While a legal and judicial process will ultimately decide whether he is culpable, the mirror has been broken. No matter what way it is pieced together it will never reflect in the same way that it previously did. If Donaldson succeeds in his legal battle the OJ certain to be chanted by his detractors will circulate and stalk him until the end of his days. In his current situation he might wish for that end to accelerate towards him as speedily as his demise, whiskey washed down by a bullet: a bottle in one hand, a pistol in the other.
Whatever transpires, there will be a victim at the end of the process. If Donaldson is guilty, he leaves in his wake the devastation of those who underwent a horrendous experience. If he is innocent then he is the victim of an equally horrendous life changing accusation.
Gavin Robinson has been swiftly ushered in as the interim replacement leader of the DUP. Hailing from the republican side of the house, where feet dragging and deflection has been the stock-in-trade response to managing sexual abuse concerns, I find the speed with which the DUP acted - it had little choice - almost as breathtaking as the news of the allegation against its former leader.
Whatever transpires, there will be a victim at the end of the process. If Donaldson is guilty, he leaves in his wake the devastation of those who underwent a horrendous experience. If he is innocent then he is the victim of an equally horrendous life changing accusation.
Gavin Robinson has been swiftly ushered in as the interim replacement leader of the DUP. Hailing from the republican side of the house, where feet dragging and deflection has been the stock-in-trade response to managing sexual abuse concerns, I find the speed with which the DUP acted - it had little choice - almost as breathtaking as the news of the allegation against its former leader.
The event has been anything but easy to process, arriving like an assault on the senses, disorganising thoughts and plans. Such has been the abnormal force with which it hurtled into the midst of a normal day, much of the day's ruminating has been given over to it. It has eaten into chunks of relaxation time. At last night's Drogheda United game, the phone constantly pinged with memes. One benefit of the clash being a scoreless draw was that I didn't miss any goals as a result of constantly glancing at my phone.
When my wife prodded me awake in the small hours of Good Friday to tell me that the rumour will was buzzing with Donaldson innuendo after reports of a 61 year old being charged with serious sex offences it took me back to the same early hours of Good Friday five years ago when then too I had been nudged out of my slumber by her to be told that Lyra McKee had been killed in Derry. Conspiracy theories, similar to that expressed by Jamie Bryson, quickly wandered into my mind and were as swiftly dispatched.
Gavin Robinson would seem to have had precisely this type of sentiment in mind when he bewailed the alacrity with which schadenfreude found its voice:
When my wife prodded me awake in the small hours of Good Friday to tell me that the rumour will was buzzing with Donaldson innuendo after reports of a 61 year old being charged with serious sex offences it took me back to the same early hours of Good Friday five years ago when then too I had been nudged out of my slumber by her to be told that Lyra McKee had been killed in Derry. Conspiracy theories, similar to that expressed by Jamie Bryson, quickly wandered into my mind and were as swiftly dispatched.
Over recent weeks I have many times publicly questioned why Jeffrey Donaldson divided unionism, why he agreed to such a treacherous deal damaging to unionism & why he kept making demonstrably false claims. It was beyond comprehension. Perhaps now it’s a lot clearer.
Gavin Robinson would seem to have had precisely this type of sentiment in mind when he bewailed the alacrity with which schadenfreude found its voice:
there will be some, and there have already been some, who have sought to score cheap political points, who have sought to engage in conspiracy theories, who somehow enjoy or will manipulate such devastating news for those involved.
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As I said before on the Quill sexual crime runs through every demographic and it will happen in every big organisation. You can try to prevent it but if and when it happens it is how you deal with it that counts. Quick, decisive action by the DUP is to be applauded but the accusations were so heinous they had little or no choice.
ReplyDeleteI hope the jokers take note that there are potentially rape victims here and any schadenfreude or delight is misplaced. Think of how they feel. It can happen anywhere and tittering, frivolous jokes only trivialise sexual violence and normalise it. I'm not in favour of censorship but trivialisation of sexual crime is firmly rooted in our society and only perpetuates blaming the victim by not taking it seriously and leads to a society where such crime is entertainment.
No need for the unsophisticated Jimmy Saville badges or Prince Andrew jibes. Humour can be a powerful weapon. A good joke can highlight the injustice of a crime. Satire can make you think but memes and primary school level sophistication of jokes do the opposite. They make it frivolous.
Minimising or understating the harm done to victims is unavoidable if the majority of onlookers focus on creating memes and having a giggle. Victims are ignored. Why don't the wags put their energy into stopping sexual violence instead? Voice their alarm rather than their delight.
Trivialising sexual violence creates the type of society in which it will thrive.
Simon - thanks for such a detailed and thought out comment.
DeleteI agree that schadenfreude or delight is misplaced.
But I think the use of memes is more nuanced.
I have been bombarded with them since this story broke.
I have declined to share them because of the prejudicial risk.
It depends on who is being mocked by a meme.
All those | have seen to date mock abusers and never the victim.
Mockery has been a powerful instrument of social criticism since humans have existed.
Memes are now a common feature of the humour landscape and serve the same purpose dark humour served in the pre meme era.
