Today is the fifth anniversary of the publication of Titania McGrath’s acclaimed book Woke: A Guide to Social Justice. I created this intersectional activist and slam poet in order to satirise this new intolerant and authoritarian identity-obsessed religion and its stranglehold on society. Having seen so many posh and entitled activists berating working-class straight white people for their privilege, I could think of no more appropriate reaction than mockery. Even Harry Windsor was at it. And he’s an actual prince.
Five years on, and I cannot decide whether I find it funny or depressing that so many of Titania’s ideas in that book ended up becoming reality. Nothing that Titania was ever able to suggest has not eventually been outdone by real-life activists. It is as though they were reading her book for inspiration.
For instance, in a chapter from Woke entitled “Towards an Intersectional Socialist Utopia”, Titania makes the following observation:
“Capitalism, after all, is a singularly male phenomenon. The ultimate symbol of capitalism, the skyscraper, is nothing more than a giant cock on the horizon, fucking the heavens.”
Sixteen months after the book was published, this article appeared in the Guardian:
Or what about this passage from a chapter in Woke called “White Death”? Here, Titania calls out Hellen Keller for her white privilege:
“Consider, if you will, the example of white American author Helen Keller (1880–1968). Even though she was left deaf and blind following an illness as a baby, she still managed to study for a degree, write twelve books and travel the world to give lectures. This kind of privilege is staggering.”
Compare this with an article that appeared in Time magazine over a year later, in which the author writes:
“However, to some Black disability rights activists, like Anita Cameron, Helen Keller is not radical at all, ‘just another, despite disabilities, privileged white person,’ and yet another example of history telling the story of privileged white Americans.”
And how about this tweet from October 2019, in which Titania had some advice for dog owners:
The subsequent outrage ensured that the tweet went viral. And just a couple of months ago, a leading pet talent agency in the UK called Urban Paws was asking owners whether their cats or dogs identified as “gender neutral” or “non-binary”.
After the backlash, the company claimed that it was a mistake. But the specific addition of a “gender identity” category on an application is hardly the equivalent of a typo.
And what about this article on the website of Vet Help Direct?
And then of course we have PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the world’s leading animal rights organisation, which posted the following call to arms on Twitter to “end speciesism”:
“Evolve your language. Unlearn how we’ve been taught to think of other animals. They’re NOT an ‘it’ and should never be talked about like objects.”
It’s about time that somebody took a stand for non-binary pigeons.
This is by no means the only example of Titania’s ideas being enacted by woke activists. Here are my top ten examples of when her absurd demands became reality…
On 22 December 2018, Titania called for biological sex to be removed from birth certificates.
On 17 December 2020, the New England Journal of Medicine concurred.
On 1 October 2019, Titania suggested that young women should be encouraged to travel alone in rural Pakistan.
On 12 October 2019, Forbes Magazine concurred.
On 15 October 2018, Titania argued that Winston Churchill was worse than the Nazis.
On 11 February 2021, Churchill College at Cambridge University concurred.
On 19 September 2018, Titania criticised Julie Andrews (aka Mary Poppins) for chimney soot blackface.
On 28 January 2019, the New York Times concurred.
On 29 April 2019, Titania pointed out that scientists have yet to discover the difference between men and women.
On 24 March 2022, USA Today concurred.
On 22 January 2019, Titania called for the Oscars to prioritise diversity.
On 12 June 2020, the Academy concurred.
On 30 January 2019, Titania accused Laurence Olivier of a hate crime for his performance as Othello.
On 9 October 2021, the University of Michigan concurred.
On 2 May 2020, Titania criticised the NHS for appropriating the LGBTQ rainbow flag.
On 6 May 2020, Forbes Magazine concurred.
On 6 June 2019, Titania demanded an option on social media to mute white males.
On 14 July 2020, Instagram concurred.
On 12 September 2019, Titania argued that scientists cannot possibly know whether ancient skeletons are male or female.
On 18 July 2022, gender activists concurred.
Titania McGrath’s Woke: A Guide to Social Justice is available to buy here. It’s also available on audio book and Kindle.
This post alone is worth the cost of subscription.
Oh no! How am I ever going to sleep tonight? I thought my dog was giving me dirty looks. Now I know I’ve been misgendering her…him,zie, zig, zog, oh hell.