This is a day dedicated to women’s right to blog free from harrassment.
The Take Back the Blog! Blogswarm supports the rights of women to participate fully in all aspects of our society, including specifically online in the world of blogging but indeed everywhere and at all times, day and night, without fear of harassment, intimidation, sexual harassment, online stalking and slander, predation or violence of any sort.
From Crablaw
Men (and it would appear to be mostly men) want women to STFU online as well as in real life and they use the same tactics in an effort to achieve this. The incidence of online harrassment, intimidation, predation and violence is largely gender based. There are huge echoes of Take Back the Night both in the name of this online event and its remit.
Women blogging is women talking - women taking up space and existing as people on this planet. Yeah… I guess that’s really subversive… Many men don’t like the fact of women talking at all let alone some of the things we have to say. The number of times I’ve had annony comments saying “get raped bitch” simply serve (for me) to expose the nerve-hitting factor my opinions reach in the minds of some.
I’m a radical feminist and I ‘cyber-talk’ to all kinds of women - most of whom, at one time or another, have been bullied online. There have been attempts to bully me - as a radical feminist - attempts to get me to STFU by questioning my mental health, sexual proclivities, background and upbringing. Nothing to do with my opinions, you’ll note….simply attempts to bully and discredit me.
I realise (and am thankful) that I haven’t experienced anything like the shit Kathy Sierra has had to contend with but, unless I’m feeling particularly reckless, I always anticipate all the likely misogynist slurs and pingbacks with every word of every post I write.
Do you men ever have to consider doing that?
It kinda cramps your style, yunno?
And I’m never disappointed! There is always some bloke calling me ‘unhinged’ or ‘frigid’ or ‘facist’ (hello? sorry but I’ve never understood that one…) for questioning my subordinate status in what he so euphemistically calls our ’society’.
Don’t get me wrong… women do it too. Women bully and intimidate other women online and I’ve been a victim of that, too (Victim - noun: : one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment - Merriam-Webster [i.e. not someone's whole state of being - ain't nothing wrong with being a victim. Pass your guilt/shame along to your victimiser]).
But no woman online has ever openly threatened me with sexual violence or death.
Men, on the other hand, have.
I shall be polite and courteous. I shall be mindful of the sensibilities of others in everything I type and, should I offend anyone, I want them to speak to me and tell me how and why. I shall, nevertheless, continue to be a radical feminist who blogs and not an “oppressive sexless feminazi baby-eating man-hating matriarch who calls prostitutes ‘whores’ and is, obviously, somehow mentally unbalanced”.
Don’t you just wish some people would do proper research before vomming their ignorant bile all down your back?
I’m taking back my blog. I’m reclaiming my right to say what I think (without being rude, threatening or condescending) and the right to expect others to have at least done their homework before insulting me - either in their comments or elsewhere.
15 responses so far ↓
sarmorrow // April 29, 2007 at 1:04 am
YAY! You go for it my friend, with you every step of the way.
Laurelin // April 29, 2007 at 1:05 am
Great post Witchy. You know I have your back right?
If only everyone had as much honesty, integrity and courage as you.
exangelena // April 29, 2007 at 2:06 am
I agree with you - and I honestly don’t understand the hatred that sex positive feminists and others direct towards you - you speak your mind but you’re not inflammatory, insulting or disrespectful and in general, you’re willing to engage in dialogue with people who disagree with you.
I think it’s interesting that feminist women are always expected to cater to our oppressor class (men). We always have to insist that we still love men (or don’t hate all of them) and it’s extremely unacceptable for us to offend misogynist aesthetic tastes (being old, hairy, fat, unattractive, unfashionable) or societal expectations (being lesbian, childless, etc). It’s like you’re not allowed to fight for women’s rights unless you tiptoe around the menz. And to hell with that.
witchywoo // April 29, 2007 at 2:38 am
“It’s like you’re not allowed to fight for women’s rights unless you tiptoe around the menz. And to hell with that.”
So true! Go you, exangelena!
I have an extremely “offensive” post about aging, as a woman, in our patrirchal ’society’ brewing.
