two blind summits along the way. There's irregular public transport in either direction. She also doesn't drive.

So to get food she grows a lot of vegetables and relies on my mum to do her shopping online at a nearby supermarket. I say nearby, it's about ten miles from her house.

That's a food desert.

 

[Bakunin]

My gran lives in a food desert. Nearest convenience shop is about two miles from her house. There's no footpath between her house and the shop, it's a country road with no path on either side, so walking is foolhardy because people speed along it and there's two blind summits along the way. There's irregular public transport in either direction. She also doesn't drive.

So to get food she grows a lot of vegetables and relies on my mum to do her shopping online at a nearby supermarket. I say nearby, it's about ten miles from her house.

That's a food desert.

It is indeed. Especially for anybody living in a rural area who has to rely on others for transport and/or can't afford the delivery charges for online grocery shopping. If you're on a tight budget then including delivery charges means buying less groceries, possibly less than you actually need. It's a common problem in rural areas.