Memes are not always used to express delight and are often mockery of those in powerful positions who abuse their power and privilege.
The meme vendor can express their alarm, concern, outrage through mockery of the powerful.
Often we have grounds to suspect that those who oppose a particular meme cite the victim of abuse as their reason when in fact they are trying to shield the abuser from criticism. I find this regularly with those who cannot abide
evangelicalism being mocked despite all its perfidies and rackets.
Some great commentary by you recently - would make for great articles.
Well said, Simon. Interests of justice must always come first.
ReplyDeleteIn his current situation he might wish for that end to accelerate towards him as speedily as his demise, whiskey washed down by a bullet: a bottle in one hand, a pistol in the other.
ReplyDeleteI have read a similar view.....
Thanks for the considered response.
ReplyDeleteI've rarely seen frivolous jokes about sexual violence or domestic violence for that matter being powerful instruments of social criticism. Memes or jokes can be powerful but the overwhelming majority of them are simple, aiming for a quick laugh rather than social commentary. Not thought provoking in the slightest. You don't need to mock the victim directly but reducing offences to the quick laugh certainly has the same effect. I see very little social commentary. Mocking maybe but no intelligence in it just base humour and trivialisation.
It's not only about memes but jokes too. I have heard jokes that make you think about horrific crime but the plethora or Donaldson memes have failed to do that. The nods and winks and giggles don't change your opinion to make you intolerant of the crime, they only make the subject of the crime something fun. It's not about taking offence It's about the atmosphere it creates.
"The meme vendor can express their alarm, concern, outrage through mockery of the powerful.". In this case I disagree, they're all after a quick laugh, no nuance involved.
In ancient Ireland the satirist was one of the most powerful. Good satirists were rare and the same is true today.
My one issue about the Donaldson memes is that they assume guilt on his part which I think is imprudent bearing in mind Barry's observations. If that can be dissociated from the social criticism they seek to convey, I think they possess a potency in as far as a meme is able to do that. And I have been sent quite a few. I share quite a few memes but have refrained from doing so in this case, not because they do not serve a purpose of social critique, but because I think they might be prejudicial.
DeleteMemes serve as a caricature that make a point. Many memes about Israeli genocide proclaim a message so strong that their value is immediately apparent. They become problematic if they are meant to misinform rather than inform. The memes I have seen about Donaldson thus far have hit the mark in terms of the message they have been trying to convey. I think one has raised an eyebrow because it is mocking someone not associated with the case. I think in general while not everyone's cuppa they work quite well as an instrument of social criticism.
The Donaldson memes might produce laughter but it is of the sort where the perceived victim or their situation is not mocked but the perceived victimiser is.
I suppose we'll have to leave it that. We're never going to agree. I see it differently and it seems a no-brainer to me. I never said the jokes mock the abuser directly yet this is a lot of your counter argument. I would also never police it but believe its right to discourage it like misogynist jokes in a group chat on WhatsApp. Mindsets need to be changed. If a mind as sharp as yours doesn't see it all I can do is recognise the problem may be insurmountable.
DeleteTherein lies the crux - we see it entirely differently. To me the issue is very clear. You think you position, wholly at odds with mine, is equally as clear.
DeleteI am fine with people having a different position from mine so long as they do not seek to impose their perspective on others and are able to live in an intellectually pluralist and indeed intellectually promiscuous environment.
As for misogynist chats on WhatsApp, I found the Rugby trial worrying on that very thing. That was very much a case of trying to police and indeed punish people for what they do in private: echoes of thought crime and a dangerous intrusion by the state. But then again, I don't even know how that case got to court. Nor it seems did the jury. I think WhatsApp was raided in a bid to bulk out a weak case. But I guess that is a discussion for another day.
I'd be more interested on the WhatsApp messages which were irretrievably deleted. We'll never know what impact they would have had on the trial because they were irretrievably deleted. Still, the jury decided on the evidence at hand and they were found not guilty. Can't go double guessing the court.
Delete
ReplyDeleteThe Independent looks at the life and career of the influential unionist ....Who is Jeffrey Donaldson? The DUP leader accused of historical sex offences...
In our society there has been a stigma around those who have been abused. Not so long ago they would have been a laughing stock. This stigma is still there but thankfully is diminishing. The giggles directed at an abuser diminish the victim. Not quite laughing at the victim but certainly part and partial of the same culture of reducing abuse to a giggle. Pure titillation. An act of omission in a way but certainly trivialises the matter.
ReplyDeleteWhen have you seen a child abuse joke that really makes you think, that makes you sit back and ponder? I'm talking to the wider audience I know you haven't shared the jokes Anthony. Is it a case of emoji laugh, share and move on now you're in better form? Good satire can be a revelation. All I'm saying is we should be careful not to fuel the fires of a culture where child abuse or domestic violence is reduced to fodder for jokes and little else. This culture is in good humour but is poisonous and perpetuates a society in which abuse is more likely to happen. It is a hangover from the time when victims were ridiculed. The victim may not be the target but the subject is trivialised in such a way that not only doesn't help the victim but diminishes the matter to the extent we forget about the gravity of the crime.
