Written (or at least shared by) Julia Long
Online Feminism
I’ll tell you a story that isn’t true
(But suits my cause to share with you).
It may be true, it may be not;
It may be something you’ve quite forgot –
That X did Y, or Y did Z;
I’ll dwell on something she might have said.
Or something I may have misconstrued
It matters not – I’m in the mood!
And if you play along, perchance
Then here begins our merry dance!
I take the lead, and then, refined –
You’ll speculate on X’s kind.
Her sins, misjudgements, failings many –
Her saving graces? Are there any?
Well, clearly not! So round we go,
With every step we lay her low,
Delighted with our minuet –
But wait, here comes… The Internet!
Oh giddiness! Joy unsurpassed!
Such easement lent unto our task!
For now it only takes a post,
A tweet, a comment (blog, at most)
And what starts with ungenerous thought
Becomes a bloody, lusty sport.
Who cares for reason, truth or fact?
The yarn is spun, the gift is wrapped,
The mud is slung, the die is cast –
And once online, that mud sticks fast.
(Of course, it goes the other way –
When what she did, or didn’t, say
Or what she did, or didn’t, do,
Is met with “AMAZING!” “WE LOVE YOU!”
And anything that spoils the story
Is vanished in a blaze of glory.
“AMAZING!” “SHERO!” “AMAZON!”
And so the stories roll along.
Saints and demons, co-created;
Women adored, and women slated.
Who cares about the damage done?
Mythology is so much fun!
And if we ever come offline
And gather round for party time
A splendid feast we’ll then prepare
For SHEROs and AMAZONs to share.
And we will greet each honoured guest -
“Congratulations! You’re the BEST!”
But careful if you step outside,
Into the dark, where secrets hide
Beware the trench, dug deep and low,
Where Inconvenient Women go.
Beware the thorns your words became.
Beware the injuries sustained.
Beware the concrete, thick and hard,
That covers the bodies in your backyard.