Forget the inane celebrity drivel, there’s a real world out there too - Vladimir McTavish

So JK Rowling never got arrested after all – like that was ever going to happen. There was something a bit laughable about her whole posturing at the start of the week.

The trouble with online posts by celebrities is they have millions of followers and their views are constantly reposted and shared, says Vladimir McTavish

She was pictured on the front page of a number of newspapers with the accompanying headline declaring “Arrest me”. It was as if she was channelling Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry. She may as well have added “Go on, punk, make my day”. She then ruined the whole show of bravado by adding that she was actually out of the country at the time.

Of course, no-one with a scintilla of common sense would have been in the least bit surprised that Police Scotland weren’t taking a battering ram to her front door as part of a 6am dawn raid as soon as the Hate Crime Act became law. They have bigger fish to fry than children’s authors who can’t keep their opinions to themselves.

One of JK Rowling’s cleverest ideas in the Potter novels was the cloak of invisibility. Perhaps she should try it on for size. We all know she has a wonderful imagination. But does she genuinely believe that the general public give a flying fart about her thoughts on trans rights, Scottish independence or anything else? Granted some people may hang on her every word but I personally couldn’t care less.

One of the worst effects of social media has been to make everyone think that their opinions are valid. Not just celebrities, but all of us. In the past, bores who wanted to voice off their tedious views would have to go down the pub to annoy strangers. Either that or they would have written their comments on a toilet wall. Now they can post online.

If JK Rowling had been mouthing off about trans people in the snug bar of her local, people would be able to respond to her face-to-face. They’d either say “You’re right there, JK” or “Shut up and write your next book” or “Go home and count your money” or “It’s your round, JK. I’ll have a pint of butter beer”. Proper dialogue in other words.

When people engage in arguments on social media all nuance is lost, and offence is more easily taken. This really came to a head during the pandemic, when lots of people had lots of time on their hands. The comedy business became particularly toxic during lockdown when none of us were able to work. I know a couple of very prominent Scottish comedians who are still not talking to one another due to a fall-out they had online four years ago.

What’s worse about online posts by celebrities is they have millions of followers and therefore their views are constantly reposted and shared. And lazy journalists reprint their tweets in place of reporting actual news. Hence, anything JK Rowling posts on X today becomes front page news in tomorrow’s Daily Mail. Remember when there used to be actual news on the front page of The Sun? OK, that was a trick question. There has never been news on the front page of The Sun.

Celebrities, please stop posting your every opinion on X. And journalists, please stop reporting this as “news”. There is a real world out there too.