Jason Arday #3

[Witchfinder Sargeant]

He first met Debs at the Sports World job. So how were his wages at Sports World being paid if he didn't have a bank account before she helped him set one up? In the 2000s it seems unlikely that businesses employing a number of staff would be paying cash in hand.

Yes, cash in hand might still be around for small businesses (the corner shop, a small bar) but I think once you get past a certain point, cash in hand is dangerous and extremely impractical.

I used to work for one of the big four supermarkets in the 1990s and even back then they really pushed quite hard for you to be paid via bank transfer. One of the payroll staff remembered doing payroll back in the days of cash envelopes for most staff and she said it was always stressful, and one time they had a credible threat of a payroll robbery so there were police everywhere on pay day.

It's difficult to work out exactly how many stores Sports World had by the time JA was working there, but I think it would be well over 100 stores, based on this from Wikipedia. You can't pay that many shop floor workers in cash without your accountant having hysterics, not to mention the risk involved in moving that much cash about.

Sports Direct - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Daisy Uncle]

Have only just remembered that he claims when he was ‘about five’ that doctors discovered he was ‘profoundly deaf’ in one ear tooView attachment 4095281 (and this didn’t magically resolve, because he mentions his ‘good ear’ as an adult many years later in the book, in relation to yet another unbelievable ailment- the brain tumor that caused the memory loss right before his viva)
View attachment 4095283

Dr Google doesn't say hearing problems are common with a pituitary tumor.

 

[PurvyPanda]

Wrong! In the 2000s chain sports shops* with multiple branches and multiple employees per branch all seemingly paid their employees a crisp £5 note cash in hand. View attachment 4095390
*that later became Sports Direct

Spoiler: Chapter

View attachment 4095392View attachment 4095394View attachment 4095396View attachment 4095398View attachment 4095397

 

[10%]

His "life story" reminds me very strongly of Jack Monroe.

Do you know Dr Jessica Taylor so many of her tales are the same as both Jack Monroe and Jason Arday. But unlike those two is actually very dangerous with how she targets vulnerable people to tell them all their delusions are real, don't go to the police as they're the biggest abusers and stop taking your medication.

Newspapers keep spreading her BS because she has a big publisher and also isn't big enough to be much public interest.

 

[Daisy Uncle]

Forrest Gump is the story of the turbulent American 60s and 70s, through the lens of a simple man. It's not meant to be a story of hope for people with low IQs. Not surprised that Arday focuses on the wrong thing entirely.

Google tracking links are automatically removed for everyones safety

The film Being There springs to my mind.

 

[MavisBeacon]

I can well believe that the truth of this is that he had hearing problems and some kind of neurodiversity/developmental delay, but was also a grandiose narcissist with a talent for manipulation who was surrounded by enablers and managed to glom onto an academic culture captured by DEI.

 

[SharkAttack]

It really bugs me that his book is written in American: it's all 'favorite', 'defense' and 'job center'

Why? Lazy editing? I thought the ghost writer was a Brit - albeit one who lived in the US. Surely they weren't thinking this would go to a largely American audience? And if they did, wouldn't they do US spelling for that edition only?

 

[MavisBeacon]

It really bugs me that his book is written in American: it's all 'favorite', 'defense' and 'job center'

Why? Lazy editing? I thought the ghost writer was a Brit - albeit one who lived in the US. Surely they weren't thinking this would go to a largely American audience? And if they did, wouldn't they do US spelling for that edition only?

It is a bit odd, but I suspect his publisher was mostly aiming this at the inspirational Oprah-type US market (possibly because people there wouldn't clock so much of his bull eg commuting daily to Glasgow). Also do people have paper copies? It would make sense to only do one version of the e book, and maybe have different print versions for the UK/US language territories.

 

[Scotch Mist]

My public sector workplace sent out a message to everyone talking about the impact of 'racism discrimination and the disproportionate and negative scrutiny that Prof Arday and other black professionals face in organisations in public life' and have set up a support group!

So it doesn't matter that he was a fantasist and a liar then

 

[Mugginsme]

It really bugs me that his book is written in American: it's all 'favorite', 'defense' and 'job center'

Why? Lazy editing? I thought the ghost writer was a Brit - albeit one who lived in the US. Surely they weren't thinking this would go to a largely American audience? And if they did, wouldn't they do US spelling for that edition only?

The screen shots are all from the American version of the book.

 

[Serene Serena]

I t would have been better to publish the book ONLY in America. His extensive lies may have gone undetected, because his readers wouldn’t realise that commuting to Glasgow/Liverpool and working 3 jobs at the same time aren’t feasible.

 

[Mugginsme]

My public sector workplace sent out a message to everyone talking about the impact of 'racism discrimination and the disproportionate and negative scrutiny that Prof Arday and other black professionals face in organisations in public life' and have set up a support group!

So it doesn't matter that he was a fantasist and a liar then

Personally I would expect a high level of scrutiny if I was courting the press and publishing a memoir full of bull. But I'm not black or male.

 

[Tabitha D]

They do seem to have led with the US for the book - hence the planned US book tour (no doubt with a few big talk show slots), and having published it there first. They must have really been expecting it to be a big hit in the US.
Which is especially baffling when you see how dull and badly written it is.

 

[Carefree]

They do seem to have led with the US for the book - hence the planned US book tour (no doubt with a few big talk show slots), and having published it there first. They must have really been expecting it to be a big hit in the US.
Which is especially baffling when you see how dull and badly written it is.

But it has a message!

One where not actually being all that academical means you can still become a high earning professor on vibes and some small amount of charisma whilst opening your eyes wider when ever you're questioned about your bull 🥹🥹🥹

 

[Tabitha D]

Although apparently first week sales in the US have not been good:

 

[Witchfinder Sargeant]

Although apparently first week sales in the US have not been good:

View attachment 4095680

Not relevant to the main point but I wish people would stop with this mimsy self-censorship, you look ridiculous.

 

[Yel]

Although apparently first week sales in the US have not been good:

View attachment 4095680

Not a surprise, it's never really ranked high on Amazon.com. Meanwhile on Amazon UK it's often been in the top 20.

I think it could have done huge numbers without the scandal and doing the talk show circuit. It all coming out and mostly bad reviews has stopped any US sales.

It'll sell a lot more in the UK, but very quickly go down the charts imo.

 

[VeniVidiVicki]

I don’t think he had a US book tour planned. There were two launch events in London and Edinburgh which were cancelled.

 

[Tabitha D]

It does make the 1.4 million advance claim seem even more ridiculous.

 

[Darvos]

Not a surprise, it's never really ranked high on Amazon.com. Meanwhile on Amazon UK it's often been in the top 20.

I think it could have done huge numbers without the scandal and doing the talk show circuit. It all coming out and mostly bad reviews has stopped any US sales.

It'll sell a lot more in the UK, but very quickly go down the charts imo.

I wonder how many worthy book clubs will sign it up as a monthly read. I would fly on the wall those sessions.