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bullying harassment misogyny on the tv rape jokes reddit sexual harassment YouTube

Here’s the video of the Al Jazeera English show featuring Helen Lewis and Rebecca Watson, among others, and me.

It’s  pretty good show. Most of the discussion involves social media researcher and Fordham professor Alice Marwick and Helen Lewis of the New Statesman. Those of us in the Google+ Hangout pop in briefly with comments and questions.

FWIW, I appear only briefly in the show proper, but I have a somewhat longer (and a bit more coherent) comment in the ten minute “online only” portion that immediately follows the show (and which is also on this video).

It was a somewhat strange, if educational, experience, my first appearance on TV. (The next time I get webcammed into a show, I won’t reflexively look down at the laptop while talking.) It all went by really, really quickly. Weirdly frantic behind the scenes as the producer tried to slot us all in.

The comments on the video on YouTube nicely  illustrate the problem we were discussing; that is, they are a rancid pile of misogynistic shitlordery.

My favorite comment is this one from Urhoboman5 about Rebecca Watson:

At 5;30 that chick has a youtube channel. Just type in rebecca feminist and you’ll find it. Interesting how most of her videos are voted down. Sometimes as much as 80% negative because the stuff she says is pure nonsense.

That’s right. He actually thinks that the fact that her videos are targeted by downvote squads proves that she’s wrong to talk about harassment. She’s harassed by dudes who don’t like her talking about harassment so therefore it’s “nonsense” for her to talk about harassment. Brilliant.

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blitzgal
12 years ago

Yeah, I’m gonna avoid those comments. YouTube and Reddit comment threads = cesspool of shit.

pecunium
12 years ago

Ain’t they just.

Newspaper comment sections too.

Buttman
Buttman
12 years ago

People not agreeing with you = shit

The Moral Majority is on our side. The internet should be a safe place for MEN who are ostracized by society. If we had a true democracy then the comments sections of these sites would reflect reality.

Crumbelievable
Crumbelievable
12 years ago

Haha, he thinks popular opinion on Youtube is a good indication of how rational an argument is … How adorable.

Tulgey Logger
Tulgey Logger
12 years ago

57 misogynists disliked that video.

…what? You say you don’t like dumb youtube jokes? But this time it’s literally true!

Crumbelievable
Crumbelievable
12 years ago

@blitzel:

Right on the first page, there are not one but two comments talking about raping women. You’re smart to stay away from that filth.

Viscaria
Viscaria
12 years ago

@buttman:

The Moral Majority is on our side

Dude, your reactionary buzzwords are decades out of date.

blitzgal
12 years ago

People not agreeing with you = shit

Threats of rape and violence are not disagreements, no matter how much you clearly wish they were.

blitzgal
12 years ago

Also, get your ticket for Reddit’s private island and leave already.

princessbonbon
12 years ago

The cat photos are awesome.

Cliff Pervocracy
12 years ago

People not agreeing with you = shit

People not agreeing with women existing on the Internet = shit

yep.

hellkell
hellkell
12 years ago

Oh, be quiet, Buttman. Just about all of the internet is for men.

Man, our trolls are weak lately.

captainbathrobe
12 years ago

The internet should be a safe place for MEN who are ostracized by society. If we had a true democracy then the comments sections of these sites would reflect reality.

So you admit that the YouTube comments do not reflect reality? Still, I don’t know what democracy has to do with it, since it appears that none of these commenters have been arrested for expressing their views. Perhaps where you’re from democracy means never have to face disagreement from others, while being free to make all the violent threats you want. Curious.

RubyHypatia
RubyHypatia
12 years ago

I agree with you David that one reason for the online misogyny is the loss of male privilege. In the past males were more special, having a son was more celebrated. Men had most of the power, and women had their assigned place of subservience. Maybe this isn’t the best analogy, but the MRM is like the KKK of the feminist movement.

captainbathrobe
12 years ago

Guys, I feel so UNSAFE here on the internet! Maybe I’d better find a venue that is even more dominated by men, but I’m at a loss at to what that might be.

creativewritingstudent
creativewritingstudent
12 years ago

@captainbathrobe

The mens’ loos? A boys’ school? Spearmint Rhino?

Falconer
12 years ago

@captainbathrobe: The US Senate? Possibly the House.

gelar
gelar
12 years ago

Careful with that talk, Buttman, or you might be put on register-him.com.

… Oh wait, that redirects to Register-Her, my bad.

Freitag
Freitag
12 years ago

The internet should be a safe place for MEN who are ostracized by society. If we had a true democracy then the comments sections of these sites would reflect reality.

I realize that Buttman is a hit-and-run troll and there’s pretty much zero chance of his answering this, but WTF does that mean? The Internet is only for men, only for socially inept men, for both sexes but only if men get deferential treatment? What the fsck is he talking about?

Sharculese
Sharculese
12 years ago

hey buttman how’s the crusade against ladies night going

thebionicmommy
thebionicmommy
12 years ago

The Moral Majority is on our side. The internet should be a safe place for MEN who are ostracized by society. If we had a true democracy then the comments sections of these sites would reflect reality.

There there, little baby. You have almost the entire Internet to bully women, so stop fussing about us not putting up with it at feminist sites.

Falconer
12 years ago

If we had a true democracy then the comments sections of these sites would reflect reality.

You do realize, don’t you, that even in Athens, when they had a democracy where people voted on every issue, not everyone got a vote.

We have a representative democracy. If we tried to have everyone weigh in on even one piece of legislation, then we’d get ample demonstration of the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory.

And I don’t know how “democracy” is supposed to prevent people from exercising their ability to congregate with like people. Assholes congregate at AVfM, r/mr, YouTube, etc. and people who call assholes on their assholery tend to congregate here, at SRS, at Feministe, etc.

Shorter: Stop whining.

WordSpinner
WordSpinner
12 years ago

Has anyone heard of men getting harassed in primarily-female spaces online, because while it probably does happen, I don’t think it is nearly as common as the reverse.

nwoslave
12 years ago

Pictures of girls with the word slut covering their faces. Propaganda to promote the marxist slut agenda. Let me know when feminists hold pictures over their faces promoting the traditional family, then I’ll believe feminism isn’t a marxist hate movement bent on destroying the traditional family. It’s amazing how easily women are herded. Someone told women, “slut = good” and they all said yes. What does that tell you about women?

nwoslave
12 years ago

@WordSpinner
“Has anyone heard of men getting harassed in primarily-female spaces online, because while it probably does happen, I don’t think it is nearly as common as the reverse.”

We call that the mainstream media, where men are ridiclued and demonized daily. When men dare to retaliate in the comment thread, it’s called hate and misogyny.

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