Jason Arday #2

[PurvyPanda]

Yeah, when people talk about how terrible it is that this story got so much attention, they're ignoring the fact that Jason Arday himself was about to publish a huge autobiography in several countries. HE WANTED all this publicity. He just didn't want it to be critical. And when you get paid £1m+ to write an autobiography for an international audience and you choose to lie all the way through, you can't also ban people from saying anything bad about it.

Tldr: he wasn't a private citizen subjected to a media pile on, he was actively trying to get famous.

In a nutshell.

I posted a video about this story on the Meghan and Harry thread the other day (my belief being that Meghan is a fantasist and has an underlying personality disorder), but I made the point that this story could be likened to pretty much any thread on this site, because the common thread with most of these people, is their narcissism.

Narcissism is not a derogatory insult, it’s a mental health condition. I think at this point is a mental health crisis.
At no point in living history have people been encouraged to be so self-aware. In my opinion this is completely driven by social media.
You create a social media account, you create a bio. You’re encouraged to be looking within, to be introspective, to project onto people, to impress people, to impress upon people, to be thinking about yourself, or should I say overthinking about yourself.

I think narcissism is prevalent in my generation. The millennial generation is called the MTV generation. We’ve gorged on popular culture and celebrity. It has infected so many people who don’t want humdrum 9-5 jobs, they want to be famous. For so many of these people who have this condition, fame is the worst thing to happen to them, because they are a fantasist, and the fame indulges the fantasy.

 

[L3moning]

Media are not responsible for the mental health of people they write stories about.

I disagree with this to be honest. They're not entirely responsible, no. But they do need to bear it in mind and make sure they're careful about what they say.

 

[The Skeptical Gerbil]

Even in death he is being treated by many as childlike and innocent in nature.
This is a form of racism, well perhaps more than that, it’s something that gets applied to many people considered a minority.

This is part of a modern superiority attitude in which some believe they are more culturally and emotionally evolved than others, it’s grown from the ‘white saviour’ complex where those with privilege think that not applying the same moral & sometimes legal status upon those they deem a ‘minority’ will somehow raise them up and make up for decades of oppression. As if are just children and cannot help themselves.

The reality is of course quite different, it creates deeper divisions, resentment and a culture of infantilising sections of society .
What we are seeing is the outcome of that behaviour.

 

[MavisBeacon]

It's sad.

But it doesn't matter if JA was "gorgeous", what mattered was his behaviour. And as has been said many times on this thread, he lied, possibly manipulated, took opportunities from other people and gave false hope to those who found comfort in his "stories".

It's not racist to call out David Burke for the murder and abuse of Celeste. Nor should he be let off for his crimes because he's "gorgeous".

It's not racist for Axel whatshisface to be in prison for his crimes.

And before someone jumps on me, I know what JA has done isn't anywhere near as awful but my point is, it's not racist to question questionable behaviour and to expect someone to be accountable for their actions. You can't just excuse behaviour because of someones race (or disability, or any other protected characteristic..).

This person is writing like JA was murdered. Like he had no choice in his death. But he did. And this is what he chose to do. Nobody forced him.

If this is a genuine professor and OBE, it's easy to see how he got away with it for so long.

Sue Black is a bandwagoning simpering idiot, who also isn't nearly as smart as she'd like us all to believe.
Many such cases.

 

[BettyRizzo]

I didn't go to university, and I am glad I didn't if this is the state of it.

What on earth ever happened to critical thinking? To honest questioning? To check and challenge?

I feel saddened that Jason felt this was his only way out - but as others have said we cannot simply nod and agree with everything anyone ever says in case they commit s/s.

 

[Biffy]

George Abaraonye got into Oxford with only ABB. I doubt him and Jason are the only ones who go accepted into prestigious academia with results that were left wanting. And what does that say to people of colour in this country? That you won’t be judged on your exam results like most white people are, that they will accept lesser results because your colour? Or that you need to have a fantastical struggle which outweighs your academic achievements? It’s like we are telling young people of colour that we don’t think you’re intelligent enough to go to this university so we are watering down the standard acceptable grades but also you need to have achieved X, Y and Z whilst doing A, B and C. I don’t think white people are/have been judged on those metrics. Surely that’s more racist?

