Freedom to Conform

Freedom is Conformity - Betty > .

Unacceptable "Norm"

MP Jess Phillips reads the names of UK women killed by men in the last year - BBC > .

Labour MP Jess Phillips listed all women killed in the UK over the last year where a man has been convicted or charged, in a debate to mark International Women's Day. She told Parliament that “killed women are not vanishingly rare, killed women are common”. The Birmingham Yardley MP was given dispensation by the deputy Speaker to break time limits to read the list of victims. She ended with the name of Sarah Everard, who disappeared a week ago, for which a serving male police officer is being questioned on suspicion of murder.

[Men killed by women in incidents of domestic violence? Probably zero.]

[Unsurprisingly, comments have been turned off and the video has been excessively down-thumbed (presumably) by males triggered by the temerity of an MP daring to list the 118 women (plus some of their children) killed by a dangerous subset of males.]

Jess Phillips: Society has 'just accepted' dead women:

Labour's shadow domestic violence minister, Jess Phillips, has said society has "just accepted" dead women as "one of those things". She read out the names of 118 women and girls killed in the UK this year, where a man has been charged or convicted as the primary perpetrator, in an International Women's Day debate. Ms Phillips said there was currently no government research into the data. Ministers say they have prioritised support for victims during lockdown.

Racism, Ageism, Sexism in Action

Amanda Gorman's Catalan translator dropped because of 'profile': 

A translator from Spain says his version of a poem read at US President Joe Biden's inauguration was rejected because he had the wrong "profile". Víctor Obiols was commissioned to work on the Catalan translation of Amanda Gorman's The Hill We Climb last month. But after he completed the project, the publishers said they wanted a translator who was "a woman, young, activist and preferably black".

The poem's Dutch translator recently stepped down after online criticism.

Dutch publisher Meulenhoff described poet Marieke Lucas Rijneveld as a "dream candidate", who at 29 became the youngest author to win the International Booker prize in 2020 with debut novel The Discomfort of Evening. Amanda Gorman had selected Rijneveld herself, as a fellow young writer who had also come to fame early, said the publisher. Outspoken on issues including gender equality and mental health, Rijneveld identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them. [Denial of biological realities is not really a recommendation, imo, but nor is it a reason for cancellation.] But there was an outcry because the renowned author is not black.

[Unfortunately, vengeful, virtue-signaling victimhood-wins whiners are inviting a backlash against their bigoted hypocrisies.]

Another reason to cry "victim"?

"Me-Again" = a name that sums it up.

Here's the thing. Considering her recent petulant performance, it seems much more likely that Meghan has encountered dislike based on her behavior, rather than on her skin color. Unfortunately, those who falsely and conveniently attribute all resistance and criticism to unrelated superficialities (such as pigmentation) are unlikely ever to grow up into responsible adults capable of learning from experience. 

Narcissistic personality disorder? This personality disorder might explain Meghan's seeking attention for the airing of her bullying-denial and perceived slights. Narcissism manifests as an inflated sense of own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.

Since NPD and its comorbid manifestations have been in the news for four years, although individuals don't fit into singular either-or boxes, these categorizations are interesting: 

Subtype	Description
Unprincipled narcissist	Deficient conscience; unscrupulous, amoral, disloyal, fraudulent, deceptive, arrogant, exploitive; a con artist and charlatan; dominating, contemptuous, vindictive.
Amorous narcissist	Sexually seductive, enticing, beguiling, tantalizing; glib and clever; disinclined to real intimacy; indulges hedonistic desires; bewitches and inveigles others; pathological lying and swindling. Tends to have many affairs, often with exotic partners.
Compensatory narcissist	Seeks to counteract or cancel out deep feelings of inferiority and lack of self-esteem; offsets deficits by creating illusions of being superior, exceptional, admirable, noteworthy; self-worth results from self-enhancement.
Elitist narcissist	Feels privileged and empowered by virtue of special childhood status and pseudo-achievements; entitled façade bears little relation to reality; seeks favored and good life; is upwardly mobile; cultivates special status and advantages by association.
Normal narcissist	Least severe and most interpersonally concerned and empathetic, still entitled and deficient in reciprocity; bold in environments, self-confident, competitive, seeks high targets, feels unique; talent in leadership positions; expecting of recognition from others.

