Jack Monroe #112 Is that it? IS THAT IT

[Fruitjack]

As we've got a lot of lovely new Fraus I did want to explain a few things about my thoughts on Jack. I'm aware I don't need to, and I'm certainly not speaking for any other Frau but this is what I want to say, hopefully not too clumsily.

Things I absolutely do not care about
1. Her name. Anyone can change their name and I changed mine for a far less valid reason - moving into a house with a man.
2. Her gender. Gender is fluid; I truly feel heartfelt sympathy for anyone who doesn't feel like their body matches their gender and people can change their views and feelings on this. Whether she was wearing a binder or not and when, and how she feels about her boobs etc are of no interest and I hope she can find peace.
3. Her sexuality. Again, this can be fluid, she can sleep with whoever she wants; she can have a baby by whatever means she wants.
4. What she spends her money on. She can buy as many wooden calculators, Emins, freezers, hammocks and Waitrose ready meals as she wants and good luck to her.
5. Her illnesses/conditions/diagnoses. These can be diagnosed at any time in life, she could have her medication changed, she might feel a lot better at certain times than others.

Things I find interesting and/or amusing
1. The drama. When I was a bit of a squiggle I used to watch all this in a sort of 'how can so many weird things happen to one person' sort of way
2. The weird recipes. In the earlier days they were so much better; they've started to get way more maverick to almost the point of parody but people can either make them or not make them, up to them.
3. Brands/media outlets commissioning her for work. She's not my cup of tea, either her written work and especially not her screen presence, but they spend their money however they want and presumably they wouldn't do so if they didn't think there was a market for her work.
4. Her lies - I eat sugar/don't eat sugar - have a cat/don't have a cat - rollover rental contract/not rollover. They're just plain daft but they're quite fun to follow and would be a million times less easy to spot if she stopped living her life on the internet.

Things I cannot abide
1. Her pretending to be poor. Either have all this work and best selling publications or don't. Stop lying about finding things in puddles, or charity shops, or that a company let you keep them. Own your shit.
2. Her tip jar rattling. You have adverts on your website, you sell books through it, blogs are free to the end user, that is the whole point of them.
3. Her lack of responsibility. Stop saying you will do things/post things/send things and not doing them. Again, this would be a million times easier if you stopped living your life on the internet.
4. One rule for Jack, one for everyone else. Pile ons, cooking 'inauthentic' versions of meals, including cooking time, energy costs and freezer space in recipes etc.
5. The absolute fraud of a lie that she lives on £20 per week. If she even just stopped doing this I would hugely warm to her. This is extremely damaging; it shames people who can't manage it; it's a stick for tory wankers; it encourages and triggers eating disorders from tiny portions and calorie deficits and it's very very harmful.

Think that's covered my views.

The BEST thing about her is coming here and 'meeting' all you wonderful, witty, knowledgeable, funny Fraus.

Now absolutely FUCK OFF x

 

[MrsOgre]

Quite agree.

 

[MancBee]

As we've got a lot of lovely new Fraus I did want to explain a few things about my thoughts on Jack. I'm aware I don't need to, and I'm certainly not speaking for any other Frau but this is what I want to say, hopefully not too clumsily.

Things I absolutely do not care about
1. Her name. Anyone can change their name and I changed mine for a far less valid reason - moving into a house with a man.
2. Her gender. Gender is fluid; I truly feel heartfelt sympathy for anyone who doesn't feel like their body matches their gender and people can change their views and feelings on this. Whether she was wearing a binder or not and when, and how she feels about her boobs etc are of no interest and I hope she can find peace.
3. Her sexuality. Again, this can be fluid, she can sleep with whoever she wants; she can have a baby by whatever means she wants.
4. What she spends her money on. She can buy as many wooden calculators, Emins, freezers, hammocks and Waitrose ready meals as she wants and good luck to her.
5. Her illnesses/conditions/diagnoses. These can be diagnosed at any time in life, she could have her medication changed, she might feel a lot better at certain times than others.

Things I find interesting and/or amusing
1. The drama. When I was a bit of a squiggle I used to watch all this in a sort of 'how can so many weird things happen to one person' sort of way
2. The weird recipes. In the earlier days they were so much better; they've started to get way more maverick to almost the point of parody but people can either make them or not make them, up to them.
3. Brands/media outlets commissioning her for work. She's not my cup of tea, either her written work and especially not her screen presence, but they spend their money however they want and presumably they wouldn't do so if they didn't think there was a market for her work.
4. Her lies - I eat sugar/don't eat sugar - have a cat/don't have a cat - rollover rental contract/not rollover. They're just plain daft but they're quite fun to follow and would be a million times less easy to spot if she stopped living her life on the internet.

