Victims are easy to find these days.
Joan Walsh, editor in chief of the online magazine Salon, said that since the letters section of her site was automated a year and a half ago, "it’s been hard to ignore that the criticisms of women writers are much more brutal and vicious than those about men."
Arianna Huffington, whose Huffington Post site is among the most prominent of blogs founded by women, said anonymity online has allowed "a lot of those dark prejudices towards women to surface." Her site takes a "zero tolerance" policy toward abusive and excessively foul language, and employs moderators "24/7" to filter the comments, she said.
Sierra, whose recent case has attracted international attention, has suspended blogging. Other women have censored themselves, turned to private forums or closed comments on blogs. Many use gender-neutral pseudonyms. Some just gut it out. But the effect of repeated harassment, bloggers and experts interviewed said, is to make women reluctant to participate online — undercutting the promise of the Internet as an egalitarian forum.
Robert Scoble, a technology blogger who took a week off in solidarity with Sierra, said women have told him that harassment is a "disincentive" to participate online. That, he said, will affect their job prospects in the male-dominated tech industry. "If women aren’t willing to show up for networking events, either offline or online, then they’re never going to be included in the industry," he said.
When the going gets tough, you give up. That appears to be Sierra’s message.
"I have cancelled all speaking engagements.
I am afraid to leave my yard.
I will never feel the same. I will never be the same."
How about having a spine? I get frustrated with the type of journalism that fosters the sort of whiny, defeatist mentality we hear more and more often in public dialog. Since when did quitting become so vogue? Only you can decide how to approach the challenges that life throws at you. Giving up is certainly one of your options, but please don’t whine about it too.
We all have demons to wrestle, and I don’t have time to help with yours unless you have some sort of plan. Quitting doesn’t count as a plan.
Moving beyond my gripes about whining and quitting, I do not believe for a second that "sexual threats" on the Internet are any different or prevelant when compared to real life. The game is power, and if the Internet is less civil than real life the only reason is because of the illusion of anonymity. The false idea that on the Internet someone cannot reach out and slap you on the mouth for your invective motivates the bullies, the cowards and the self-loathing to spew their bile more frequently.
They are easy to block, or punish, if you are willing to develop the savvy.
Having an opinion on the Internet implies a willingness to hold up your shields when the spears get thrown. If you don’t have the strength, then don’t get into the game.