As predicted, she's whining and lashing out:

21-3-8 Meghan 'didn't want to be alive any more' [Yeah, right! That's why she made no suicide attempt, but broke up the family.] 

In a deeply [nauseatingly] personal [victimization-whining] TV interview, Meghan tells Oprah Winfrey that she did not get help when she asked for it. [Yeah, right!] Skin colour remark 'not Queen nor Duke' - Oprah . The prince said they were not the ones behind comments on "how dark" their baby would be, says TV host. [And, of course, hinting at racial victimization appears to be a red herring to deflect from the much more believable accusations that Wanna-be-Princess bullied her staff.]

Meghan accuses palace of 'perpetuating falsehoods' - Oprah clip - Guardian > .

Buckingham Palace investigates bullying claims against Duchess of Sussex - BBC > .

Buckingham Palace has said it's “very concerned” by reports that the Duchess of Sussex was accused of bullying her staff during her time at Kensington Palace. The claims were made by former staff of Harry and Meghan and the Palace says it will investigate the circumstances. For her part the duchess is said to be “saddened” by reports of a bullying complaint which is seen as the “latest attack on her character”. [Saddened? I expect that she's actually furious.]

Whom to believe? What possible reason could staff and royals have for "inventing falsehoods" about Harry's mistaken choice of wife? After all, palace policy is typically to downplay scandal, not to invite it. 

Awwwwwwwwwwww, poor baby

Defendant In Trump Riot Case Throws 'Tantrum' Over Being Held In Jail > .

More than 250 people have been identified by the government as suspected participants in the tRUMP-encouraged insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January. The trials of those who have been charged began last month and will probably last months. 

Richard Barnett, self-proclaimed white nationalist, pictured sitting on a chair with one foot on the desk of the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, was told by a judge on Thursday that he is to remain in jail until his next court date in May.

Barnett was arrested in January in Arkansas, his home state, and faces a series of federal charges over his alleged pictorially-memorialized role in the insurrection, including violent entry, disrupting official proceedings and disruptive and disorderly conduct.

Upon leaving Pelosi’s office on the day of the riot, Barnett was seen by a New York Times reporter holding an envelope which displayed Pelosi’s letterhead. He told the Times that he “put a quarter on her desk” in exchange for the letter. He also said he “wrote her a nasty note, put my feet up on her desk”. Barnett is also facing charges of theft of public property.

He yelled at US district judge Christopher Cooper, claiming “it’s not fair” that he should remain in custody as he awaits trial. “Everybody else who did things much worse are already home,” he whined to Cooper during the virtual hearing, according to court records and reporters listening in. “I’ve been here for a month, they’re going to set it for another month, and everybody else is getting out."

In a statement to NBC News, Joseph D McBride, Barnett’s attorney, denies that his outburst was directed at the judge. [Attorneys for insurrectionists must fall back on denying the obvious.]

1%? That's like a 1 cent tip.

1% NHS pay offer during pandemic is “worst kind of insult” say unions - BBC > .

Ignorance Kills

Sri Lanka girl, 9, dies in 'exorcism' ritual: 

[NB Severe, early, prolonged childhood physical and sexual abuse promotes reactive behaviors +/- DID in victims.] A nine-year-old girl has died in Sri Lanka after she was beaten with a cane during a ritual locally believed to drive away "evil spirits". Two people - the child's mother and the woman who performed the ritual - have been arrested, and appeared in court on Monday in connection with the death, Sri Lankan police say. The mother believed her daughter was "possessed by a demon", police said. The girl died in hospital after losing consciousness during the ritual.

Police said that oil was poured on the girl's forehead and she was beaten because her mother claimed a "demon" needed to be "expelled", according to Sri Lanka newspaper Adaderana. Some of the girl's neighbours tried to step in when they heard her cries, but were unable to save her, reports AFP news agency. Police have warned it is not the first time exorcism attempts have been performed in the area, leading to physical injury or death.

[Tragically, ignorant superstition is widespread.]