Our school was in the vanguard for trans adolescents - I knew 4-5 people who came out as trans in high school (and one of them ended up being appointed to Dept. of Labour by President Obama). We didn’t think anything of it, and this was the 90s - if you knew them, it made total sense. I never would have imagined this “issue” would become such a hot button. I also share the quibbles about blockers for pre-adolescents but it seems that RM has fed off the mob attacks and now it just seems mean-spirited attacks back and forth… sigh…
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well said.
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Culture wars are being stoked by the Far Right. Unless you’re in the 1% you’re also in the firing line. We have more in common than divides us. Musicians of all people should be allies to all. IMO.
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His daughter is trans. I can see why he’d be annoyed about it all.
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I think there is a class of feminists in their 50s/60s who until recently would’ve been anything but rightwing on virtually all social issues. bindel, moore et all earned their stripes fighting Thatcher, pro-lesbian, pro-choice, pro-union, anti-racism… until the trans issue got politicised.
Which got me thinking about tribal identity and how it changed in recent years, the way groupthink has emerged across the spectrum. If you think XYZ you automatically must think ABC, whereas I don’t think people are naturally that robotic. I think that’s partly why we’re seeing so much fragmentation across Europe. I was reading about the independent Gaza MPs, how beyond Gaza, they have little in common with Corbyn and in some cases aren’t socially left at all. That complicates how you classify people.
Rambling a bit here, but my point is people are complicated. There are far too many angles for binary social media platforms to handle. But the system forces you to pick one side or the other, so opponents become mortal enemies
There was never some golden age of civility, but now everything is instant and shoutier, when traditionally someone would’ve worked out a messy compromise
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I totally understand why he is. I just wasn’t aware of the drama around RM and the issue at hand.
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But no Spice Girls
Everything about this sounds awful
Why is the John Lewis christmas ad treated as an annual “event” like its appointment viewing? Do not understand. Please advise.
[See also: media/public interest in the next Doctor Who/James Bond. The latter perhaps is marginally more newsworthy but also its just the same plot over and over again]
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I’m not from the UK, but are feminists there anti-trans?
Here feminists seem to support women (including trans women), and tend to be less bigoted in general. I always assumed feminism was about equality and it’d be crazy not to support equality, but maybe it’s different in other countries?
Actually just watched this. Where to start? I mean I’m here for receiving records as gifts and bonding with your kids over music but he plays an absolutely terrible version of the track which ruins it from the outset. Then it just gets worse.
And yes, no idea how the JL advert has become some national event.
Edit: the flashback scene should really have featured “dad” gurning and talking nonsense to strangers.
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The Woolworths TV advert was bigger news in the 70s / 80s though
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maybe if Farage becomes PM he can re-open all the Woolworths, employ all the original staff to make up for cutting their pensions and make are cuntry gr8 again. Seems like that would be votes in the bank 
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It’s a really weird ad.
At first I thought dad was going to see mum through the crowd and we’d see how they lived happily ever after. The fathers and sons bit got to me.
But what threw me totally though is the bit in the middle where the crowd disappears and dad is left on the dance floor getting emotional which really reminded me of a similar scene in Aftersun … and that didn’t end well for the dad.
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References the slow/alone bit in the Weekender video, surely?
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Rave boomers now the key JL market 
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I was in there Saturday buying xmas jumpers for my grandaughters… wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Fuck me that is properly cringe worthy. 
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The chemical generation’s “J.R. Hartley”
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Good lord! Of all the wonderful records they could have chosen.
I wouldn’t care if I never heard Where Love Lives ever again.
Oh and maximum cringe factor.
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Must admit that this got me, I am probably the exact demographic JL are going for.
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