I see very little sign of the stigma today. Stigmatising the abused was a weapon that protected abusers. In today's climate it is very difficult for those trying to stigmatise abuse to get away with it.
DeleteI do not see when an abuser is mocked how that diminishes the victim. It sends out a wider and valuable signal that mockery is amongst one of the many things they can expect. Nor is abuse reduced to a giggle because abuse is not being mocked. What is being mocked is someone arrogant enough to think they have the right to abuse and to be rewarded with silence for doing so.
I think there is a danger that a democratic medium for social criticism - one available to almost everybody - can be trivialised by the charge that it trivialises abuse.
I have seen many images pertaining to child abuse that have made me think that they convey a powerful message. I have yet to see one that ridicules the abused: they all pour derision on the abuser.
Humour mocking those who have used their power, whatever it is, for the purpose of abuse has long met with resistance from those who want to protect the abuser or the culture of abuse. We see it time out of number with religious fundamentalists of whatever hue, effectively demanding that their power and privilege not be mocked.
There is a wide range of humour, not all of it pleasing to the taste. My view is whether I like it or not, I feel it should be allowed full throttle rather than be policed in the way I think Brandon has highlighted on TPQ.
Nor can I see how one of the most powerful weapons in the armoury of those pushing back against abuse - ridiculing the abuser - perpetuates a society in which abuse is more likely. It seems much more logical to believe that the opposite is in fact true.
".Over recent weeks I have many times publicly questioned why Jeffrey Donaldson divided unionism, why he agreed to such a treacherous deal damaging to unionism & why he kept making demonstrably false claims. It was beyond comprehension. Perhaps now it’s a lot clearer."........ Are you implying the possibility of ' spook ' involvement in his recent flip-flop stance. ...... I would not be surprised .....
ReplyDeleteSimon/Edna....
ReplyDeleteSimon,
When have you seen a child abuse joke that really makes you think, that makes you sit back and ponder? This stigma is still there but thankfully is diminishing. The giggles directed at an abuser diminish the victim. Not quite laughing at the victim but certainly part and partial of the same culture of reducing abuse to a giggle.
Such as Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle...? Their jokes don't make me ponder but they make me want to slap both of them....Some things shouldn't be joked about. The problem with sex abuse and domestic violence is the police don't seem to take it seriously or invest resources into it... Liam Adams death: ‘Daddy made me sleep with him’... words that sparked decades-long fight for justice
From the moment Aine told her, the mother and daughter did everything right. This wasn't a case of a family trying to sweep something horrible under the carpet. Despite coming from a strong republican tradition in west Belfast, they went straight to the police.
But the RUC, social services, and Aine's uncle Gerry - the most powerful Sinn Fein and IRA figure in the country - would all totally fail the two women in different ways.
Edna,
Anthony quoted what Jamie Bryson said on his X account... "Conspiracy theories, similar to that expressed by Jamie Bryson, quickly wandered into my mind and were as swiftly dispatched.......And Anthony dismissed the thought quicker than he read it.
Frankie - Jamie Bryson presented as much evidence for his claim as David Icke does for his claim to be the God Head or that there are lizard people. If Bryson comes up with the evidence we are obligated to pay attention. Short of that, dismiss it and move on carrying Occam's razor as we go. Otherwise we will be listening to people telling us the earth is flat, the moon landings were fake and the Iraq war was simply a simulation.
DeleteI must confessed to using memes, the latest directed against The Loyalist Belfast Telegraph and its hypocrisy. On its FB over the last week it gave us details and outrage from its 'journalists' (don't make bullshit excuses for them about only 'doing their job', etcetera) over the draping of a tricolour over a coffin. The paper's FB permitted and fervently encouraged readers' to comment on this 'terrible crime' for 8 solid and sordid days. Good reporting you say, only doing their jobs, you say. Fair enough. Then came the wee Jeffie story, and suddenly they closed all debate on FB! They were only doing their job, of course. Please don't patronise me with the usual, on-going court case, bullshit. They had it plastered all over their paper edition! I got passed their censors and posted a meme pointing out their hypocrisy and within minutes all hell broke loose! The 'journalist' were outraged to be insulted and reports sent to FB cops, and others. They love dishing it out, but boy, do they cry like verbal bullies they are when it boomerangs back to them. (by the way, I've had quite a few harsh memes directed at me over the years, but have yet no lose sleep over them. Perhaps I need to get a bit more sensitive, like a journalist...
ReplyDeleteI'd say I am surprised that another political figure in Northern Ireland has found themselves covered in shite but I'd be lying.
ReplyDeleteWith the amount of Republican memes firing around suggesting his guilt should I assume they have faith in the PSNI now?
Steve, I see no contradiction in having no faith in the police to supply essential evidence to enquiries and coroners' courts which has the ultimate effect of denying justice and having faith in them in other matters relating to justice particularly since they're the only show in town. Although you have a point in that people should treat suspects in an equal manner whatever their political hue. Let the courts decide not the mob
DeleteSimon while I may have been poking fun it was interesting to note they didn't have any qualms going after the head of political unionism.
DeleteAbsolutely Steve R.
Delete