Jeremy Clarkson's violent misogyny must be challenged
Jeremy Clarkson's violent misogyny must be challenged
How can we expect to tackle men's violence against women when male idol's like Clarkson are allowed to incite violent hate speech against women?
Here lies below the epitaph of Jeremy Clarkson’s violent misogynistic comments against the Duchess of Sussex that he wrote for The Sun (see image below). Laid to rest on the tabloid’s website, Clarkson’s column was removed yesterday at the behest of the man himself, who seemingly found the online outcry against his vitriol all a bit too much. A man who’s very own raison d'etre is to play the churlish unrepentant villain, seeking to thrive within inhospitable environments of the media backlash he cavorts, Clarkson decided to share the inner most workings of his violent fantasies towards Markle.
Detailing his “cellular level” hatred for Meghan, above that of his loathing for serial killer, Rose West, Clarkson shared that he lay in bed fantasising about “the day she is made to parade naked through the streets”, whilst crowds throw excrement at her. A lurid reference to a violent misogynistic scene in Game of Thrones, it was dog-whistle misogyny dressed up as satire. Harry, he lamented, was a “slightly dim but fun-loving chin who flew Apache gunships in Afghanistan” but became turned by Meghan who used “some vivid bedroom promises to turn him into a warrior of woke.” Poor dim Harry the hero didn’t stand a chance against Meghan the manipulative temptress in Clarkson’s eyes. A tick-box of racist and sexist tropes, Clarkson had set out his stall and awaited the backlash.
The column drew the immediate attention he was looking for, but escalated quicker than even he’d likely have imagined. Ipso, the independent press standards organisation, received 6,000 complaints that quickly grew throughout the day to 12,000 as of 5pm on Monday.
“We will follow our usual processes to examine the complaints we have received,” the spokesperson said.
“This will take longer than usual because of the volume of complaints.”
Public figures wasted no time speaking out denouncing Clarkson’s column, from Carol Vorderman to Dan Walker, Philip Pullman to comedians Jason Manford and John Bishop.
Clarkson’s comments weren’t off-the-cuff insults however, he had been warming up to this for some time, finding the right words to best describe how he felt about Meghan. From labelling her a “silly little cable TV actress” last year, to writing in the same column just over a week ago, Clarkson shared his furious dismay at not being able to agree with someone on “just how awful she is”:
“We were dreaming up better and stronger insults, none of which can be published here, even though they’re all perfectly fair.”
It begs the question of how much more violent his dreams of Meghan are if he deemed those could not be published? How much more violence did he deem was “all perfectly fair” against her? Whilst Clarkson and friend could only get as far as to agree Meghan was an “unhinged monster”, the argument was seemingly put away for another day, or until Jeremy had enough restless nights under his belt of violently fantasising about her.
What did Clarkson expect to come from writing these columns? To expel his incandescent rage for a woman speaking out with whom he disagrees with, a woman that somehow impacts his personal life to such a degree his emotions are violent towards her? This isn’t normal, nor is this a ‘joke’ that his legions of followers and fans would have you believe. This is vitriolic hate speech against women that doubles-down on the verbal and physical abuse that women experience throughout their lives, as well as the fear of men they are imprinted with growing up.
If women as a whole didn’t picture in Clarkson’s response to his column, did he give any thought to his own daughters’ opinions and their own personal experiences? Clarkson’s daughter, the podcast host Emily Clarkson, felt compelled to speak out, posting on her Instagram that: “My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media. I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything my dad said about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those who are targeted with online hatred.”
By 1pm it had all got too much for the veteran broadcaster, either cajoled by his brilliantly outspoken daughters or deciding to not go the distance to fend of his indefensible comments, Clarkson published his response to the mounting complaints:
It was an unsurprising and derisory attempt to renege himself of any responsibility, putting his comments down to a “clumsy reference” from popular TV show, Game of Thrones. Clarkson said he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt”. It’s a response that in our time as a nation of watching him on our screens we know all too well, a man who has long made a schoolboy game out of instigating controversy, enjoying the fun of the reaction and the finish of the “Who? Me? I didn’t realise!” response, complete with sparkling glint in his eye, or these days dull-hooded beads. There’s no doubt Clarkson has likely achieved personal enjoyment from espousing his violent misogyny against Meghan Markle and the public reaction that it has brought him. If anything it will bring him more comradery with his new foe-turned-ally Piers Morgan, who is no stranger to the racism and misogyny he directs almost daily at Meghan. Already they have been photographed leaving the same Christmas lunch event last week, will we see the more of them together? Will Piers reach out if he has not already to share in their passionate hate for Meghan? Birds of a feather, may well indeed flock together, perhaps.
