Online Misogynists Are Not Fringe Characters
Online Misogynists Are Not Fringe Characters
By Amanda Marcotte
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 10:52 EST
Michael Nugent, the chair of Atheist Ireland, put up an interesting post comparing what happened when the same (really terrible) joke went up on two Facebook pages. In one case, the joke was accompanied by a no-doubt-non-consensual upskirt picture, and in the other, there was no picture. The illustrated one was spread much further—it had 43,000 likes and 24,000 shares—than the non-illustrated one, which had 53 likes and 18 shares. But the gap between the two isn’t that interesting, since the illustrated one was initially posted on an already-popular page and posts with pictures get shared more anyway. But it is interesting that so many people believe it’s appropriate to share an image that was taken against a woman’s will for no other purpose than to humiliate her.
What’s even more interesting is that, because this was Facebook, it was easy to figure who was writing the vicious, sexist garbage in comments mocking the victim of this upskirt photo. Interesting, because there’s a tendency, when women complain about online abuse, to dismiss the men who spew it as fringe characters and teenagers. The belief is that mainstream, adult men with families and jobs aren’t doing this, which allows the denialist to claim, therefore, that misogyny is not tolerated or encouraged by society, making women who complain about it whiners and babies.
So, here’s a list of some of the men saying stuff about the upskirt photo:
A supporter of a charity that campaigns against violence
A man who likes science and yoga and Buddhism
A man who likes classical music and his local church
A man who likes good grammar and atheist quotes of the day
A man asking for prayers for a relation having an operation
A husband who has served in the armed forces
A husband with a teenaged son and daughter
A husband who works with a Christian Ministry
A father who wants to always be there for his children
A father who campaigns against animal cruelty
A father seeking support for special needs children
A grandfather who is proud of his daughter and grandchildren
Several high school and university students and graduates
In other words, mainstream men who have real reputations to guard and who have widespread acceptance and support from their communities. These are not a bunch of teenagers screaming invective because they can or a bunch of fringe weirdoes who no one supports. These are men who have power, men who have families, men who have respect in their communities. So what kind of things did these well-supported, mainstream men have to say about a woman who has an image that is almost surely non-consensual being circulated around the internet for her humiliation?
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/26/online-misogynists-are-not-fringe-characters/
= new reply since forum marked as read
How nice to meet all these minds. 
