Rape Threats on Twitter

[BitBewildered]

I've just seen this story on the BBC news app. I've not been on Twitter very much lately and am off to have a look now, but at first glance, what the actual fuck?!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23477130

The abuse on twitter is disgusting and should be stopped. The response from twitter owners has been poor up until now. However. Laurie Penny is nuts if she thinks women didn't realise how much some men hate us until the internet became widespread. Those of us who have experienced Real Life sexism, sexism that threatened our livelihoods, have far more understanding of the issue than people who earn shitloads, live in an ivory tower and have no more to complain of than threats from idiots on the internet. You can stop looking at the internet. A bit more difficult to ignore sustained workplace sexism which is condoned and participated in by your boss.

I dunno Russians, I think a lot of women are still in denial. And a lot more only really notice the sexism once they hit 30-40 and it starts to affect them really noticeably at work.

Tunip Laurie Penny is one of those writers who thinks the world started with her. It didn't. There was horrendous - worse- sexism before the internet was widespread. And women were well aware of it, thanks.

Also I would dispute your assessment of when sexism starts to bite at work. I suspect the point at which this happens can be as many points as there are in a woman's working life, and it all depends on the industry/profession you are in, and the people you are lucky or unlucky enough to encounter.

I know plenty of women who believe there is no sexism, as they don't even notice it - I think LP is right in pointing out that the internet has helped raising awareness a lot.

on R4 WatO right NOW!!!

One small victory for womankind and the misogynists are out in force targeting all their hatred onto one woman. Why is it so threatening to them? It would be funny if it weren't so terrifying.

I signed the petition this morning after I received an email about it. I stand behind Caroline 100% and although I don't use Twitter I know how it feels to be bullied and threatened. There is never an excuse and there should always be consequences for the ones perpetrating it.

Turnip I think you may have hit on soemthing there. I am definitely becomming more confirmed in my stand on feminism and womens issues as I progress through my thirties.

I'm struggling at the moment with a few men, peers not superiors, who seem to think it's OK to dismiss or belittle my ideas and role, and the only reason I can find is my gender.

I've never encoutered it before, and am baffled as to how to tackle it, but it is certianly making me more alert to the explicit and implicit ways society frames and therefore limits women.

I think that's a good point turnip.

In my profession (law) at least at the big firms, there is equality at grad rec level. HR are very careful to make sure that the process is fair and moderated and I genuinely believe there is no prejudice allowed to surface there (it undoubtedly exists in some quarters but no one person has control over hiring and there are processes to be followed, so the overall outcome seems to me to be fair). However, at the next big promotion (to partnership), which usually comes in your 30s or perhaps early 40s, there is a huge problem andobviously poorer outcomes for women.

On the subject of the OP, the abuse sounds appalling and I'm glad twitter has been pushed into doing something about it.

I take Russian's point though. I and most of my friends have been hit by it more in our 30s but we may well not be representative of every woman's experience. If you are a woman who wants to be a car mechanic you're going to find it hits you much younger.

I'm in a similar profession to eurochick. The impact of sexism is felt at partner appointment time but the actual sexism has been going on from the day of recruitment. Day one, everyone is equal. Day 2, the boys are getting better opportunities than the girls.....sometimes, still. In my day, it was a given, but this is happening less and less now and that will be reflected as the grad recruits come through to prospective partner level, especially as they benefit from better maternity/ parental policies and better attitudes towards work life balance. I'm mid forties. The people 5 years younger than me had a slightly easier time of it. The people 10 years younger than me are having a significantly easier time of it. And so on. People in their 20s really have no idea of what it was like in city professions 20 years ago. Luckily for them.

Well done Russians to turn this into a woman against woman bitchfest.

Women have it so easy now - yeah right. Just shows what a narrow field you are judging from.

I only see one person being bitchy here justin and it isn't me. If people don't value the gains that have been fought for and won, they'll throw them away again. If they focus only on online abuse they will miss the real sexism that blights lives and threatens livelihoods. If you don't get that then I can't help you.

