Julie Burchill on A Good Read (R4 today)

[teamsaint]

Here's a nice bit of irony for you. O.k., the Mothers' Day heading of the web-page may be transient, and indeed gone tomorrow, but JB's "I've always hated phoneys" will remain. Quite a quote from the phoney mother to cap 'em all.

you made me read some of her stuff Bryn.

I hope you are proud of yourself. Thats 45 seconds i won't get back.

She really does write complete crap. but honest, non phoney crap.

[Beef Oven!]

Here's a nice bit of irony for you. O.k., the Mothers' Day heading of the web-page may be transient, and indeed gone tomorrow, but JB's "I've always hated phoneys" will remain. Quite a quote from the phoney mother to cap 'em all.

Do you really expect her to be consistent? Do you want her to be? Does she have to be? Who cares? What difference will it make?

I really can't see why you're all hatin' on her.

[jean]

I am amazed that Julie Burchill should be getting so much flak for abandoning her child, something men do every day of the week.

But no-one ever brings a man's having left his wife and family into a discussion on whether his opinions on a work of literature are worth hearing or not.

[teamsaint]

Do you really expect her to be consistent? Do you want her to be? Does she have to be? Who cares? What difference will it make?

I really can't see why you're all hatin' on her.

Because she is a time wasting, space wasting irritation. Because she is a waste of an opportunity for somebody to say something worthwhile, positive, (really) honest, thought out or otherwise beneficial. Because her level of negativity and self absorbtion is dispiriting and probably a construct.
Because the world has too many things that really do need addressing by those with that kind of platform.

Because her kind of student angst (ok she was probably never a student), is two a penny.

I won't go on.

[Beef Oven!]

Because she is a time wasting, space wasting irritation. Because she is a waste of an opportunity for somebody to say something worthwhile, positive, (really) honest, thought out or otherwise beneficial. Because her level of negativity and self absorbtion is dispiriting and probably a construct.
Because the worl has too many things that really do need addressing by those with that kind of platform.

Because her kind of student angst (ok she was probably never a student), is two a penny.

I won't go on.

But you've described a lot of people there.

Why is it a crime when Julie presents like that?

[Bryn]

I am amazed that Julie Burchill should be getting so much flak for abandoning her child, something me do every day of the week.

But no-one ever brings a man's having left his wife and family into a discussion on whether his opinions on a work of literature are worth hearing or not.

Bit of a Freudian slip re the "me", perchance. I note you have quickly got in and adjusted its dress.

My point was re. the irony of her tilting at "Phoneys" when she stands as a prime example.

[teamsaint]

But you've described a lot of people there.

Why is it a crime when Julie presents like that?

I didn't exonerate anybody similar.
I gave up buying newspapers more than 20 years ago, and read them sporadically at most. I am just reminded of why. JB is just an especially bad example of the kind of thing I mentioned.
It's not a crime, just a sad waste of resources, including her own talent. I accept that she has some talent. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it is badly misused.

[jean]

Bit of a Freudian slip re the "me", perchance. I note you have quickly got in and adjusted its dress.

Nothing Freudian about it, as I haven't abandoned any children, or even left them to the care of someone better able to look after them than me..

My point was re. the irony of her tilting at "Phoneys" when she stands as a prime example.

You may think that abandoning a child is worse when a woman does it than when a man does, but in neither case is such behaviour anything to do with being phoney.

A phoney pretends to be something they're not. The charge could only stand if Juile Burchill had ever claimed to be a good mother.

.

[Flosshilde]

I am amazed that Julie Burchill should be getting so much flak for abandoning her child, something men do every day of the week.

A point she was quoted in the article I linked to as making. Do men do it every day of the week? I know they do it quite a lot, probably more than women do. I think that in JB's case she comes across as not wanting to have the child in the first place so one wonders why she did, & then why she did it again. (well, actually, I don't wonder for very long)

But no-one ever brings a man's having left his wife and family into a discussion on whether his opinions on a work of literature are worth hearing or not.

I did query whether it had anything to do with her literary 'criticism' - I'd agree not much. I was simply adding to the picture of her in response to someone asking who she was.

(the joke about the small boy seeing Queen Mary & asking 'What is that lady for?' comes to mind.)

[ardcarp]

[ Is it safe to come out from under the duvet yet??? ]

[Beef Oven!]

[ Is it safe to come out from under the duvet yet??? ]

Just leave lovely Jules alone, and it'll be ok

[Bryn]

You may think that abandoning a child is worse when a woman does it than when a man does, ...

I don't. She was a phoney as a parent, walking out on her young son, then years later feigning to take him back under her wing only to turf him out in short order to make room for her latest lover. Phoney parenting is phoney parenting, whether carried out by mother, father or one in loco parentis. If you feel the need to search out sexism, I feel a mirror might prove of use.

[Flosshilde]

[ Is it safe to come out from under the duvet yet??? ]

Depends who you're hiding from

[jean]

If you feel the need to search out sexism, I feel a mirror might prove of use.

I didn't need to search very hard.

But if you can find me one thread anywhere on this forum where readers are invited to censure a man, any man, for his inadequacy as a husband and father, I'll take your charge seriously.

Until then, not.

[teamsaint]

Retuning to the OP, from Ardcarps two examples, it seems that JB didn't like either of her two books. I wonder if she did like anything else(other than the DVD) that was discussed, if anything else was discussed.
This was always my major beef with her. Its hard to see the point of a critic who is almost always negative about the the things they are reviewing, as she was at at the NME.

As for the mentions of Salinger being a "pervert", does she know more than I do, that his relationships were complex and probably rather unsatisfactory, and that he seems to have been something of a control freak?