Mental health issues emerge sometimes as strange bedfellows... Once I got a gig and signed up an opening act who then tried to become the headliner. Needless to say the mutiny resulted in firing the mutineer. So be it. That's what cutlasses are for! Onward.
James, right from the heart for sure. One can't dismiss this as being a Feminist take on the modern world. This Woke Woman is a classical example of what all this woke dogma does to human brains. The real question is "how did this woke virus spread so quickly and with such force through out our western society?" suggest you read the Desiderata, again... maybe this was a trap set to get you "cancelled?" I have read Pluckrose, Cynical Theories: "How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody" : Yascha Mounk,"The Identity Trap" and subscribe to his Persuasion substack, to get a "balance" of views, and several other authors who explain all these- Woke Critical Theories. I am a subscriber, a white male who believes he has got his head right around the thinking of all this Woke Critical Theories... as much as it is possible to do so. Keep the articles coming as they will be looked back on as the "can openerer" that exposed this delusional fantasy of academia and the intelligensia, a nihilistic, zero sum, divisive ideology that was bound to fail, as sure enough it will, but the when? Keep up the good work. 😐
She is not a "woke" woman. Just a woman of the "Hell has no fury ..." variety. Maybe. Maybe not. But she is anti gender fetishism fer sure. Can't be all bad.
The Melanies of the world will always come and go.
It seems to me the one you should be wary of is the publisher. I don't know who they are, and don't care but they seem fickle; weak leadership. The best leaders will always have your back through thick and thin. Steer clear of ships that don't have proper captains at the helm.
You may have unwittingly dodged a bullet here, James.
I'm very sorry this happened to you. Having your reputation tarnished through no fault of your own is hard to take.
I do have a question. Would it have been different if Melanie was a Mark instead? I mean, if a man you were working with accused you of stealing his work in the same circumstances? She behaved badly, no question. But was she believed because she was a woman or is it possible the publisher just didn't want to get involved in a messy situation that could potentially land him/her in court post publication?
I love your work and frequently share it with the members of my political party, the PPC. I love your attitude of learning from this setback, and your willingness to keep fighting! Thanks for all you do!
You're an awesome writer and I appreciate the effort you have gone into making Woke Watch so interesting and poignant. Sadly, victimhood is the new celebrated trait of weaker women these days. The good news is truth always stands on top and you're a winner for speaking it!
James, a heart felt true story helps us all...Unfortunately with pathological narcissists male or female, they are categorically incapable of offering apologies. This I learned the hard way and via experts in the field in the psychology/psychiatry field. As another commentator suggested, the problem also stemmed from the publisher, who in theory at least because of your past track record with them, should have sided with you. A lesson learned for all that read this important encounter you had. All the best...
Thanks for sharing. Don’t give up on the idea of reconciling with her if she is open to it, especially if she admits where she may have gone wrong. She is fighting against many of the same things as you are.
You know I love and respect you James but I’m not sure about this one. I agree that contacting the publisher might have crossed a line, but sending your version of the story out to thousands of subscribers where you name her and portray her as a vile narcissist? I just don’t agree. From your POV it is self-evident that she should have behaved X way, but clearly her expectations were not aligned with yours. Miscommunications can easily happen especially when chatting online. Perhaps you simply misunderstood each other, leading to her feeling sabotaged and like she had put in all that work for nothing. There’s two sides to every story and sometimes both perspectives are valid. It seems like a good rant to write to a friend in private, not one to send out publicly. Just my two cents.
Mental health issues emerge sometimes as strange bedfellows... Once I got a gig and signed up an opening act who then tried to become the headliner. Needless to say the mutiny resulted in firing the mutineer. So be it. That's what cutlasses are for! Onward.
Thanks for this, James. Venting / pen to paper (fingers to keyboard) helps doesn't it.
We all get what we deserve? Small comfort I know, but karma .... Life will assuredly deliver the spanking she so richly deserves.
For what it's worth, I love your writing, and your principles.
