Jack Monroe #74 The 19th most important gay in 2014

[Montrachet]

Imagine the Frau frenzy if that memoir ever saw the light of day (it won't).





The fact-check revelations will leave Jack, Natalia, Rosemary, Caroline, Vix and The Chronic Optimist calling on Vivienne Westwood for divine intervention.

 

[MancBee]

I’m not sure if anyone has responded but they really aren’t. I know foster carers who use their own money for Christmas presents for the children. If they were taking more complicated children they may get more £ but then they are dealing with some of the most vulnerable, traumatised children. You wouldn’t foster for money. It’s not worth it.

My sister is and has been a foster carer over the past 25 or so years, it is her vocation, however she does get paid. She has no partner and devotes her life to these children. She gets £25k a year, tax free and does get allowances on top for school uniforms, trips, etc. She has not received any grants for building work as her home is adequate for the one child at a time she fosters. She has had many difficult children, but they are not all demanding. She does buy their Christmas and birthday presents if they are with her on their birthday. Though it is recommended that these gifts are never too expensive. When they return to their parents it can make things worse if they are unable to carry on with extravagant presents.

It has provided her with an income and she has been able to buy her home whilst only working part time in a school kitchen as her other income. It is not a fortune and she deserves every penny, but it does provide an income in excess of the expenses incurred.

I agree that you wouldn't foster just for money, it has to be a vocation. It is really hard and emotional work sometimes. It certainly isn't for everyone. But to suggest that it isn't financially beneficial is not true.

If Jack's parents fostered 2 children at once, then they would without doubt have received more money than they spent on those children. And rightly so, it is a job and should be paid for. In fact they should receive far more.

What makes me angry is the way in which Jack, by omission, suggests that her parents were fostering without any payment. That they were taking in troubled children out of the goodness of their hearts. It was a job for which her parents received payment. What also upsets me is the way she talks about those children, with resentment and not love. They were a burden to her as she had to, in her words, co parent them.

 

[NP]

I got as far as "We never went on holiday" in that Happy Mum Happy Baby thing.

What about picking fresh lemons from the trees in Cyprus???

She went on holiday once. But she isn’t on holiday right now. So by Jack’s cat logic, she has never had a holiday before.

 

[sarahjay]

The whole “on the national curriculum” thing really bugs me.

I checked with a fellow Frau who confirmed she isn’t on the NC. An extract from her book was used on a sample exam paper for one (of many) exam boards.

According to my Frau, the reason it was used on the sample paper was because the GCSE kids are able to pick out all the language features she uses because it’s straight forward and basic.

Classic Jack exaggeration. Now duck off.

 

[sineadf]

Just watched 40 seconds and she's so rude!

"You didn't have a lot growing up" says the interviewer

WTF? How did she manage to spin that one for so long when it's clearly bollocks?? 5 bed house, dad with a senior job in the fire service, Land Rover, years of ballet lessons, they were positively well-off!

 

[TreeTrunksApplePie]

The comments on that article

Wow. Some of these deserve to go in pocahontas’s rundown (somehow). This is some of the most scathing and concisely written comments on her I’ve seen. And 4 years ago?! How hasn’t everyone known about her by now?!

The alcohol one is particularly telling and plays into my personal theory that she never had a proper drinking problem per se, but just acted like an arrogant fuckhead and embarrassed herself one too many times so decided to step back from it. While also Lying about it and using it for sadfishing of course.

 

[Lumpyspaceprincess]

"You didn't have a lot growing up" says the interviewer

WTF? How did she manage to spin that one for so long when it's clearly bollocks?? 5 bed house, dad with a senior job in the fire service, Land Rover, years of ballet lessons, they were positively well-off!

BUT SHE DIDN’T HAVE A PONY!!

 

[ChickenPorridge]

"You didn't have a lot growing up" says the interviewer

WTF? How did she manage to spin that one for so long when it's clearly bollocks?? 5 bed house, dad with a senior job in the fire service, Land Rover, years of ballet lessons, they were positively well-off!

I think this is why she always looks shifty and nervous af, incase the next question is what shade of blue was the Landrover and where did she train in ballet

 

[Marmalade Atkins]

I wonder if the estate agent has collected the for sale board yet.

 

[Icing _on_ the_cake]

Omg there is something seriously wrong with her sinuses. Jeez! The whole thing says a hell of lot about why she is the way she is. Not enough attention or affection, which is actually really sad. Still, no excuse to manipulate and lie to vulnerable people for money.

Noted at the end how she mentions that she was “really ill” the day before and her son had to get her a bucket. Should she really have gone to sit in a booth with a pregnant Giovanna after being “really ill” and vomiting? She was either bullshitting about being ill or putting G at risk of a sickness bug.

Jack has given a few stories where SB has had to look after her. This one, one mentioned in an earlier thread about her collapsing in the supermarket due to arthritis and Sb having to handle it all, and more recently the falling asleep on the sofa and SB checking if she's alive. There are also some stories she's given about her financial issues where she's described SB seeing her hide from knocks on the door due to 'trauma' she's got about being in debt.

If it's true, it's worrying.

If it's lies, it's worrying.

