Inside and out, Katie Hopkins is a repulsive individual.
Tonight, her- I suppose you could call it- documentary "My Fat Story" airs. In it, Mrs Hopkins, 39 (astonishing, isn't it?), documents how she put on four stone, and attempted to lose it again. This is in hope of demonstrating that overweight and obese people are only that way because of their own actions and choices, and if they would only take control of their lifestyle, they wouldn't be that way.
The main problem with this is the tone; but we will get to that. The first criticism that should be levelled is the complete ignorance shown. Many people simply eat too unhealthily, too often, and exercise too little, but not all people are fat due to diet. Our metabolisms all work at different rates- and there are an array of glandular problems that can cause a person's body to put on weight, despite eating quite well. People can also put on weight due to steroid and contraceptive medication, largely outside of their control. In that light, whilst it may or may not be easy for Katie, it won't be easy for everyone. However it's not really in what she is doing- it's the way she is doing it. She is highlighting only her own preconceived notions and prejudices- not anything of intellectual value.
But that's just Katie. Despite the backlash over this programme, she has dismissed her detractors as "angry chubsters". Most of the bile she coughs up in public appearances and social media is designed solely to shock; she is in-fact, a troll that ventures into the outside world as well as the online one. She fits the profile perfectly. Dim-witted, blundering and swinging with no regard for what's going on round about her. This is the same woman, we must remember, who professed on This Morning that she determined the class of a child by his or her name, and wouldn't allow her own children to play with kids she seemed of lower class. Asked to provide examples of such names, she included "any geographical names"; despite the fact her own daughter is named India, as Philip Schofield pointed out with baffled incredulity.
This week she has outdone herself though- taking to Twitter to proclaim that we in Scotland are "Sweaty little jocks" who are "sending Ebola bombs to London in the form of sweaty Glaswegians". This was referring to Pauline Cafferkey, the Scottish nurse who contracted Ebola whilst volunteering as a nurse to help victims of the virus in Sierra Leone, and was transferred to a London hospital from Glasgow. In a separate tweet, she remarked "Not so independent when it matters, are we Jocksville?"
So, I reported her to the police. I also posted a link to the Police Scotland report form for hate speech on several prominent newspaper articles on Facebook, to encourage others to do the same.
After doing this, I received a number of reply comments on the threads, saying that it was a waste of time and police resources. It was suggested that instead, I should adopt the stratagem of "ignore her and she will go away", which likens her behaviour as a mere schoolyard bully. I was also accused of being too eager to cry offence, and along with the rest of the Scottish populace, accused of having a victim complex.
Let's get one thing straight; to a Scot, the word "Jock" is a slur- it implies and imposes many negative stereotypes upon us. If Katie had used a similar derogatory word aimed at someone of a different ethnicity, ("Paki" for instance) there simply would be no debate. Indeed, substitute another nationality and its corresponding racial slur, and see how that sounds to you.
But that isn't the only reason. As well as using a slur against a nation of people, she didn't even acknowledge Pauline Cafferkey as a human being. Rather than the brave and selfless human being she is, having risked her life to save the lives of others, she has been held in the same regard as a plague rat. For that reason, Katie should receive the same treatment as that scumbag from Sunderland, who insulted the victims of the George Square tragedy. Why should her ill-gotten celebrity status make her exempt from the law? Reporting her online conduct is completely justified.
Katie Hopkins, you are an utter carbuncle. My sincere hope is that your next misadventure will be "My Jail Story", and that nobody but you will be subject to it. The next image of you I hope to see, is you being led away in handcuffs with that sanctimonious smile wiped right off your face.
