Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019.
‘Humour is a weapon of the patriarchy.’ So says Titania McGrath, the Twitter superstar who describes herself as an activist, healer and radical intersectionalist poet. Titania has become famous for her ‘woke’ words of wisdom, such as ‘heterosexuality is a hoax’. Of course, those of us who have been following Titania’s rise to fame will know that she is, in fact, fictional – a satirical character dreamt up by the author and comedian Andrew Doyle. Boasting a Twitter following in the hundreds of thousands, Doyle’s parody of a ‘typical Guardian reader’ has managed to fool some so-called ‘social-justice warriors’ into believing Titania’s cries of oppression, as well as revealing uncomfortable truths about the degraded state of identity politics. But not everyone is a fan of Titania. Doyle has been accused of ‘punching down’ with his satire of contemporary ‘leftie’ politics. Is poking fun at social-justice campaigns merely a right-wing ploy – even though Doyle himself is a self-declared leftie? And what has it been like for Doyle, to be a comic writer in a world that sometimes seems unable to laugh at itself? Now that Titania’s real identity is out, where does she go from here?
ANDREW DOYLE
writer and comedian; author, Titania McGrath's Woke: A Guide to Social Justice
CHAIR: ELLA WHELAN
co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival; journalist and frequent commentator on TV and radio; author, What Women Want
Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe
Podcast of Ideas: Rwanda, Rochdale and the Middle East
Still in the race: understanding Trumpism
Trust me, I’m your doctor: are GPs in crisis?
Jack Hues in conversation: Reflections of a Rock Star
Cancel culture comes for Claire Fox
Satirical art and the Culture War, with Miriam Elia
Gary Lineker: free speech, political debate and impartiality
No, Minister! Crisis in the Civil Service
Should teachers strike during an education crisis?
Podcast of Ideas: demystifying the deal
Have Brits fallen out of love with work?
Podcast of Ideas: Frank Furedi on the Ukraine War first anniversary
What does 2023 hold for the arts?
Is the Government right to veto Sturgeon’s self-id bill?
Debating Matters Beyond Bars: Jon Floyd and Heather Phillips
#SportscastofIdeas: World Cup - the final
#SportscastOfIdeas: World Cup 2022 Upsets and Underdogs
#SportscastOfIdeas: World Cup 2022 begins
Call To Courage: Winning The Battle Of Ideas
Podcast of Ideas - Claire Fox: ’Liz Truss is gone, but this isn’t over’
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free