Brenda ‘Turnip’ Power
Posted by Maman Poulet on 05 Jul 2009 at 01:02 am | Tagged as: Homophobia, Irish Media, Irish Politics, LGBT, Marriage Equality, Same Sex Partnerships
She writes to antagonise. Many of you are going to be extremely angry at reading her latest bit of rubbish. I could suggest that you not to bother with her. Or you could make her some Irish Stew. Or tell her something about children’s rights because she claims to be something of an expert.
She’ knows absolutely nothing about lesbian and gay life in this country or any country. Or indeed about ensuring that children’s rights are protected in same sex couple headed families.
And Rory. you’ve just got a whole new show out of this. I’ll be in the front row.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d848f1bc-6e4a-4c69-9913-29a6b5d322c1)
Wow – Brenda Power’s ignorance and stupidity is very shocking. Glad to see that not a single comment left as feedback was supportive of her view.
Fact is that she was looking to provoke a reaction and an overreaction at that and most people appear to have fallen for that hook, line and sinker. I think a fair number of those commenting are tending towards the lazy with talk of it being hateful or that if they say equality enough times that it will all work out ok.
Far better for people to start by saying that children are being let down by this legislation in that it leaves the biological children of gay people in a state of legal limbo where their biological parent could leave their assets to their partner but their partner can’t as easily subsequent pass them on to their child. Hit them on the detail not the emotion.
Generalities should be left for slogans not reasoned argument. And if the words from Panti were as quoted about “anyone can get married in this country except you; any soccer hooligan, any gay-basher, any fascist, any murderer, any sex offender” then he was setting himself up for an over the top reaction. After all, I’m sure a sex offender wouldn’t be allowed adopt, nor a murderer for that matter. Personally, my inclination has been for a good while the state should be in the business of interpersonal contract recognition and leave the marriage business to the churches. But that’s the Heinlein in me.
The economy is on the blink, unemployment is rising as are armed robberies and tripe like this is being printed in a national newspaper. Yep, we’re back the 1980’s!
Dan, Panti was talking about the right of anyone to marry – nothing to do with adoption. (It’s not the issue of concern – one being spun by the anti-gay groups. It’s the rights of access of children in same sex couple headed households to their non biological parent that many people want dealt with in addition to the right to marry.)
Think of this sentence “pursue a way of life that is quite alien to the majority of married heterosexual parents in this country” and the change the image in your mind to Judges rather than people having a day out. They get up in strange dress. Use very odd language etc… Shows how meaningless the piece is really.
Wow. I don’t know where to begin, but for what it’s worth, here’s my own take on the issue from Saturday’s Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/0704/1224249820657.html
Ms Power is utterly, utterly ignorant of drag subculture and its meaning(s). I mean, drag is a parody of …. ok, that’s just probably *way* over the head of Ms Power… but making a personal attack on someone like Ms Panti shows poor taste, worthy of a tabloid. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but it just sucks that you aren’t more informed/ evolved, doesn’t it?
I only hope the Sunday Times editorial team won’t ask you to write any more of this drivel that passes for journalism – if you’re going to publish something that is contesting the idea of gay marriage, you might try and find a journalist who is more intelligent.
If the core difference between the civil unions legislation on offer and existing marriage law is children then he was talking about adoption. If he was saying “we can’t get married” and marriage is civil unions plus adoption then de facto he was talking about adoption. Otherwise he’d be speaking in support of the current legislation. After all the state can’t legislate for or against people choosing to get pregnant. Or can they?
Ah, yes they can Dan, if someone gets pregnant out of choice and for whatever reason feels they cannot continue with the pregnancy we have laws that legislate against that too- this country is just so comprehensive in their ability to deny people options and basic rights- dont it make ya proud to be Irish?!
I blogged about this here: http://ideealisme.livejournal.com/138579.html
My concern is that bigotry like hers is not as uncommon as people think – it’s one of those wordless, unspoken, “understood” attitudes among a silent majority of Irish people who will turn out in droves to vote down any change to the constitution.
Having been in a non-conventional, heterosexual relationship I know how vicious my people can be. The New Irish is every bit as vicious as the Old Irish and now with the recession, the shiny cover is beginning to come off a bit. Along with the gloves.