Things I cannot abide
1. Her pretending to be poor. Either have all this work and best selling publications or don't. Stop lying about finding things in puddles, or charity shops, or that a company let you keep them. Own your shit.
2. Her tip jar rattling. You have adverts on your website, you sell books through it, blogs are free to the end user, that is the whole point of them.
3. Her lack of responsibility. Stop saying you will do things/post things/send things and not doing them. Again, this would be a million times easier if you stopped living your life on the internet.
4. One rule for Jack, one for everyone else. Pile ons, cooking 'inauthentic' versions of meals, including cooking time, energy costs and freezer space in recipes etc.
5. The absolute fraud of a lie that she lives on £20 per week. If she even just stopped doing this I would hugely warm to her. This is extremely damaging; it shames people who can't manage it; it's a stick for tory wankers; it encourages and triggers eating disorders from tiny portions and calorie deficits and it's very very harmful.

Think that's covered my views.

The BEST thing about her is coming here and 'meeting' all you wonderful, witty, knowledgeable, funny Fraus.

Now absolutely FUCK OFF x

I broadly agree with you, but with the following caveat.

I dislike it when Jack uses the things that you do not care about (gender, sexuality health conditions) to excuse and close down criticism of the things you can not abide. She does this all the time, both directly and subliminally.

It is Jack that uses these things as an excuse, a weapon, for sympathy, as moral superiority, for personal advantage, and political posturing. I do not think it unfair when a Frau calls her out on this.

Many of the Fraus have friends, relatives, or are themselves gay, trans, changed their name, or have long term debilitating illnesses. They are in no way judgemental. She can spend her money how she wishes, but she is begging that money by implying she is poor, it is not wrong to point that out.

It is her weaponising of these things that is actually abhorrent.

 

[Silver Linings]

 

[colouredlines]

Not a happy birthday.

 

[HotesTilaire]

Echoing @PunkyMonkey regarding the award ceremony.

I’ve contacted several large companies regarding gift bags to give out to all attendees.
Karrimor are on board to supply rucksacks which will be the gift bag itself. Waiting for a reply from nutribullet regarding gifted blenders, also LNER east coast were rather rude when I tweeted asking if they would supply complimentary train tickets. Waiting for a reply from the Caledonian Sleeper. Wright’s coal tar soap are on board and I’m expecting their delivery on my back step any day. Asda have agreed to supply smart price cheese slices. Just hoping vistaprint will get back to me about postcards in time for the event

 

[colouredlines]

"Sweary apologetic emails"?

I'm sorry but I'll be a bit fucking late, you cunt.

 

[Silver Linings]

Oh god the flower crowns? Anyone on here old enough to remember when she wore the headphones with hot glued fake flowers on them all the time. I have nightmares about it.

Boo.

 

[Scarletfever]

I've said it before and I say it again. Her forensic analysis is POINTLESS. The issue is not whether a tin of mandarins costs 30p or £1 or £20.
The issue is that we live in one of the wealthiest societies on earth in the history of mankind and for some people a tin of mandarins is unaffordable.
The solution is not to demand a smart price range back.
The solution is, as always, far more complicated and nuanced.
Everyone should have enough to eat. It sickens me that this is not the case. Stop going on about tinned crap and tell people to donate, to volunteer, to affect change in a meaningful way, to not throw their vote away, to work on a local level, because that's where we can make a difference.
It's disempowering to shout at Asda. It's empowering to work with local restaurants, schools, food growers, food banks, etc. and we can all do something (and I know the lovely cabal members do an awful lot).

She has no solutions to offer apart from howling and clawing.

She tweets about Asda smart price from an ivory tower bungalow surrounded by luxury consumer goods, to an audience of middle class centrist squiggles (sorry centrist squiggles, I know you are kind hearted, but you will never change anything) while getting Ocado deliveries and shuddering at the thought of mixing with the masses on public transport.

She is completely disconnected from reality as she lives online. She doesn't involve herself in issues, local or otherwise, doesn't shop locally, doesn't volunteer at her local foodbank, doesn't seem to even donate as she is so busy wanging on about the £20 shop. She rents but never mentions housing rights orgs - her only issue is that she feels hard done by as she doesn't own a house outright. She tweets about how hard life is for heads of news and current affairs.

The height of her activism is riding on MR's coat tails, and personally profiting from his success (paid GQ article). I have no issue with her being paid to write the article, but she is in no way an activist or campaigner.

