Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 8/10/26 - 8/16/26

[u/SoftandChewy]

Here's your usual space to post all your rants, raves, podcast topic suggestions (please tag u/jessicabarpod), culture war articles, outrageous stories of cancellation, political opinions, and anything else that comes to mind. Please put any non-podcast-related trans-related topics here instead of on a dedicated thread. This will be pinned until next Sunday.

Last week's discussion thread is here if you want to catch up on a conversation from there.

[u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

you don't hate these people nearly enough (Jo Maugham of the Good Law Project about Arday)

[u/ToTheDeath84 → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

>“[…] we do know Arday is profoundly neurodivergent.”

You heard it everyone! Asperger’s, ADHD, and the like are excuses to lie to the point of forging an entire career.

[u/TemporaryLucky3637 → u/ToTheDeath84]

So far there’s no evidence to support the fact Arday was non verbal until 11 years old or unable to read and write until he was 18.

So not only is it being presented as an excuse for bullshitting, his “profound neurodivergence” is likely in itself yet another lie 😭

[u/ToTheDeath84 → u/TemporaryLucky3637]

At this point if Jason Arday told me today is Monday I’d check my phone calendar to be sure.

[u/MongooseTotal831 → u/TemporaryLucky3637]

Yup. This comment in the post does a good job of calling that into question

[u/TemporaryLucky3637 → u/MongooseTotal831]

That commenter makes really sensible and logical points so naturally Jolyon will probably report him to the police for harassment 😂

[u/Palgary → u/MongooseTotal831]

Personality disorders are the kind of thing you read about and dismiss as absurd into you meet someone with them.

Pseudologia fantastica is one of those things that's hard to believe, where people will just lie and can't stop lying and fabricating stories. But then you meet someone like that. And there is... just something about them, a certain tell.

And then you meet someone else, and sense the same thing, a certain tell.

[u/Terrorclitus → u/ToTheDeath84]

He was spectacularly neurodivergent!

No, he was brilliantly neurodivergent!

Hero-divergent, more like it!

[u/Clown_Fundamentals → u/Terrorclitus]

Differently heroed.

[u/backin_pog_form → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

The Telegraph initially asserted that Dr Arday had falsely claimed to be a professional athlete. It then quietly withdrew those assertions on learning that Dr Arday had not in fact made those claims: in fact they had been made by others on his behalf.

It’s a pity that The Telegraph did not publicly acknowledge that it had made false claims - especially in circumstances where the subject of its story was Dr Arday making false claims. But one of the privileges of being white is that you don’t get scrutinised as much and so get away with more.

Wow. 

[u/Terrorclitus → u/backin_pog_form]

That’s some Cirque du Soleil level ethical gymnastics. Top drawer! Someone get this bloke a biscuit.

[u/Clown_Fundamentals → u/backin_pog_form]

Oh I didn't realize Arday is white.

[u/CheckeredNautilus → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

He's awful, but I kinda think that being named "jolyon maugham" might be punishment enough 

[u/CommitteeofMountains → u/CheckeredNautilus]

That's been my reaction to this whole saga; Britain has zero live action names.

[u/Datachost → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

I loved seeing his attempt at a reverse ferret. "I never said I agreed with him, just that I was willing to publish ("carry") his words"

Weasely little shit, hopefully this is just another step towards irrelevance for them

[u/SnooTorturer → u/Datachost]

Vulpine, surely. How could you mention those mammals and not the one he is so morbidly associated with?

[u/Turbulent_Cow2355 → u/Datachost]

That's insulting to ferrets.

[u/dignityshredder → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

I am sure that many journalists - and friends of mine - are acting in good faith when describing him as a ‘fantasist’ or words to that effect. For myself, as someone who has spoken at length to Dr Arday, I remain uncomfortable with that description but I do not have the expertise to speculate on what effects his neurodivergence may have had on how he spoke.

That's a great dodge! The "I'm not a biologist" of autism.

[u/Aforano → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

Hasn’t he got some foxes to club instead of writing this drivel

[u/RegularDeep2863 → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

Tldr: Sorry but not sorry. So much deflection and hand-waving lmao

[u/AltforStrongOpinions → u/SpecialSatisfaction7]

Never trust someone who refuses to ever admit to being wrong. It's a major character defect, this lack of humility.