Wednesday, November 16, 2011

#MenCallMeThings

[content/trigger warning: threats, misogyny]

Sady over at Tiger Beatdown started a Twitter hashtag thing where women and feminist bloggers shared some of the violent, threatening things that people (presumably most of them men) have said to her for being an Internet Feminist.

I'm not big on the Twitter so I'm late to the party as usual, but I thought I'd contribute as well.

I think the best comment (and by best I mean, "you're a woman-hating, violent creep, but thanks for proving my point") I've received was when I wrote a post about how pervasive and acceptable woman-hating is and dude writes a comment to me that says:

"What a supid [sic] nasty man hating cunt you are.

A rape in the dead of night is the only chance you EVER have of getting fucked."

In light of Sady's campaign, I can't help but be reminded of some of the comments that gay men made about my Family Scholars Blog post on bullying. If you remember, one of them tried to pressure me into using my full name, even after I told him that feminist bloggers, including myself, receive rape threats. Another commenter said that I deserved the sexist comments because I admit to a feminist identity and use this identity as a "shield."

A freaking shield. As though being a feminist blogger offers women some sort of..... protection from harassment?

LOL in what utopia is dude living in and how do I get there?

Many people, even presumed political allies, apparently have no idea of the extent to which this aggression against female bloggers is an issue. Of course, I do realize I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt with that assumption. The alternative, that they know it exists and they just don't give a shit, is too depressing to take seriously.

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