Rowling is arguably one of the most famous women in the UK. I May Destroy You tackles the danger of "Karens" She retaliated against her critics with a lengthy essay detailing yet more of her misguided beliefs regarding Trans people, and this was given even more attention when it was widely re-printed by media outlets. Her speech against the Transgender community has caused widespread outrage among the LBGTQ+ community and allies alike, and has been condemned by former fans and the famous cast of her movie franchise.īut make no mistake about it Rowling has not been silenced (or 'cancelled', if we are to feed into this narrative).
Let's take JK Rowling as one of the most recent, and most vocal, examples. The trouble is, in practice, it is more of a spooky campfire story than anything of real consequence. Much has been said recently about 'cancel culture' – the idea of boycotting, or publicly shaming, an individual based on their immoral or illegal behaviour, or terrible opinions. Most notably the book was garnering both attention and praise, and Arabella ended up unknowingly supporting her rapist on social media as a result – yet another form of deception. Sure, he was hiding behind a new name, but his work was still being published and (presumably) he was still making his profit from it.īBC/Various Artists Ltd and FALKNA/Natalie Seery But Zain was that author, having used a pseudonym.Īfter she outed him as a rapist at an industry event, Arabella (and viewers) had assumed that the social media backlash and subsequent attention surrounding Zain's actions would have left him a pariah in the industry.īut it soon became very clear that he had not suffered severe consequences for his actions.
In I May Destroy You, Arabella inadvertently arranged to meet with Zain, believing that she'd instead reached out to an impressive newly-published writer who she'd wanted to swap notes with. Its inclusion in the show's storyline tapped into a horrifying real world act known as "stealthing" (you can read more about that over on Cosmo UK). In an earlier episode, Zain had removed a condom without her knowledge during an otherwise consensual encounter. Now we've had time to digest, there is one moment in the penultimate episode that we feel needs to be given a little more attention – particularly when in the light of current discourse around the concept of 'cancel culture.'Īrabella was put in a position where she had to confront Zain, a man who had violated her during a previous sexual experience. We're convinced that I May Destroy You is one of those shows that will be an entirely different experience each time you watch, no doubt noticing additional callbacks, Easter eggs or themes each time. There's a lot to unpack in the show's 12-episode run, but particularly in its powerful final outing. With layer upon layer of nuance and grey area, there's so much detail to be found in every inch of each frame, and just when you thought you've reached the destination that Coel had been guiding you to, she'd swiftly re-route you to another. It's been said that the creator wrote a staggering 191 drafts before getting to the impeccable finished product, and it shows. These scenes in I May Not Destroy You no doubt mirrored Michaela Coel's own writing process for the BBC/HBO series. Arabella scribbled down her thoughts and splayed them out across her bedroom wall, a carefully constructed diagram of causes and effects, mapping out her experiences and piecing them together for her book.
0 kommentar(er)