Many of Clarkson’s detractors will say we shouldn’t give his comments the time of day and the attention they seek. However, these words are not derived out of thin air in attempt to play at being a sensationalist tabloid columnist. They are derived out of a very real expression of anger from a man with mass male following towards a woman who continues to speak out about her experiences of public life and the racist/misogynistic abuse she has endured in the media and public. Clarkson’s words contribute to that.
Male public figures who espouse violent misogynistic language against women are engaging in an active incitement of male violence.
Long is the story of rich powerful men who abuse women for speaking out, this is sadly another repugnant chapter in that book. We cannot look away, or put these words down to this being just another ‘outrageous Clarkson comment’. This language is purposeful, thought out, violent misogyny, targeting a young black woman who has already opened up about suicidal thoughts of abuse she has received in the media. If Clarkson is as obsessive about his hate for Meghan, he will be aware of this fact (as would the publication) and has still chosen to write violently about her in this way and been allowed to publish it.
So, what of the publication that printed Clarkson’s comments, The Sun? Ultimately the decision to take down the column was Jeremy’s, as expressed by the publication itself. It should come as no surprise that a tabloid like The Sun would sooner see it lose all it’s readership and close it’s doors than admit any wrongdoing or result in a climbdown in their position. Evidence of this remains as Clarkson’s previous column where he’s drumming up the vocabulary for his violent misogyny against Meghan, is yep, you guessed it, it’s still live.
For domestic abuse campaigners like myself, charities and all survivor’s of abuse, all of who are affected by men’s violence against women, the decision by The Sun to publish these words harms all women and will not go unnoticed. This was a publication that shouted loud with pride about how for more than 20 years they have campaigned against domestic violence. Without a public apology denouncing their publication of Clarkson’s column and his comments, their work and trust to help support survivors and their voices lays in ruin.
What hope can we take from the 12,000 plus complaints now with Ipso? Set up in the wake of the Leveson Enquiry, Ipso regulates newspapers and magazines set against the Editors' Code of Practice, enforceable by Editors’ Code Committee, a glorified board of ex-tabloid editors, and well, you know where this is going. Ipso operates to handle issues such as accuracy, invasion of privacy, intrusion into grief or shock and harassment. Arguably they are a toothless regulator, in that they rarely update the Editor’s Code or enforce it. I have personally sat alongside families bereaved of fatal domestic abuse asking Ipso to add reporting standards for fatal domestic abuse to the code which they have turned down.
The change we need to hold our press to account to stop the spread of violent misogynistic hate speech against women will not likely come from an independent regulator that fails to be independent at it’s core. Only yesterday, it was reported Lord Faulks, chair of Ipso, which oversees the output of Murdoch’s British newspapers, was due to be wined and dined by Murdoch in his private Mayfair flat last night. Instead the rising number of complaints about Clarkson made it “not appropriate at this time” an Ipso spokesperson said.
There can be no tolerance for men's violence against women in our society, it starts with men, it starts with these views. This isn't a 'joke', this is vitriolic hate speech against women. As men, we must recognise and speak out against Clarkson's clear as day misogyny and those countless men who support his words. Misogyny helps keep in place abusive patriarchal structures that abuse women and girls in today’s society day-in-day-out. Clarkson’s words abuses all women, tabloid media like The Sun help keep abusive men like him speaking out. Men can be active bystanders in tackling misogyny, creating discussion and conversation with other men and boys to help dismantle these oppressive and abusive views. We can all make an impact in creating a safer society for women.
Countless men are speaking out against Clarkson's misogynistic rhetoric. Many other men support his ‘right’ to use violent language to abuse women. As men who stand against misogyny, we say there is no right to abuse women.
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It is just incomprehensible that this man can get away with this sort of hate crime. And make no mistake, it is a crime. I would expect him at least to be sacked from his position at The Sun.
the naked truth about Jeremy Clarkson