History of Feminism
Related: About this forumGermany's Problem with Women
Thousands of German women took to Twitter to say that theyve had enough. They started sharing stories of sexism, harassment and assault from their own lives: the microaggressions that add up to the systemic crisis women face every day. In the spirit of #EverydaySexism, #dearjohn, #PPSavedMe, and many more online ad-hoc campaigns, participants share their personal stories on Twitter as a mode of digital consciousness-raising. The effect? Catharsis for the sharers and removal of isolation (that happens to you, too?!), a treasure trove of personal-story hooks for journalists and activists, and eye-opening for people of other genders who dont experience, and thus probably dont think about, the sexism that gets layered onto women every day.
This phenomenon is not a quiet, easy one: Over 100,000 tweets have been shared with the #aufschrei hashtag, and thousands of stories have been collected at the AllTagsSexismus (Everyday Sexism) site that was subsequently set up. Every major German news outlet has reported on the story, and Wizorek herself has spent the past week in a flurry of media appearances, putting a much-needed young face on this surprising turn in Germanys social politics. While the pervy minister has been a focus for the media, Wizorek and her cohorts have been able to use the #aufschrei stories to broaden the landscape and talk about systemic harassment and sexism.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deannazandt/2013/02/01/germanys-problem-with-women/
Thought a little good news was in order
Warpy
(111,529 posts)need to know is that their own wives and girlfriends, coming home after a day of being hooted at, are going to be more and more difficult to get "in the mood."
Nothing turns us off to men like a day chock full of getting harassed on the street just because we are women.
Well, except hooting that turns into violence.
I hadn't thought of that
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)The lid is blown, and the conversation continues to rage, now all across Europe connecting with the Everyday Sexism campaign in the UK (where a lawmaker there just helpfully shared his ideas on how women can stop going out and getting themselves raped), the #assez hashtag in France, #gridala in Italy, mainstream news interviews in Sweden, and more. What this means is that this is not just a few strident ladies griping about their lot in life. This is a worldwide movement of women fed up with the structures each culture has in place to keep women from moving freely and unabashedly through public, and even private, space. damn straight
another excellent one.
Exactly this.
Alameda
(1,895 posts)myself, or when, I'm not sure other places, but in NYC you would get that lip smacking thing. It really made me see red. These things are a type of mental rape. One man followed me down the street for several blocks talking about what he'd like to do to me. Argh!!!! Mental and emotional RAPE is what it is.
rurallib
(62,510 posts)hope she posts about it.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)It's that event that makes me most ashamed to share a nationality with him.
redqueen
(115,112 posts)And it is very much needed. Thanks for sharing it.
The last two paragraphs moved me.
Gender justice is not about victimhood, nor caricatures of gender roles or stereotypes, nor ending the fun for everyone. What the women of #aufschrei and campaigns like it teach us is that gender justice means ensuring everybody gets to pursue life passionately and fully, with equity and dignity.
It's depressing though that here, discussions about men calling themselves feminists get hundreds of responses.
While the piece from TomDispatch that she mentions, the "must-read" piece... well... not so interesting, somehow.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022251759
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