Ash Sarkar - twitter really is grim

[Xanthangum]

The story is in the papers now: www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/reading-stabbings-muslim-journalist-death-22227933

I'm diametrically opposed to Ash's views on some issues. But this is quite clearly a) racist bullying, b) misogynistic bullying and c) people using a very horrible incident to unleash their own prejudiced vile viewpoints.

Ash has been responsible for inciting a few pile ons herself. Maybe she'll think twice in the future after experiencing one herself? Everyone gets turned on by the mob, they just don't believe that till it happens to them.

Those comments are foul and the people responsible need the Police turning up on their doorsteps. But then it's twitter which doesn't give a shit about helping quell abuse.

I wondered whether Sarkar had commented about JKR and as far as I could see she hadn't. If she had consciously decided not to join that pile-on, that's to her credit.

Strange times when I'm saying something positive about Sarkar.

I thought it was interesting in the article that she points to The Right for the behaviour as they are the ones attacking her. But twitter on The Left is just as bad as we have seen repeatedly...

The attack for posting an ill-timed photo reminds me of how Emma Watson was attacked on Black Out Tuesday... I'm not sure Emma got death threats for that (?) But she certainly got attacked for mis-timing in a similar way.

Twitter is a cesspit of seething hatred, it really is. I disagree with Ash Sarkar about many things politically but anyone saying that what's happening there isn't very obviously what happens when racism meets misogyny is smoking crack.

The most disturbing thing for me about Twitter has been wondering how many people are just walking around thinking the things that people say on there. It's like that old film They Live, feels like you keep putting the special glasses on and getting glimpses of how fundamentally awful a lot of people are.

Mad that Kate S was prosecuted for calling a male trans person a ‘pig in a wig’ and yet people threatening Sarkar and Rowling with death by torture are left to carry on their merry way.

The most disturbing thing for me about Twitter has been wondering how many people are just walking around thinking the things that people say on there

I wouldn’t worry too much. Most of these people don’t interact with many other people IRL...

Its appalling.

So you're saying Twitter is functioning as a containment zone for people who we'd all probably rather didn't go outside much?

It seems like everyone wants to blame "the other side" for people's appalling behavior on Twitter, so people on the left like Ash say it's mostly coming from the right and people on the right say it's coming from the left. I think it's mostly coming from misogynistic men, which may also reflect my own prejudices a bit.

Timing and context are massive problems on "social" media, because posts can always hit someone the wrong way and at the wrong moment. Starting a purity spiral based on that sort of coincindence is massively bad faith.

I got to the tweet in question too late yesterday to see more than a lot of deleted posts, but the racist and threatening responses from the report are vile.

Even with bad timing as a factor though why would any rational person look at a photo of a woman eating a lolly in the summertime and think anything other than "must have been a warm day"?

From a skim of the tweets it looks as though someone (falsely) tweeted that she'd gone to the park where the stabbings happened to take that photo. If that were true you could see why people would be furious (although that still wouldn't justify death threats). This is the problem with Twitter - someone posts some utter bullshit, no one fact checks and the world goes mad.

to Ash - I hope the angry mob leaves her alone soon.

@TheProdigalKittensReturn

Even with bad timing as a factor though why would any rational person look at a photo of a woman eating a lolly in the summertime and think anything other than "must have been a warm day"?

Exactly. Either it's people who have shit for brains or who dont but are doing it on purpose. They don't all think she was in the same park either, there have been plenty of claims that the problem is eith the use of three emojis and/or them being oranges. The latter being particularly batshit.

Even with bad timing as a factor though why would any rational person look at a photo of a woman eating a lolly in the summertime and think anything other than "must have been a warm day"?

Tbh, I would have thought - "narcissist, why do you think this is of any interest to anyone?"

I've been trying to understand what on earth happened here - she posted a picture of herself eating an orange ice lolly, with three orange emojis in the caption, how on earth did people connect that with the Reading attacks, even if it was roughly the same time? What do oranges have to do with stabbings and what comment is she being accused of making? Even if one disturbed weirdo misinterpreted it, how did they bring anyone else on board? It's so bizarre!

Also how did the fact that Libya exports oranges become some sort of mad racist signifier?

Even if one disturbed weirdo misinterpreted it, how did they bring anyone else on board? It's so bizarre!

This is just a very extreme example of what happens all the time on Twitter. People see mass outrage aimed at a person and they join in, without even asking what exactly they've done. The fact that she's female, from an ethnic minority and argues on TV a lot makes her even more of a target.

The same thing happened with JKR. Everyone piling in, screaming about how she's spreading transphobic hate, when they've not even read what she wrote. It's like an episode of Black Mirror.

The same thing happened with JKR. Everyone piling in, screaming about how she's spreading transphobic hate, when they've not even read what she wrote. It's like an episode of Black Mirror

Ironically when a quote from her letter was posted under her male pen name Mermaids liked it.

It is literally just because jk is woman they piled on.

I hope AS now realises how pandering to men does not leave her immune to a very female lived experience.

And I just read on a twitter thread theres a petition to get her removed form Twitter when shes the victim in this.

Ironically when a quote from her letter was posted under her male pen name Mermaids liked it.

WTAF? That would be hilarious if it wasn't so bloody awful.

Do you have a link/screenshot? That's a thing that should be preserved for posterity.

@YgritteSnow

Yes, she is contentious at times but I think that is her media personality. I actually think it has backfired as she is clearly capable of intelligent, considered thought and debate but her image is now 'angry/in your face' media type.

Which, when you are debating complex, sensitive issues means people are defensive from the start and the window isn't there to open and let her intelligent, moderate side show.

It has taken me a while to see who she is and I know she polarises views (good media technique) but underneath it all is an intelligent woman, I think, who has something useful to say and contribute to society. I just don't think we have heard it yet.

Heaven help us if Ash Sarkar is ever in a position to formulate social policy.

Why do they want to ban her from Twitter? Again, I disagree with her politically on many issues, but there are far nastier people then her being allowed to operate on Twitter with apparent impunity.

cara here you go

kittens probably because of the same reasons MM got band while JY still remains. Becuase they are women not doing as they are told 100 percent of the time even if "doing as they are told" is decided by men who have no idea what they are even complaining about and just see a woman with an opinion.

I expect it’s just tit for tat scalping? The dickheads on the left got Hopkins banned and the dickheads on the right want to see Sarkar go in retaliation?

She doesn't deserve banning. She made a few stupid tweets about JKR and she's had plenty to say about terfs.

I'm afraid I don't credit her with much intelligence- anyone claiming to support Communism is very questionable.

She doesn't deserve banning. She made a few stupid tweets about JKR and she's had plenty to say about terfs

Fortunately us women are pretty robust and are used to people being dicks towards us. It's only men screaming literal violence when told the word no.

More concerned about the ongoing presence of MAPs and those who doxx women who are seemingly allowed to keep their accounts. AS has just discovered part of what we were trying to tell her and the rest will no doubt come in time.

The difference between us and them is no matter what someone has done or posted we do not wish bad things on them. Only for the correct forms of justice to be served in a fair manner.

Threats if violence or actual violence are not acceptable.