I liked this piece by Brenda Power’s News International colleague and fellow conservative Andrew Sullivan. I don’t read his stuff that much but this is a nice little bit about getting nervous as wedding day fast approaches.
Does Brenda really want to deny her gay Times colleagues the same access to marriage as herself? If so then not only is she an appalling journalist but also a really nasty colleague to have?
Does Rupert Murdoch know?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/andrew_sullivan/article2283227.ece
Marie, strictly speaking what laws the state has in the regarding pregnancy are more in the “not being pregnant anymore” area rather than the “choosing to get pregnant” in the first place which is what I was referring to. Though, I was half doing a turn of the head when saying “or Can they?”
Interestingly, the work in Newcastle on the Man made Sperm from stem cells might just open up the possibility of female only reproduction. I’m sure Dermo is awake at nights at the mere thought of it.
Simon, given that Andrew Sullivan is a US based contributor to the News International stable, I’m not sure he and Brenda get the chance to catch up much over the coffee machine. And I’d surprised if Rupert the unBear is even aware of who Brenda Power is nor does he care. What he wants to know if does she shift copy? If Yes, then fair dinkum!
More generally, the cries of bigotry, hate speech and so on that have gone up across the net because someone, “with a column!” doesn’t necessary agree with other people’s view of what equality is or means strikes me as pure overreach and seems to me at least more like either mock outrage or the outrage of people with not much experience of being properly outraged. If this is the sort of thing you get outraged by, you should stay well away from the news sections of the daily papers.
Andrew Sullivan’s column is wonderful, (thanks for the link Simon!)It is the latest in a thoughtful line of his musings about gay marriage from a conservative commentator who seems to be becoming more ‘centrist’ in his old age! (See his Daily Dish blog for more). Light years from Ms P and her particularly prejudiced prose.
I agree Suzy, it’s a lame piece of calculated provocation. She should be denied the oxygen of publicity.
At first reading, I was utterly appalled by the homophobic undertones and blatant bigoted overtones of this outrageous piece of (thrash) “journalism” (that’s if you could call it that). But on second reading and after digesting it for a few days, I have to say I think Ms. Power knew damn well just the kind of controversial reaction her little hate speech was sure to provoke. Yes, she is a bigot and yes she is homophobic but she was clever enough to nail her prejudicial colors to the cross in such a way as to do so under the guise of an “idiot”. She is also clever enough to know that she can pretty much say what she likes as long as she stays within certain boundaries and uses the get out clauses of “It’s just an opinion”, “everyone is entitled to an opinion” etc etc …
So what’s all the fuss about then?…
Well, the danger of hate speech disguised as journalistic opinion pieces is evident in the reaction of the gay community at large, yes we were offended, yes we are pissed off with Brenda Power, yes we think she is an idiot, because surely only an idiot could write such utter nonsense? hmmm.. maybe not
The point is, Brenda Power is far from an “idiot” , she is a very well educated and very well connected mouth piece who masquerades as an “idiot” because “idiots” can say what they like, “idiots” get away with more. Idiots can sow the seeds of hatred without being called on it, idiots are ultimately fools aren’t they?, they’re just silly aren’t they?…
Brenda Power is not an idiot, although that’s what she would like us to believe, her article was published because she intended to inflame, she intended to offend and she intended to hurt the entire LGBT community, she did so purposely, with thought out agenda and with premeditation , that’s the real danger here..
Don’t be fooled by her persona…
“All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
Ignoring Brenda Power is probably the healthiest and most rational thing to do. She deliberately sets out to rabble rouse and stir up prejudice and hatred.
I would strongly recommend never reading anything that she writes and switching channel on the radio or television if she appears. Reacting to her is only giving her more power.
If one is to react, then complain to the editor of the publication she writes in or the station that lets her speak. The legal route may also be possible under equality law or incitement to hatred.
Wouldn’t Dermot Ahern be better dealing with this rather than blasphemy ? Of course, that might be too much of a constructive use of his very expensive time.
” Reacting to her is only giving her more power”
She has no real power, that’s the irony..
She has an illusion of power..
The abuse from Power comes as no surprise….