Another intelligent woman online has to fear for her safety

[enderwoman]

Don't click if you're at work.

venturebeat.com/2014/08/27/critic-anita-sarkeesian-receives-online-death-threats-after-latest-feminist-frequency-video-on-games/

I find Anita Sarkessian's work clear and backed up with lots of evidence.

Wtf is wrong with people who send such vile trolling messages?

[aliasundercover]

Laurie Penny is the same, was abused by MEN online, but is more interested in taking pot shots at other women.

Do it to Julia

[NewlyGranny]

I had to stop that video a minute or so in... It's terrifying that people walk around with images like that in their heads.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

Laurie Penny is the same, was abused by MEN online, but is more interested in taking pot shots at other women.

[Abhannmor]

Another one bites the dust.

[Bunshaped]

I agree the trolling is despicable, obviously.

However Anita is quick to shout fuck tfs on Twitter and has posted that the Wi spa debacle is "spinning the narrative to be about protecting children is classic right wing/T* talking points meant to dehumanize and degrade transpeople"

And round and round it goes...

[littlbrowndog]

I game. I never ever let on I am a woman

You just get trolled all the time

[MondayYogurt]

2014-2021

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

Sorry for the triple post, but look like this:
mrdappersden.tumblr.com/image/95942292047
Yes misogynists, please do boycot videogame developers. Leave gaming to us reasonable people

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

Like this guy, twitter.com/TimOfLegend/status/504095132220526592 he was harassed too of course.

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

I find it heartening that there are men in the game industry who retweet her and agree with her or have gotten a better understanding of the issues.

[noblegiraffe]

It depends on how they defend her. If they just go 'back off you bullies' and then expect the damsel to sleep with them, or be eternally grateful then that's not good.

If they stop buying sexist video games, petition the games industry to get their act together, argue against the portrayal of women as disposable sex objects and encourage people to watch her videos or engage with what she is saying, then that's a good way to support her.

[msrisotto]

I really heart Anita Sarkessian. I hope the police find that twitter abuser, those messages are extremely worrying. The reaction to her first video was to develop a computer game where you could beat her up and it showed cuts, bruises and blood of the damage you could inflict on her face. It's insane.

[Zazzles007]

Gosh Ender and yet those trolls don't realise they themselves are living up to another trope - the violent, misogynistic male who wants to enact these tendencies on women who they view as inferior! Oh, the irony!

[enderwoman]

I have male gamer friends who want to show support for her but the trolls use the argument that they are "saving a damsel in distress" so sexist themselves.

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

The anti-Anita brigade is actually a mixed bunch I think.
We have of course, the hateful misogynists.
We have those who only listen to the anti propaganda and now believe she is a scam and that she says things she has never said.
We have the immature type of gamers who are basically afraid that the industry will now take away their toys, because of her videos.
We have those who jump on the opportunity to be a cruel bully.

Yes Stressing I wish there was a way to help too. Discussing this and sharing her videos is a first step, but otherwise I don't know.
Link to her channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Edgk9RxP7Fm7vjQ1d-cDA

[Stressing]

What can we do? Seriously I feel the need to join something. Maybe we can get Object involved. They do great campaigns but don't think they have touched on the gaming industry.

[halfwildlingwoman]

I know what you mean Briar, but we need to take some of the power away from these people.

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

"There's no violence against women. And to prove it I'm going to issue a rape threat."
No, the situation is more like this:
"I want no discussion of violence against women. And to silence you I'm going to issue a rape/death threat."

[noblegiraffe]

This troll posted her address and some information to show he knew who her parents were too. That made it a credible threat and it should be taken very seriously.

[halfwildlingwoman]

"There's no violence against women. And to prove it I'm going to issue a rape threat."
We can't be worried about trolls like this can we? Honestly.

[TheSameBoat]

Those videos are just ....... wow....... how can anyone think that's okay?

[Stressing]

just like noble said - the trolls are proving the point about the workings of the misogynistic mind and that it is a real problem. We need to keep pushing the cause and 'ousting' the hatred so that the severity of it is clear for all to see. It's almost comical in its irony. A woman speaks out against violence against women and some fuckwit pipes up with some tosh about raping her. The trolls are almost doing 'our' job for us aren't they?

[CKDexterHaven]

What she has to say is so reasonable and sane and yet she still gets the death and rape threats. It's a way to keep all women quiet.

One of the posters on this site, AbortionFairyGodmother, has a blog in which she argues that one of the problems with the third wave is that it is feminism forged in the age of below-the-line comments and, therefore, feminism that anticipates and accommodates male reactions.

Is it a bigger problem than we think? Is it not just the case that male intimidation and criticism online stops women from expressing themselves but also that it actually changes the way women think?

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

I completely agree with you OP, but even if her work wasn't clear and backed up, she still wouldn't deserve these threats.

Men talk shit on the internet all the time and no-one threatens them

[noblegiraffe]

Perhaps they should head on over to Joss Whedon's account and see what people have been saying there because he retweeted her video. E.g. mobile.twitter.com/josswhedon/media/grid?idx=1&tid=504821352688525313 nsfw.

If a famous guy attracts comments like that simply for supporting her, then it's bloody obvious she'll be getting the same and worse.

So many women have spoken out about being treated like this online - e.g. Mary Beard, that anyone who tries to argue this is anything but a regular occurrence for outspoken women are either exceptionally naive, or denialists with an agenda.