The hateful Jan Moir: wrong on every level

As revulsion at Jan Moir’s article in today’s Daily Mail bubbles over on the web, Left Foot Forward can outline why Moir is categorically wrong about two specific claims.

Bigot: Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir In an article full of bile and innuendo titled “Why there was nothing ‘natural’ about Stephen Gately’s death,” Moir states:

“Healthy and fit 33-year-old men do not just climb into their pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again.”

The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that Gateley’s death “may have been sudden adult death syndrome” sometimes referred to as Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. In December 2006, the BBC reported:

“Around 500 people may die every year from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, a study published in Heart shows … The average age of death was 32 and 63 per cent were men.”

In her article Moir goes on to write:

“Another real sadness about Gately’s death is that it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships.”

What is this myth? According to the Office of National Statistics, “In 2007 there were 26.6 divorces per 1,000 married men aged 25-29 and 26.9 divorces per 1,000 married women aged 25-29.”

Over a longer 18-month period from December 2006 to July 2008, fewer than one per cent of civil partnerships ended in dissolution. This is not a direct comparison since civil partnerships only came into existence in December 2005.

Jan Moir and #janmoir are two of the trending terms today on twitter while bloggers have reacted angrily to the article.

http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/4918412973 Shamik Das

RT @leftfootfwd: The hateful #janmoir – wrong on every level:- http://bit.ly/3kyiJJ RIP Stephen
http://twitter.com/gemmatumelty/status/4918454456 gemma tumelty

RT @leftfootfwd The hateful Jan Moir – wrong on every level: http://bit.ly/3kyiJJ
http://twitter.com/jessica_asato/status/4918476376 Jessica Asato

RT @leftfootfwd The hateful Jan Moir – wrong on every level: http://bit.ly/3kyiJJ
http://twitter.com/ruwanorama/status/4918552918 Ruwan Fernando

RT @leftfootfwd: The hateful Jan Moir – wrong on every level: http://bit.ly/3kyiJJ
http://twitter.com/wdjstraw/status/4918955342 Will Straw

We all know #janmoir is wrong but the lack of evidence to back up her vile assertions puts the Mail to shame http://bit.ly/3kyiJJ
http://twitter.com/anthonypainter/status/4919020545 Anthony Painter

RT @wdjstraw: We all know #janmoir is wrong but lack of evidence to back up her vile assertions puts the Mail to shame http://bit.ly/3kyiJJ
Jack Storry

A vile woman writing for a vile paper.
goggy3

I expect these sort of comments from a 89 year old man. The paper is an example of the type of evil that is bubbling away in our society by people who look like the butter wouldn’t melt.
goggy3

Jan Moir should “just climb into [her] pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again.”
MosesO

Jan Moir’s recent article, whilst homophobic in the extreme, was not uniquely hateful. This week, the Ugandan MP David Bahati recently launched an Anti-Homosexuality Bill – yes, it’s actually called that – even though homosexuality is already illegal in the state. The bill madates the death penalty for HIV-positive people who engage in sex with people of the same gender, and calls for Uganda to withdraw from all international treaties and conventions which support the rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals.

Full details can be seen here: http://bit.ly/9FFF4. The article also speculates about the motives for the bill, and is an excellent read. Please do have a look, when you have a moment.
Primper

I have read the entire Moir piece and it made me feel physically ill as only the listeriosis bacteria has been able to before. I also – holding down my rising gorge the entire time – took the trouble to read some of her other pieces, just in case (I knew it was a long shot)the Gately article was an aberration. Everything she writes is bilious, bigoted, nasty vitriol: everything, on every subject. Her comments on a recent Nolan sisters concert are focused on how they have all put on weight now they are middle-aged. This from a middle-aged woman with a very well-fed looking face. I could weep. How can she be earning money working in a high profile industry in a recession when so many decent, intelligent people are out of work?
http://www.shamik.co.uk Shamik Das

MosesO, thanks for that link, shocking stuff, truly shocking. Primper – I’ve resisted the urge to read any of her other articles, but it looks like this wasn’t a one-off and she truly is a vile piece of work.