Why is Margaret Atwood an abysmal human being?
Oh god, it’s a few things. And it’s all rather involved, because it’s Canadian Lit and everything is messy in Can Lit.
There is no way to do this succinctly. But if I had to: 1. she supports an alleged sexual assaulter who preyed on students while he was chair of a creative writing program; 2. continues to support this man as he actively works to silence conversation around rape culture in Can Lit; 3. supports a man who has been discovered to have spent the last so many decades pretending to be First Nation writer in order to make $$; 4. had her lawyers harass the Walrus until they pulled a piece by Zoe Whittall that was a bit critical of her; 5. has been recently vibing with Jon Kay and other MRA folks on twitter; 6. generally actively works to silence women writers who don’t suck up to her .. etc. etc.
So, the big, recent issue has been her ongoing support of Stephen Galloway, alleged sexual assaulter who preyed on students while chair of the UBC creative writing program.
She infamously signed the stupid UBC Accountable Open Letter in support of him. She’s also doubled down on her support as he moves forward in charging upwards of 25 people with libel for talking about rape culture on twitter.
The Stephen Galloway case:
Stephen Galloway was the chair of UBC’s creative writing program. From 2014-2016 several allegations came forward about him from both staff and students. These ranged from bullying to sexual assault. UBC then suspended his employment.
In response to this, the above open letter was published claiming that the University “acted irresponsibly” and chose to go about the allegations in a manner that was “severely damaging Professor Galloway’s reputation and affecting his health,” denying Galloway of his right to due process.
However, I think Alicia Elliott put it perfectly in a Twitter statement: “In cases of sexual assault, sexual harassment & rape, the criminal justice system (and society) centre the accused and his comfort, while ignoring the victim’s needs. The UBC Accountable letter did the same thing. It wasn’t calling for systemic change; it was upholding [the] status quo.”
Subsequent to this, Galloway brought forward over twenty libel cases against various and sundry writers, colleagues and the women who brought forward the sexual assault charges. Those charged include Alicia Elliott and Mandi Grey. This is all in an attempt to bring about a chill effect to the conversation of rape culture in Can Lit.
And it worked, for the most part. After he brought forward the libel cases the conversation dried up over night. This is because Canada’s libel laws heavily favour the prosecution and not the defendant.
Galloway, though, is really just angry at having to suffer consequences for his shitty behaviour and wants to take it out on everyone.
AB [unnamed complainant who brought the initial sexual assault charges against Galloway] subsequently told a couple of professors and a friend of the alleged assaults in November 2015 and wrote a letter to the UBC president, claiming she had been sexually assaulted by an unnamed professor, according to her court filings. She asserts that she had a “moral and social duty” to report the allegations.
Lawyers for AB also told the court the independent investigator never used the words “not substantiated” or “unsubstantiated” in reference to the sexual assault allegations. “Ms. Boyd’s words were that ‘on a balance of probabilities’ she was ‘unable to find’ that the sexual assaults ‘occurred,’” their written submissions state, adding that Boyd did find AB’s allegations of sexual harassment to be credible.
Here’s a Globe and Mail on the latest about the case (behind a paywall unfortunately)
VICE piece that has a bit of an update on the case as well.
Atwood has double downed on her support of Galloway throughout this entire debacle - from beginning to present day.
Because power protects power.
Additionally, Margaret Atwood has expressed support for Joseph Boyden after it came out that he’s been doing a Pretend-indian shtick. (Which is racist. So very racist.)
More recently, Margaret Atwood has been retweeting MRAs, being lauded by the likes of Jon Kay for being anti-Feminist (essentially, which is a stance she’s long had tbf), using her power and presence to silence writers like Alicia Elliott and Zoe Whittall, and is generally demonstrating her clear and vested interest in maintaining the status quo of a white, mostly-male dominated Canadian Lit (and art) scene.
And, as I’ve said before on the Margaret Atwood subject:
It’s also hard because I understand there are lines you have to erase to succeed as a woman in the Lit establishment, especially in the cliquey, arrogant Canadian Lit scene. But when you buy in so much to the narrative that white, cis men in the Lit scene perpetuate you have to wonder at what cost did you acquire your power?
There are ways to be a successful, powerful woman in literature - I think Ursula K LeGuin is a fantastic example of how to use power for good - and I just am so sad Margaret Atwood continues to steadily become The Literal Worst.
Also, very petty but w/e, I remember hearing a story that she went into a store at Bay and Bloor looking for wine glasses - like a really posh, expensive store. It’s Bay and Bloor you can’t breathe in a store there without spending $400. Anyway, the store had only two options for wine glasses: one super pricey and the other on the more affordable end. And Margarette Atwood got so mad that this store only carried two options (it was not, it should be noted, a store specializing in kitchen or dish ware) and that she had to pay for the nicer ones. She treated the staff horribly. And it’s like, go to fucking Homesense Maggie. You’re not above Winners
And it’s like, I’m not one of those people who is like “burn all her work; never read anything by her ever again” because that’s a stupid position to take. Her books have held value and do hold value. That she was one of the first women to ascend in Canadas’s dick-swinging literary world is a net positive for all women. That said, I do think more of a nuanced view should be held of her than is currently the case. We can acknowledge that she did do a lot of firsts as a woman in Can Lit, while also not ignoring her racism, her rape apologist attitude, her tendency to trample down up and coming women writers, her sympathy for the MRA world view ... etc.
Anyway, a reckoning needs to happen in Can Lit about the voices we choose to amplify and what we want art and literature to look like.
