Jack Monroe has removed the words “social justice warrior” from her twitter profile. Cooking on gas in never never land you’ve got to wonder, was she ever?
Jack Monroe is up for Barclays Campaigner Of The Year from the European Diversity Awards, an annual corporate shitfest run by Linda Riley. Riley has a business interest in the Ripper museum. Campaigners asked if Monroe was aware of the connection. Monroe tweeted back a list of ten responses avoiding the question. Monroe intends to visit and comment on the museum. Monroe has 74k twitter followers.
Britain’s Austerity Celebrity says the New York Times. An Activist For Our Time her Diva front cover. Jack Monroe knows poverty and is against it. Mostly Monroe shows the poor how to cope with being poor. To budget, to pursue endless shit jobs that don’t pay enough to live on. She tweets stuff like “In the end only kindness matters” and sells austerity busting recipe books. She also raised a petition, went to Africa and completes various fund raising challenges.
Her story, campaigning and career intertwine. Monroe writes and talks, always self referencing, that poverty is bad. “I have been campaigning for the living wage for as long as I have been campaigning” says Monroe but her campaigning amounts to her talking about being a campaigner. This awareness raising, her, following her, becomes an end in itself.
Monroe will say look at the causes but never does. Instead Monroe calls for better benefits, employment, tax. Monroe expresses no support for radical or grass root campaigns. Monroe is anti anger, anti anti-G8 protesters and worries about the cost of the riots to the taxpayer.
Nothing much comes of it all. Monroe’s often mentioned petition forcing Cameron to debate was, along with hungry families, openly mocked in parliament, dismissed and forgotten.
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As a living wage campaigner Monroe made TV ads for Sainsburies who don’t pay a living wage. As an anti-austerity campaigner she campaigned for a political party committed to austerity. She called Jamie Oliver a “poverty tourist” then worked for him. Of course she’ll take the award. Riley is a friend and patron. It’ll be listed by Monroe’s agent alongside her Fortnum And Mason award.
After 11 months unemployment middle class Monroe becomes the Face Of Modern Poverty, a lefty. Speaking for the poor at party conferences, the peoples assembly, the G8. In the Guardian, Mirror, Independent, Huffington Post. In Penguin bestsellers, on TV and radio.
Speaking for the poor, Monroe asks only for slightly better terms on the margins of a crap deal. Monroe serves power by filling space with tame dissent.
Update: see my new post investigating if a choice to be temporarily broke is poverty: Jack Monroe 11 months unemployed
Tags: European Diversity Awards, Jack Monroe, Jack The Ripper Museum
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