James, right from the heart for sure. One can't dismiss this as being a Feminist take on the modern world. This Woke Woman is a classical example of what all this woke dogma does to human brains. The real question is "how did this woke virus spread so quickly and with such force through out our western society?" suggest you read the Desiderata, again... maybe this was a trap set to get you "cancelled?" I have read Pluckrose, Cynical Theories: "How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody" : Yascha Mounk,"The Identity Trap" and subscribe to his Persuasion substack, to get a "balance" of views, and several other authors who explain all these- Woke Critical Theories. I am a subscriber, a white male who believes he has got his head right around the thinking of all this Woke Critical Theories... as much as it is possible to do so. Keep the articles coming as they will be looked back on as the "can openerer" that exposed this delusional fantasy of academia and the intelligensia, a nihilistic, zero sum, divisive ideology that was bound to fail, as sure enough it will, but the when? Keep up the good work. 😐
She is not a "woke" woman. Just a woman of the "Hell has no fury ..." variety. Maybe. Maybe not. But she is anti gender fetishism fer sure. Can't be all bad.
"“This woman has hurt my family and I"
Small quibble: and me.
1-What a co-author. Ugh.
2-Ugh for that publisher too. No one wants problems, but it looks like they took the very easy way out.
You do good work, James.
The Melanies of the world will always come and go.
It seems to me the one you should be wary of is the publisher. I don't know who they are, and don't care but they seem fickle; weak leadership. The best leaders will always have your back through thick and thin. Steer clear of ships that don't have proper captains at the helm.
You may have unwittingly dodged a bullet here, James.
Find a better publisher and carry on.
Keep up the good work.
Be strong. The bad guys eventually are brought down.
I'm very sorry this happened to you. Having your reputation tarnished through no fault of your own is hard to take.
I do have a question. Would it have been different if Melanie was a Mark instead? I mean, if a man you were working with accused you of stealing his work in the same circumstances? She behaved badly, no question. But was she believed because she was a woman or is it possible the publisher just didn't want to get involved in a messy situation that could potentially land him/her in court post publication?
You might be right about the publisher. If that were the case, it wouldn't matter if it was a man or woman who clandestinely contacted them.
I love your work and frequently share it with the members of my political party, the PPC. I love your attitude of learning from this setback, and your willingness to keep fighting! Thanks for all you do!
You're an awesome writer and I appreciate the effort you have gone into making Woke Watch so interesting and poignant. Sadly, victimhood is the new celebrated trait of weaker women these days. The good news is truth always stands on top and you're a winner for speaking it!
James, a heart felt true story helps us all...Unfortunately with pathological narcissists male or female, they are categorically incapable of offering apologies. This I learned the hard way and via experts in the field in the psychology/psychiatry field. As another commentator suggested, the problem also stemmed from the publisher, who in theory at least because of your past track record with them, should have sided with you. A lesson learned for all that read this important encounter you had. All the best...
Sorry this happened. Sometimes people can be very unreasonable.
Thanks for sharing. Don’t give up on the idea of reconciling with her if she is open to it, especially if she admits where she may have gone wrong. She is fighting against many of the same things as you are.
A man who has never made a woman angry, is a failure in life..........Christopher Morley
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I follow Melanie on X and I've lost all respect.
Sounds like your contact to said publisher was a woman.
Actually no.
It was worth a shot. I had a 50/50 chance. Better than a woke publisher where I would have had a 1/50 chance.
You know I love and respect you James but I’m not sure about this one. I agree that contacting the publisher might have crossed a line, but sending your version of the story out to thousands of subscribers where you name her and portray her as a vile narcissist? I just don’t agree. From your POV it is self-evident that she should have behaved X way, but clearly her expectations were not aligned with yours. Miscommunications can easily happen especially when chatting online. Perhaps you simply misunderstood each other, leading to her feeling sabotaged and like she had put in all that work for nothing. There’s two sides to every story and sometimes both perspectives are valid. It seems like a good rant to write to a friend in private, not one to send out publicly. Just my two cents.
Nice advice, Chanel. I cited this comment on James's 23 July piece.