No Laughing Matter

     Online anonymity has produced a double-edged sword.  It has allowed for more open and honest opinions that some would not express otherwise.  It has also opened the door for people to unnecessarily attack others, with minimal repercussions.  I am going to address the particular area of hatred towards women, and feminists, although the same is true about different ethnicities and religions.  I feel that online anonymity has increased and radicalized the hurtful and hateful comments made towards women in online forums.  Anonymity has made it so that people can continue to harass anyone they choose with little to no real-life consequences.   There are some people that do post their genuine and constructive negative opinions, and I would argue most of these commenters wouldn't be shy to have their name known.  The ones that I have a problem with are the people who are saying rude and vulgar comments just because they get some sick enjoyment out of hurting others.

        Recently, I came across an article about Caroline Criado-Perez, a feminist in Britain that petitioned to have Jane Austen on the £10 bank note.  The amounts of disgusting, cruel and hurtful comments left on her twitter account were astonishing.  These trolls think that they have the right to say that a woman should die, that they deserve to be raped or tortured, and actively encourage the assault on feminists.  I feel that for the most part, nasty comments should just be ignored.  However, there are certain topics that I feel you cannot turn a blind eye to, things like rape, murder or pedophilia, as these are not laughing matters.  Saying that a woman deserves to be raped just for voicing her opinion in unacceptable.

        One commenter in particular was actually held accountable for his anonymous posts on Caroline Criado-Perez’s twitter, with the Scotland Yard confirming his arrest.  Just because something has been made public by the author, people do not have the right to say whatever they want and not have any repercussions.  You should not be allowed to harass somebody online, under a fake name and email account, just like how you cannot harass somebody in real life, where there are more legal options available to prevent such conduct.  The attack on women online has to stop, as it seems to be a never ending circle of abuse that is generally accepted in the mainstream.    

        Now I’ve never been a target of bullying, whether it is cyber-bullying or in the more traditional, physical sense, but I can imagine how traumatizing it must be to receive this constant barrage of comments made by some schmuck sitting by themselves at thier computer, whose only pleasure is to harass others.  I believe that you shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind some made up name and email address, and that if you have something to say, why not let everyone know who you are.  I think that it would make the internet a lot friendlier place, allowing for more meaningful discussions and debates.