Calls For The Sacking Of Richard Littlejohn.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2013/mar/22/richard-littlejohn-transgender

Regardless of what some may think of the Daily Mail or their columnist Richard Littlejohn, should he be forced to resign over this matter?

[Answerprancer]

Though I have little more than contempt for Richard Littlepr!ck, all he is doing is giving his (biased) opinion. Therefore, I don't believe he should be forced to resign.

[Khandro]

As there is no evidence (yet) to suggest that there is any connection whatsoever between the death of the teacher and Mr Littlejohns, suggestions that he should resign are uncalled for. I must say though that I feel sorry for the plight of this poor messed-up teacher, and all those affected by this tragedy.

[bert_h]

Right on, Answerprancer; and once the paper agreed to print the column, its contents became THEIR responsibility, anyway, so they could hardly do a U-turn now and hold the author responsible for whatever may (or may not) have happened as a result.

[jake-the-peg]

This is what the newspapers call a 'Monstering'

Gender reassignment is likely to be a very traumatic time for people and scumbags like Richard Littlejohn feel safe in the knowledge that their victims are very unlikely to fight back

They just want the whole thing to go away

Whether there is a causal link is not the issue - the issue is that Lucy Meadows never sought attention, there is only the scantiest of public interest defense to justify his outing her like this.

Sacking him would change nothing - lets hope that the new press complaints authority will be able to stop stories like this and reduce the number of his victims

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// I think his whole column was wrong, children tend to cope with such changes (as their teacher coming back different) remarkably easy and usually better than adults. ///

An expert on child physiology now are we Gromit?

[Sqad]

Jake

\\\Sacking him would change nothing - lets hope that the new press complaints authority will be able to stop stories like this and reduce the number of his victims \\\

It looks as though that hope is becoming slimmer and slimmer.....the Press, even the "soft press" would not take kindly to the demands of a Lib/Dem/Milliband pronouncement.

Well, "in my day" one couldn't have a teacher that leaves school as Nathan Upton and returns next term as Lucy Meadows without some kind of media comment.............times have changed though it seems.

[lslowry]

The Guardian wishing to see Richard Littlejohn sacked? Surely not. Littlejohn has always attacked the Guardian and it's left wing rubbish. I'm only surprised the Left wing BBC haven't picked it up and had a go.

[rojash]

No
(a) As Squad says, the facts have not been established
(b) If the quote from Littlejohn's article is accurate, it was a validly held opinion (unusual for him), expressed in a reasonable way (also unusual).

[rojash]

"The Guardian wishing to see Richard Littlejohn sacked?"

Shame you didn't bother to read the article, lslowry, or you'd know that your assumptions are entirely false.

[LazyGun]

Its not "The Guardian" wanting to get Littlejohn sacked, Lowry.

The Mail were only too happy to give those 2 australian DJs a good kicking over the prank call, after which one of the nurses committed suicide. A culture of casual cruelty or something, i think they called it ( from SPs link).

Unlike Jake, I think that establishing a causal link is central to the point - whether Littlejohn should be sacked over the article, the inference being that the article prompted the teachers suicide - but since no causal link has yet been shown, and as Sqad pointed out earlier, we do not know the mindset of the teacher, it would be premature to force out even Littlejohn over this article.

Littlejohn himself is a fairly odious piece of work though; I have no time for him or his articles.

And we have many here, including Littlejohn and the DM themselves, who are basically handwaving and bleating " Won't somebody think of the children!" But I am not sure that kids are quite as precious as that; It might have taken a while to get used to the situation, but I would imagine they could probably have coped.

Not sure the school actually helped matter much with their weii-intentioned warning letter though.

I am not sure that "outing" individuals, giving details of who they are, where they work etc., when they have done nothing illegal merely to illustrate a story is good practice.

As for pdqs "point" about gender reassignment and sexual deviancy - the less said about that comment the better......

[Khandro]

Jake; //the issue is that Lucy Meadows never sought attention,// Whaa!...? Do you think a man can leave his school and pupils for a break, and return as a 'woman' and escape attention?
Regarding your accusation of 'outing'; outing is when someone wishes their sexuality to be a private matter, and another party maliciously broadcasts their secret, a far cry from these circumstances.

[anotheoldgit]

Sqad

/// Well, "in my day" one couldn't have a teacher that leaves school as Nathan Upton and returns next term as Lucy Meadows without some kind of media comment.............times have changed though it seems. ///

Wow how do you get away with it Sqad? If I had put that it would have had the 'usual suspects' scurrying around looking in their history books so as to somehow prove me wrong.

[Sqad]

AOG

Ah! I have got my own group of "anti-sqads" not in this section though and when i want to "stir them"..........it is easily done.

[ummmm]

Don't be daft, AOG, most of your 'it didn't happen in my day' relates to violence.

The fact that sex changes weren't available in your day is just that, a fact.

[anotheoldgit]

LazyGun

/// But I am not sure that kids are quite as precious as that; ///

You may think not, and I can only speak for myself, but I believe children are very precious.

/// It might have taken a while to get used to the situation, but I would imagine they could probably have coped. ///

And you are quite prepared to take a chance on that are you? Very easy to say when you are not involved personally.

[sp1814]

AOG

Why did Littlejohn write that the teacher 'insisted' on returning to the school?

Should he be forced to resign?

No, without any evidence linking the suicide to the article.

By the way, has the Mail covered the story of the suicide?

[LazyGun]

Sqad does not attempt to play the victim card, AoG [unless someone asks him for evidence to support an opinion stated as fact :)] - You do it all the time.

Nor does Sqad confuse recollection of personal experience of bygone days with fact, at least that I have seen to date......

[marval]

No, I don't think he should be sacked. He gave his opinion, nothing more, I am sure his column didn't cause the teacher to commit suicide.

[anotheoldgit]

Sqad

/// Ah! I have got my own group of "anti-sqads" not in this section though and when i want to "stir them"..........it is easily done. ///

Yes I know exactly what you mean Sqad, quite a past master at it myself, hook line and sinker springs to mind. :0)

[237SJ]

I think kids are more resilient than people give them credit for. Years ago a colleague told me how when she was a child, her uncle became a woman. She said "We just called him Aunty". According to one of my colleagues, who worked on a sex change ward at the main UK hospital that performs such operations, there is quite a high rate of suicide amongst patients after they have had the op. I doubt Littlejohn`s comments had much to do with it and I don`t think he should be sacked. I think he should show more sensitivity in future but I`m not holding my breath. Controversy sells newspapers and publicises his books.