I know someone (white, working class) who got into Cambridge years ago via an entrance exam/interview despite A-level grades of A, B & C. They attained a 2:1 degree, so they were obviously academically capable once given the opportunity. I'm not sure if they would get in nowadays, but maybe that's a different discussion based on state vs private school quotas?

On the subject of Jason Arday, it's incredibly tragic that his story has ended this way. I can't help but feel that a degree of blame can be apportioned to many of the parties involved, no matter what 'side' they're on. Of course Arday himself was the architect of his own downfall, but those who enabled and encouraged him in his delusions without doing due dilligence are also culpable (especially Cambridge University). It shouldn't have come to this, but the press and public scrutiny he faced did feel disproportionate at times, especially when compared to someone like Jess Taylor, another fabulist who is far more harmful to the wellbeing of vulnerable people than Arday ever was imo.

I think he compared himself to Icarus in one of the flights of fantasy in his florid autobiography. Seems like it was a self-fulfilling prophecy in that he chose to fly too close to the sun and was ill-equipped to deal with the heat it brought him.

His is a cautionary tale, but unfortunately I feel it's more likely to lead to recriminations being flung around rather than actual reflections by those who could and should have dealt with things better.

 

[Scotch Mist]

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WTF has this news got to do with Sadiq bleeping Khan? Ugh his virtue signalling is off the scale, he never misses an opportunity.

IMO Sadiq is a classic example of someone promoted way beyond his abilities.

 

[PurvyPanda]

Even in death he is being treated by many as childlike and innocent in nature.
This is a form of racism, well perhaps more than that, it’s something that gets applied to many people considered a minority.

This is part of a modern superiority attitude in which some believe they are more culturally and emotionally evolved than others, it’s grown from the ‘white saviour’ complex where those with privilege think that not applying the same moral & sometimes legal status upon those they deem a ‘minority’ will somehow raise them up and make up for decades of oppression. As if are just children and cannot help themselves.

The reality is of course quite different, it creates deeper divisions, resentment and a culture of infantilising sections of society .
What we are seeing is the outcome of that behaviour.

Completely agree. This is segregation all over again, under the guise of inclusivity.

We are encouraging hyper sensitivity, and hyper awareness. It is creating a landscape of inequality, victimhood as a commodity, and punishment. This has been the culture for some years - that we can only raise one group up, by insisting those with perceived privilege to come down. It’s an unsophisticated approach that is creating more problems that it is solving, and it’s an approach that is widely being abused by the people it’s intending to give priority to.

 

[MavisBeacon]

Sadiq Khan and others have said Arday faced a disproportionate amount of public and media scrutiny. As others have already said - this is because of the book deal and the press release that led directly to journalists investigating the claims.
If a journalist had written an article about a Cambridge professor who had plagiarised someone else’s work and was a rubbish lecturer, it wouldn’t have received nearly as much coverage. It was only the ‘extra’ stuff about his childhood, disabilities and sporting / fundraising efforts that made it a much more interesting story.
Same as the Salt Path couple. They disguised their real names so the story took longer to come out, but it was only when a film was made of the book with Gillian Anderson in the starring role, that people really started to speak out about them. If they hadn’t accepted the film deal and all the money that went with it, it wouldn’t have been such a big story.

This needs to be said much more loudly.
Arday's plagiarism and shoddy academic work would be a nothingburger were it not for the fact he was held up by one of the top universities in the world as a paragon of black academia, and then wrote a book full of BS for a major publisher that had invested in a serious amount of publicity for it.
He chose for all of that to happen when he knew it was built on lies, and sicced the police on people who tried to invesigate. And then he experienced the consequences of those choices.

The actions of liars, grifters and frauds whose lies, grifts and frauds are uncovered are a consequence of their behaviour, not a reason not to question them.

 

[VeniVidiVicki]

These are extracts from psychiatrist Max Pemberton’s article https://archive.ph/rzHzQ

It is the venerable academic institutions that elevated him to dizzying heights that should be asking themselves hard questions. If Arday had been a fabulist who had worked at Sainsbury‘s (or even stayed as a PE lecturer at Roehampton) his fantastical back story would have been of no interest to the MSM. Cambridge hiring him was when people started taking a closer look.