I mentioned in the last thread that I get the sense that there'd be a desire to groom SB as a carer as he gets older. This is something that certainly my n-mum has managed to do with my brother and dad and it is a common trope in narc families. I might not suspect it in her except for the fact that others have seen similar behaviour with her partners and the above stories where she seems to like placing SB in the position of having to look after her (whether in reality or imagination).

 

[Malacandra]

Thank you to all the Fraus and Herrs who sent me masses of love and support yesterday. It's a wobbly time of the year for me and I hold back from talking about it to family and friends. Forums like this are one of the great beauties of the internet, because we divest ourselves of looks, status, etc and see each other as we are. My daughter and her husband met on the web and almost 20 years ago I met one of my dearest friends playing one of the first WWW games.

I went to bed early last night, after saying goodnight to all of you and perhaps goodbye, and awoke at around midnight in a cold sweat about a child that was hammering at my door and would eat me alive.

That's when I realised that I have become too absorbed in worrying about Jack Monroe and her son and need to get back to looking after my own mental health.

I hope that you all appreciate my use of paragraphs!

I wish that we could all know each other in real life. Until we meet again, auf wiedersehen pets <3

 

[Cookiecookie]

I got as far as "We never went on holiday" in that Happy Mum Happy Baby thing.

What about picking fresh lemons from the trees in Cyprus???

And she's written at length about going in the Land Rover to holiday at her Aunt Helen's. They were fed fried potato sandwiches, played chasey with her geese, and were tucked up in crocheted blankets. Which to me, actually sounds a pretty lovely holiday.

Lots of people don't go on holiday. My stepson has never been on one and he's 29. I've not been for over 6yrs. Not fishing for sympathy because it's not about that at all in my case, but it's a reality for many people.

 

[Scotty1976]

BUT SHE DIDN’T HAVE A PONY!!

Thinking of The Simpsons when Lisa gets a pony "I've found something more fun than complaining "

 

[FeelingGroovy]

Wow. Some of these deserve to go in pocahontas’s rundown (somehow). This is some of the most scathing and concisely written comments on her I’ve seen. And 4 years ago?! How hasn’t everyone known about her by now?!

The alcohol one is particularly telling and plays into my personal theory that she never had a proper drinking problem per se, but just acted like an arrogant fuckhead and embarrassed herself one too many times so decided to step back from it. While also Lying about it and using it for sadfishing of course.

Hmm. ‘A proper drinking problem’ is a bit of a trigger for me. Alcoholism really *can* take different forms. It’s not all classic hidden daily drinking - It’s about your relationship with drink.

I know she’s come out with some horseshit about the units she drank per day, and yes JM is a fricking liar...

But, from personal experience, alcoholism looks different from person to person. Doesn’t make it less real.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

Traumatised foster children aren’t difficult, using that word suggests they have a choice in their behaviour? They’re suffering and need help. In the same way a baby can’t be good or bad, they aren’t either they just need help to regulate their moods. This sort of moral judgment on children who’ve truly been through bits is abhorrent, the girl is a bleep devoid of any empathy. She helped parent them despite being their peer as she was BETTER than them okay?? Her parents owned their 5 bed so she just knows more okay??

only watched the start but the disdain she shows for the host is...so bizarre it’s almost funny? It’s not even outright agg it’s a simmering teenage surliness, for what? You don’t have to turn up to everything you’re invited to love maybe sit the things you’ve got to pretend to be kind for out sweetie x

 

[Cookiecookie]

I can't bare to watch the whole thing, (that voice!) but when Gi says she knows Jack's neck of the woods, she visibly shits herself a little bit

She really is acting like a little brat too, all that eye rolling

 

[MancBee]

She helped parent them despite being their peer as she was BETTER than them okay?? Her parents owned their 5 bed so she just knows more okay??

You are so right about this. I looked after my much younger brother quite often. I took him to bed, read stories, played with him while mum went to work, made food if she wasn't arround. I gave emotional support when he was upset and put a plaster on him if he cut himself. I never considered myself as a co parent, I was just babysitting and helping my mum.

Everything she does has to be elevated to a much greater significance. She can't just say she helped out, it has to be co parenting.

 

[lilamay]

That was some side eye was giving Giovanni at the beginning! I only watched until the doctorates were mentioned (at least JM had the good grace to say they were honorary)

Yeah that side eye while Gi's introducing her! She's been invited onto a podcast and she's acting so rude and condescending to Gi, like a petulant teenager. And good god her voice is awful.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

You are so right about this. I looked after my much younger brother quite often. I took him to bed, read stories, played with him while mum went to work, made food if she wasn't arround. I gave emotional support when he was upset and put a plaster on him if he cut himself. I never considered myself as a co parent, I was just babysitting and helping my mum.

Everything she does has to be elevated to a much greater significance. I

Yep, this! I have a lot of siblings & would help with the younger ones which is not parenting, it’s being a sibling! Putting a kid to bed, reading them a story, holding their hand to cross a road or telling them to sit down on a bus seat is such a lovely intimate moment and all cute little memories, it’s a shame she’s not able to even do that without demanding the Guardian to put her on a bleeping short list for it

 

[Captainmouse]

Thinking of The Simpsons when Lisa gets a pony "I've found something more fun than complaining "

But nothing is more fun than complaining to mackie, it is her raison d'etre (sp)