She literally never engages with wider issues and constantly centres herself and her "struggles". She doesn't work for minimum wage, nor claim benefits so can someone please, please, PLEASE explain to me how she claims to speak for people in poverty?

Her patreon rewards are a waste of time, resources and money, seriously, only people with money to burn would subscribe. It's a joke and there is a lot more worthwhile stuff she could offer for her patreons if she was so inclined.

But she can't be arsed. It's bare minimum every fucking time. And I do get that is part of ADHD, but that doesn't make it ok to post sub standard recipes, sub standard and late or non existent patreon rewards. If that is a result of ADHD then you need to make your living in a different way.

She's mentioned this collection of receipts a few times now, but nothing EVER changes. A few fiery tweets and then crickets. Here's a tip Jack - stop tweeting every thought and actually produce something.

You did the GQ article - clap clap. That's done now, so on to the next thing.

People shared their stories with her about poverty and austerity, really tragic and personal stories, and she's done nothing with them. The first draft of the supposed poverty book? I would be amazed if she had even started.

You don't need to tweet every thought, and you don't need to pretend to be living on £20 a week. No-one is saying you shouldn't have shoes, salmon, or butter, that's gaslighting BOLLOCKS and you need to stop it.

 

[Marmalade Atkins]

Probably! It would never have even been discussed without receipts, though, they must have been on here. Definitely happened, it was totally bonkers and pointless gaslighting. She used her typical narc tactic of pretending that people were gaslighting her by questioning her life experiences of having previously had two cats THEN!!

The cat discussion is spread over two threads (35 and 36 for anyone who wants to read it):

 

[Marmalade Atkins]

Also she's completed it mate when it comes to becoming a parody of herself.

 

[ChickenPorridge]

Why didn't Jack just wear one of the Burberry coats she actually owns? Or the lovely Burberry scarf she found?

 

[LennyBriscoe]

Thread recap lifetime achievement award to @Pocahontas ? The threads move so fast that I believe we use dog years as time reference.

May your trophy overfloweth with “bechamel” sauce.

Yes I definitely think @Pocahontas @Silver Linings and @Alansbigplate deserve lifetime achievement awards for services to Jacksville. They have collectively brought us amazing Recaps, Receipts and Refaces and I for one am grateful for your service

 

[Montrachet]

Best Newcomer Award

 

[JuliaGulia]

Can I suggest that our awards are called The Sloppies?!

 

[jenny2603]

What is wrong with these people?

 

[HarderFaster]

Was just searching her mentions to see what the deal was with the maker of that abomination and came across this.

May (MAY!) this year: a Dutch fan asks for a signed copy of a book for his wife, who is inexplicably a fan of Jack, but needs Jack to sort because no shipping options to the Netherlands...

Yesterday (HALF a YEAR later): Jack tweets about restocking some books and squiggle reminds her about his email

These people actually WANT to hand over their hard-earned money for her instructions on how to make something that looks like the cat has regurgitated and she just can’t be bothered to reply. So madly unprofessional. And makes it all the more laughable that she still pleads poverty - she needs to take her head out of her arse and read her emails.

Also a prime indicator that Caroline is very much needed and thus shouldn’t be on furlough. Jack is probably lying tbh but if she is claiming government money for this I’d hope HMRC would be looking very closely at it once the crisis is over (the words “tonne of bricks” spring to mind )

 

[Nottonightbabe]

I’ll get on to urban decay - was it the Jimmy Nail palette we need?

This very one, yes.

 

[MancBee]

It's not that I don't care, it's that I don't let how she identifies in those areas colour my views of her, but, yes I take that point and absolutely agree.

Same here, I have spent all my adult life campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights, and work with HIV charities. This was long before Jack was born; when attitudes were far more hostile than now. I am the least judgemental person you could ever meet. That is exactly why I am so offended by the way in which she uses her sexuality, gender and illnesses in the manner she does.

I also forgot the main thing that she uses her illnesses for, as an excuse for bad behaviour and not fulfilling promises.

 

[FrumpyCat]

Fraus can someone jog my memory here please? What is the "origin story" of the "that was then, this is now" catchphrase frequently used on here? Can't remember for the life of me but I recall laughing up a lung at the time she said it.

It was when someone asked her about her previous cats and she said what cats I've never had a cat before.

Then someone said yes you have you used to blog about them. They were called Harriet and Milliband. She said I obviously meant I've never had a cat in this house before. How dare you bring up my previous cat ownership.