Read on Twitter
I’ve been on Twitter for a couple of years. I’ve gotten into arguments about feminism, abortion, LGBTQ rights, religion, politics, vaccinations, racism, and nearly any controversial topic you care to name. I’ve insulted Trumpers and other ignorant bigots nonstop. I’ve called them
ignorant, stupid, dickheads, assholes, douchebags, twits, dickwhistles, scumbags, garbage, and a thousand other basic terms. I’ve also crafted what I personally think were excellent insults on par with the best. I’ve tweeted “men are trash”, “abortion is healthcare”,
“Black Lives Matter”, and “Trans rights are human rights”. In all this time, I have not received one unsolicited DM from any of the people with whom I had these arguments. Not. A. Single. One. No one has stalked my page, replying to unrelated tweets with bigoted trash
No one has threatened to doxx me or gathered their pitiful handful of fellow shitstains to harass me every waking moment of their day. No one has barrage me with replies when I lose interest in arguing with them. No one has sent me death threats or rape threats.
If you believe that women are not harassed and abused on this hellsite, ask your fellow men. Ask how many of them have suffered these things. Some have, but not as many. Not nearly as many. And when they do, it is all too often because they came to the defense of women who
were being attacked in this way. Men do these things because they have gotten away with it for too fucking long. And one of the reasons they have is because we, other men, let them. My friend @Godlesswh_re has been dealing with this literally for months. Other women, women
I know only on Twitter but nonetheless care about deeply, have been forced off of this platform or chosen to leave it to escape the endless harassment. It’s not fucking okay. Women deserve to exist, to live, and to fucking PARTICIPATE without being harassed, threatened
or abused. I’m so fucking tired of this, and men, if you are too, imagine how the women feel. Imagine a lifetime of this. No one attacks us. No one stalks us on Twitter because of an argument or an insult. They do it to women, because they can,
and every one of us is fucking complicit unless we call it out and try to change it. This is how the white supremacist patriarchy has persisted for so long: by pushing the opposition off of the platform with whatever means are available. Violence. Coercion. Fear.
If you are a cishet white guy like me, it’s easy to ignore this. It doesn’t happen to us. It’s something pitiable that happens to other people. But that’s just a different kind of oppression. The oppression of indifference. Of apathy. Women you should listen to, care about, and
learn from are leaving because we aren’t doing enough to keep them around. If you think acronyms in your profile and smug superiority are going to help and have no plans or intentions to DO SOMETHING OR STAND UP AND SAY SOMETHING
then fuck off. We don’t need you. I’m tired of fake allyship and conditional support, and I goddamn well know the women are too. Call out toxicity, call out harassment. Support, defend, listen, learn, or nothing is gonna change. Please.
I yield my time, fuck the patriarchy