 

[FourSeasonSoupObsessive]

Succint and accurate from Kerry

 

[VielleFemme]

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I saw this tweet last night and my immediate thought was it sounds like he is inciting, almost suggesting people should riot ("I know many Londoners will be angry and upset this evening").

These are volatile, violent times. We've had weeks of intolerable heat and drought. The country generally and London specifically is divided and angry. My family and I have been at the sharp end of this quite a few times this year.

It's an insanely irresponsible tweet, deliberately so.

 

[The Skeptical Gerbil]

Some are definitely encouraging a US approach to race relations, which as anyone can see is not moving anywhere positive at all.

 

[PurvyPanda]

Ugh Sue Black. My hackles have always been up around her for some reason. Massive attention seeker. (I know people who know her).
And all those with the 'I hope you're happy now'. Nobody is happy about this. Any of it.

That is because ‘Professor Sue Black OBE’ is well versed an accredited member of the victimhood society, and thusly sees everything through that prism. She should blame herself.

 

[NomDeGuerre]

I see Mary Beard has tweeted to call for a cease to the scrutiny of Cambridge’s academic policies.

Because of course she would.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

The statement from the Cambridge VC could very well have been the final straw. In referring to Arday as a case and that the case is an ‘aberration’ made it clear how it was all going to go.

How can you say something is an aberration before you have started investigating? Clearly Cambridge would not be addressing anything structural or ideological, but they would close ranks and Arday (and Durham and Glasgow, presumably) would be thrown under the bus. By taking this approach you could reasonably assume there would be no hope of an off ramp professionally for Arday, even if he could weather the media storm.

Statement from the Vice-Chancellor 12 August 2026 | University of Cam…

archived 12 Aug 2026 15:16:59 UTC

archive.ph

 

[The Skeptical Gerbil]

That is because ‘Professor Sue Black OBE’ is well versed an accredited member of the victimhood society, and thusly sees everything through that prism. She should blame herself.

Not to be confused with Baroness Sue Black, the fantastic former forensic scientist.

 

[MavisBeacon]

These are extracts from psychiatrist Max Pemberton’s article https://archive.ph/rzHzQ

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It is the venerable academic institutions that elevated him to dizzying heights that should be asking themselves hard questions. If Arday had been a fabulist who had worked at Sainsbury‘s (or even stayed as a PE lecturer at Roehampton) his fantastical back story would have been of no interest to the MSM. Cambridge hiring him was when people started taking a closer look.

As several people here have said, many of us know people who make tit up. And usually we roll our eyes and let them get on with it if it's harmless (like my schoolfriend who pretended she was really a Russian princess and invented extra middle names for herself) or we cut them out of our lives if they are toxic and damaging. If my friend was actively promoting a book about her life growing up in St Petersburg rather than in a dull market town in the home counties, I suspect I'd want to call her out, if I'm being honest.

 

[PurvyPanda]

I see Mary Beard has tweeted to call for a cease to the scrutiny of Cambridge’s academic policies.

Because of course she would.

A few years ago Evri (or Hermes as it was known then) lost everyone’s parcels just before Christmas. We were all on Twitter saying we can’t get any customer service. Can’t get any help on social media. No one’s responding.
One of those people was Mary Beard, who did get a response, and she smugly thanked them and went off on her merry way. She only got that help because she had a blue tick next to her name (these celebs love their precious blue tick), so she’s an elitist witch and I couldn’t give a flying duck what she says.

 

[MrsFawlty]

So sorry for his family and especially his children, the oldest of which must be a young adult by now and able to access everything written about him on the internet. I did start to wonder if he could find a way back from the exposure of the fantastical web of lies he'd woven, especially when the Telegraph and Guardian made him front page news. I thought he would brazen it out and find another path to feed his narcissistic personality.
All those that enabled him (even by passively ignoring the inconsistencies in his account) need to do some deep reflecting on how this came about. Sadly, that probably includes some of his friends and family.