Laurie Penny is one of those writers who thinks the world started with her

very balanced comment!

Russians is right, sexism shows much earlier, at uni for me. When I was interviewing for jobs, male students were commenting why do I want to do an internship in US if I have a family... The wife of one male student asked me how could I possibly put DS into the nursery. One male student from my class commented in an assessment center that I am bizarre to want a job like this given I have a kid at home with DH. The interviewer then turned to question me about this.

TBH I think it starts in early childhood with the doctor set in blue and the nurse set in pink. The @everydaysexism project makes me feel angry every single day. It's not just in the workplace, it's in every area of life. Come the revolution!

It starts at nursery. I would like to buy DD3 a lunchbox with spacecrafts. But she doesn't want it. "Other girls will laugh at me because it is for boys"...

an small victory:

Internet troll who abused Mary Beard apologises after threat to tell his mother:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10209643/Internet-troll-who-abused-Mary-Beard-apologises-after-threat-to-tell-his-mother.html

"TBH I think it starts in early childhood with the doctor set in blue and the nurse set in pink."

Have you seen the Let Toys Be Toys campaign?

That Beard thing was extraordinary. I was gobsmacked at his stupidity. One of the newspapers says she outed him - no she didn't! He was tweeting under his own name and one of her followers either knew him or found his details instantly.
Mary Beard is always very decent about this and is happy to forgive and forget after an apology, but it had been screencapped and retweeted all over Twitter within minutes.

I was amazed by this too. I caught the end of a report about it on the radio and wondered what on earth she could have done or said to set them off (not that anything would have made it ok obviously but I was just wondering). She campaigned for women to go on banknotes! Just how pathetic are these men? It's astonishing. It's really clear to me that they don't just hate women, they FEAR them. They get their pants in a massive twist if a woman basically dares to do, be, say or in any way exist in a way that's not according to how these misogynists think they should.

However I don't think the issue should be rules about twitter or the internet. Sexist abuse and threats etc. should be made a crime just like racist abuse and racially aggravated assault etc are. If you take any instance of a sexist remark, attack or unequal situation and replace the role of the woman with a black person, it's instantly obvious how massively unnacceptable (and rightly so) it would be. Any kind of sexist victimisation should be made illegal in exactly the same way.

I don't think all men are like this but I do think that this isn't just extremist nutters. I know a lot of men who are deeply sexist, but "nice" on the surface, but if they thought they were anonymous or among like-minded friends might well give free rein to this stuff. I think greer was right, men's hatred of women is very big and very powerful.

Yep.

And I do think women are in denial about it.

There is a massive misogyny problem.

The idea that it's just a few nutters on the internet - in other words, STFU women, you don't have the right to be angry/ scared/ outraged - shows how widespread and pervasive misogyny is.

No-one would tell black people "it's just a few nutters on the internet". They'd take their right to be outraged seriously, as they should.

At least people actually recognise racism when they see it. They don't even recognise misogyny and women will quite happily accept some bloke mansplaining that it's just a few nutters so we should all calm down and not critique or examine or question where this visceral hatred of us comes from.

Wow. Wow wow wow.

I have so much catching up to do.

I agree with the consensus here.. No one said "just ignore it" when earlier this year a twitter user made inflammatory comments about the Hillsborough survivors and their families.

Ive seen a tweet that says on Newsnight (starting any min now on BBC2) they have tracked down one of the trolls.

Apparently they said he lives in South Shields - let's hope he is waiting for a knock on the door from the police....

I would like to see offenders jailed and put on the sex offenders' register.
That should concentrate their tiny minds.

I do hope the cops take the Newsnight report seriously and interview the wannabe thug/rapist.

Twitter bosses have been astonishingly inept - they reacted as stupidly as an old firm that knows fuck all about social media. Manager locked his account, ffs. Hey, it's only women....