Do I feel ‘allowed’ to talk about it?
Well to hell with that.
faintpraise // April 29, 2007 at 3:09 am
Hello, and I just wanted to say “Go You!”
Love from a Radfem who is not confident enough to blog or even get involved in all the commenting stuff but reads it anyway…and who is hopeful that one day that will change.
xxxxx
apostate // April 29, 2007 at 7:48 am
Witchy, I have to say, this is pretty hollow after the seeming acceptance of the threats leveled against Ren.
A word of disapproval for that would have been seemly.
witchywoo // April 29, 2007 at 2:06 pm
apostate - I realise there are a lot of comments to wade through on that thread but one of them actually does include my thoughts on the matter and I think you’ll find them consistent with this post.
faintpraise - hello
- and thank you.
apostate // April 29, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Ok Witchy - I read through all the comments, but maybe it was so subtle I missed it.
eilidh70 // April 29, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Yes, to keep going is the one thing that renders all the hate ineffective and pointless. I can’t imagine (yet?) what it’s like to keep going in the face of that kind of repeated onslaught but, as one who’s inspired and empowered by your writing, am damn glad that you do keep going.
Amy // April 29, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Great post.
I realise (and am thankful) that I haven’t experienced anything like the shit Kathy Sierra has had to contend with but, unless I’m feeling particularly reckless, I always anticipate all the likely misogynist slurs and pingbacks with every word of every post I write.
Pretty much same here.
I recently wrote a post about FBH, and I got so many trolls, some of whom appeared to be using the “Troll’s Handpocket Guide to Feminist insults”, so there was the whole “Feminazi”, “Femcunt”, “Femskank” bullshit. Bad grammar, too, and illogical “arguments”. Bah!
But, the thing is, I hadn’t really been receiving much attention from anyone, until this post, and since then, I’ve been aware that there are people who read my blog, and they ain’t all feminists! And it has made me a tad bit careful about what I write, and I really, really hate that, because it’s just not me, or my style.
And it’s not just the insults, or some of the really petty things which were said (some of which I deleted), it was also what some of them said about me on blogs; apparently one of them did some deformed-looking photo montage of me.
Pah.
But, luckily, I haven’t had such abuse as Kathy Sierra.
exangelena // April 29, 2007 at 11:00 pm
apostate -
witchywoo // Apr 26th 2007 at 9:04 am
… I’m not a supporter of ‘outing’ …
(Had to scroll through the almost 600 comments and look for WW’s icon to find it …
chasingmoksha // April 30, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I’m reclaiming my right to say what I think (without being rude, threatening or condescending)
This part is hard to agree with. Because even though you (the author) was not being rude, threatening, or condescending, someone will always, (there will always be one or handful) who will project and say you are in fact rude, threatening, and/or condescending, and once again you (the collective you who this is happening to, most likely female) will have to defend. Because the menz can be “assertion” and state their opinion, but when women do so, they are “rude, threatening (as in, threatening to change the status quo), and condescending (how that that uppidity _____________ show some assertion)…….
just saying.
chasingmoksha // April 30, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Sure be:
How “dare” that uppidity ___________…..
chasingmoksha // April 30, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Okay that should be not sure be.
I need to take Stormy’s advice and t y p e r e a l s l o w, for myself. LOL!
Liz // May 3, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Brilliant post, and very true. I really think that so many MRAs and men don’t like the fact that women have strong opinions and need to discuss and express them. No matter what the opinion is about.
Particularly when it’s about feminism, abortion, prostitution and pornography. Pornstitution is quite a ‘personal’ subject for men as they don’t like their privileges challenged - a lot of the opinions that I’ve come across from men seem to be along the lines of ‘its only fantasy, its not reality’ or ‘these women have consented’ or whatever - I think they simply don’t want to consider their apparent “god/freedom given right” to consume porn and women’s bodies is harmful and has wide ranging implications.
I’ve had some pretty crap MRA comments myself - along the lines of “bitch” and so on. I never let them through moderation so I think many of them have given up bothering to comment, woohoo.
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