"A woman's opinion is the miniskirt of the internet"

[HedleyLamarr]

I posted this in Feminism [brave emoticon], and someone has suggested putting it in AIBU.

So, I was sent a link to this article in the Independent. Your thoughts/ideas are much appreciated .

Original thread in Feminism.

I don't think it's just women, there was a thread on here where people were suggesting that if a poster's 13 year old posted videos of himself doing amusing things on Youtube that he should be expected to be called a fag and a weirdo in the comments.

And Michael Sheen has just quit twitter due to anonymous abuse.

The author is an attention seeking militant who I find more than a little bit irritating.

Did you ever hear Richard Dawkins reading out his hate mail from Christians?

I agree that everyone should have the right to publish their thoughts and views without the fear of being harrassed and threatened for it.

I also agree that using rape and violence in those threats is totally wrong.

But I see the threats as just being tailored to her being a woman, and when the people who do this kind of thing threaten the men they disagree with (and I'm sure they do, if they're that kind of person it'll be obsessive) they would use different threats.

I'm a bit concerned for her though if someone saying they're searching for her address to force her to fellate a row of bankers at knifepoint didn't worry her, that's a dangerous imbalance in her ability to assess risk.

The thing about this woman is, apart from being a hypocrite and part of the "rent a mob" at any protest going, she invites criticism by her inflammatory blogs and tweets and then milks them by writing her next half dozen or so articles based on the negative comments she has gained.

Did the christians say that Richard Dawkins mouth - sorry, suckhole - should be stopped up with their cocks and he should eat their sperm, noblegiraffe? Or that his tongue should be ripped out of his suckhole? Did they call him fat and ugly, as if his sexual attractiveness had anyhting to do with his opinions? Did he get told he held his opinions because he needed a cock up his arse more regularly? Did he get told his fingers should be cut off to stop him typing? Do Christians tell him that they hope he gets raped to death with a gorsebush?

Really? Do men on the internet who write about things other people disagree with, regularly get inundated with that sort of abuse?

Did you ever come across Richard Dawkins starting one of his lectures/ writing one of his books without stating that all Christians have committed intellectual suicide.

You think telling someone that the only reason they said or think something is because they're fat and ugly and need a cock up their arse is "criticism" squeakytoy?

Really?

I suppose you could categorise them as "negative comments" though, yes.

I think if you have a strong opinion on the internet you do get hassle, but its not restricted just to women. My DH has had threats of violence before now for posting stuff on internet forums. I've had some unpleasant stuff in the past and have on occasion used a male user name to avoid certain types of unwanted attention. You do get taken more seriously on first impression if you are a 'male', but by simply reasoned and rational points as a woman, you gain the same respect very quickly, if not more so. Overall though, its just the anonymity makes people a little nuts and say things they wouldn't normally do. Invariably trolls always go for what they perceive to be a person's 'weakness', so the sexual harassment angle doesn't surprise me - if its a man the old 'paedo' line tends to get thrown instead. Not convinced its a feminist issue though. Not when I know the same kind of abuse is levelled at both sexes.

I think that as a supposedly educated young woman, she is fully aware of how the internet works. If you put yourself into the public eye, you will receive very mixed comments, as it is so easy for anyone to be an anonymous troll.

People assume it is men who are writing these comments to her.. but seem to forget that it is equally possible that the taunts have been written by a woman.

But without seeing a representative sample of all the weirdy shit journos get sent, it's hard to say whether men get criticised for the way they look or not Eleanor.

I can't believe the strange people who make up the stalker population haven't called any journalists a fat bearded wanker gary bushell at one time or another.

I agree that the author of the article just looks like a publicity machine.

The world is full of odd people. Most of them seem to spend a lot of time writing comments on newspaper articles. I'm not sure I've ever read an article where some of the comments haven't been offensive/extremist or just plain weird. Yes, these comments are unacceptable, but it was probably written by some saddo in a string vest. I'm not sure she should let it bother her.

Do Christians tell him that they hope he gets raped to death with a gorsebush?
I dunno, maybe a burning bush?

One hoped that he would get knocked down by a church van tonight and die slowly if that's any use? Lots of being tortured by Satan in hell.

"If you put yourself into the public eye, you will receive very mixed comments"

but that's what she's saying by using the miniskirt analogy - if you put yourself in the public eye you'll get negative feedback, if you wear a miniskirt you'll get raped.

My guess is that female bloggers attract more ad-hominem criticism than male bloggers, and that threats of rape or anything overtly sexual will be more likely directed at women than at men. Don't have any figures to back it up, but that's my guess. It doesn't matter whether the "taunts" are written by men or women. Men aren't the only ones capable of sexism and misogyny.

I very much doubt that they've referred to men's suckholes and fuckholes though AZ.

That is language reserved for women and gay men.

Men do not get the sort of abuse which makes it clear that the person doesn't just hate them for their opinions, they hate them for what they are. Except of course, black men, gay men, Jewish men, etc.

It's only words on a screen - turn it off - pfft it's gone.

You sure shes aware of how the internet works? I've come across a few souls who don't have a clue how provokative their opinions are and are shocked by hostile responses. I'm not for a second suggesting they are right, but more that some people have such utter self importance for their opinions.

But it is not just women who get nasty comments, anyone who is in the public eye and who attracts attention in the media is open to it. I have seen men get just as much vitriol spewed at them. It is not gender specific. It is not a "feminist" issue.

Men do not get the sort of abuse which makes it clear that the person doesn't just hate them for their opinions, they hate them for what they are. Except of course, black men, gay men, Jewish men, etc.

Oh, of course they do.

Arcadie, Yes, the Selfish Gene is entirely without that.

You're putting your opinion across as if it's a given fact Eleanor.

But the fact is you don't know what mail or messages are sent by their thousands every day to those writing and chatting on the net.

I'm sure gay men are just as able to write weirdy shit to a journalist and use disgusting threats against men as much as black or Jewish men are able to write them to women.

Being a member of a minority group doesn't exclude you from using threats of sexual violence.

Of course it's a gender issue that women get comments which specifically target the fact that they are women.

Just as it's a race issue that black men get comments which specifically target the fact that they are black.

Or do you not believe that the fact that black men will get vile comments based on their race, is a race issue, Squeakytoy?

Men get comments which specifically target the fact that they are men too though.

It is not just a womans opinion that gets abuse shouted at it on the internet, it happens to both genders.