Yet 'more' internet sexism - Louise Mensch sexist abuse on Twitter

This discussion highlights one of the problems we face, as women, as feminists, online. One of the tactics of online patriarchy is to marginalize and isolate individual women for special woman-hatred because particular attention has been drawn to them for whatever reason. And then the focus becomes on that woman and not the issue at hand - which is how woman-hatred underpins interaction on the internet.

I wrote a blog about my own experiences on the net and drew some general analogies from that experience and from those of other women's:

sisterhoodispowerful.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/internet-misogyny-how-online-patriarchy-operates/

I also came across another blog articulating how sexism on twitter, specifically, had worked against her:

circlesunderstreetlights.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/twitter-trolls-and-what-about-the-menz/

While we too focus on the individual woman, and what she may or may not have done, instead of the insidious nature of online patriarchy we do it, not ourselves, a service

naughty but nice homicidal

Norty Julia.

Basil can I borrow your hammer if you're not using it?

Well obviously I'm wishing that I hadnt bothered now...

So why bring it up?

'terrible things' no that isnt what I said. I am not claiming that the things that she says deserve threats of violence. I have said repeatedly that I dont think that what she said was sexist or violent, just that imo she has made insulting comments (which she is obviously perfectly entitled to do). I'm not getting into a dissection of whether your definition of the word insulting is the same as mine, as tbh its pretty much a non-issue in the context of the actual topic of this thread.

Frankly, the fact you are so unwilling to provide us with evidence of these terrible things suggests there isn't any. And even if you can produce some, that doesn't make the insults she has faced in turn ok.

Would it be possible to do that without a prolonged dissection of whether what she has said is sexist and vioent when I have already said that I don't think I have seen anything from her that is?
Given the way this thread has panned out I doubt it somehow.

Give us a link then. Let's see what she's supposed to have said and about who.

I have said repeatedly that it isnt the same thing. And that I am not aware of her having used violent or sexist language.

Catsareevil: OK I googled 10 or 11 pages. But I cannot finding anything remotely as insulting as the ones that she is currently enduring.

Please, help me out here. I will be the first to apologise if you can identify her using insults that rank alongside what she is having to put up with. If you say that they exist then I don't doubt you. But please - give me a google link.

Philip Davies ISnt he the prat who reckoned disabled people should work for less than the minimum wage. Outrageous diablist attitude and yet no one was sexist towards him.

As I said earlier, I dont think so.
She has made insulting comments, which are well publicised, if you have a google you will find.

Actually I think LM's mistake is to be female, good looking, socially liberal and a Tory. For some that is an incomprehensible combination. I don't pretend to be her equal in the looks department but I have received some truly vile comments (called a whore, an untermenschen, various speculations about diseases i may have) on fb from die hard lefties who would consider their own equality/ feminist credentials to be impeccable.

But does she call them 'whores', 'bitches' and 'sluts', or want to smash their faces with a hammer or strangle them, catsareevil?

Can you give us some examples of her insults?

There are lots of male politicians who are ghastly and that I can't stand. Jeremy Hunt, for example. I don't think that response is sexist at all. The vicious misogynistic bile spewed at Louise Mensch is quite different.

actually I can't t stand lots of tory male politicians either. boris johnson is a poltroon, shiny dave makes me queasy and george osborne repels me.

I don't want to hit any of them in the face with a hammer, however.

I think longtalljosie has a point.

also, just so say, I am relatively new to Twitter and find it quite interesting and generally useful. However, I have noticed the casual but rampant sexism. I feel that it just is not as taboo as racism, and that it should be. Why isn't there a major campaign to highlight sexism so that it becomes as taboo as racism?

Maybe people are more disappointed because she does seem superficially bright, but then its a bit of a let down, where someone who gave a less good first impression maybe wouldnt attract the same negativity?

God no! But what I am saying is that you don't get the same amount of virulence "can't stand... ghastly..." etc about, say, Philip Davies - another conservative member of the Culture, Media and Sport committee who was even more outspoken than LM.

You are saying it is sexism to not like LM?
I assure you there are plenty of male politicians of all political parties that I also think are annoying and ineffective. And some other female politicains. In fact, now I come to think about it it might be just that I find most politicians irritating.

I'm surprised by the amount of people on this thread who are prefacing their comments with their own disdain for LM. Why? She's a right-wing Conservative with non-traditional views on certain issues (eg drugs, gay marriage, women's rights). You may not agree with her world view, but why insist you can't bear her? Are you quite sure you'd have the same level of disdain for a male Conservative with similar views? Sorry, I'm not a feminist board regular (although definitely a feminist!) but I just find that rather confusing, and the sort of thing that in other, less rarified circles, I would see as being sexism!

I thought the abuse of her was disgraceful, plain and simple. And I am pleased she's confronting it head-on because it's been done before by journalists but she has the profile to make it a real issue - which it deserves to be.

I think it stems from the times when a woman speaking in public was almost akin to prostitution. It simply wasn't the done thing for a respectable woman to speak in the public domain and any woman that did was seen as bringing shame and dishonor on herself. This made her fair game for all kinds of sexual comments.

It's surprising how little has changed.

How remarkably restrained you are catsevil.

They'll all be thinking you're terribly stuck up, you know.