At one time the Internet was advertised as a place where race, gender and age didn't matter. As many ethnic minorities and women know, that's not quite true. Cyberspace, which was once dominated by white men, now has many women and although computer access makes the Internet less egalitarian than the population at large, it does show that the pervasive problem of sexual harassment crosses classes. Sexual harassment exists not just on the brick-and-mortar streets, but also in dimensionless world of cyberspace, sometimes functioning as a means of demarcating surfing territories. It is a war zone where domestic terrorism is practiced by your above average citizen.
I don't choose the phrase "war zone" lightly, particularly at a time when this country is involved in a controversial war. The War Zone was a 1998 documentary, not to be confused with a 1999 British movie by the same name starring Ray Winstone and directed by Tim Roth. In the documentary, director Maggie Hadleigh-West confronts men who sexually harass her in public. Of the 50 encounters, the men reacted with bravado, embarrassment and even anger. According to Maggie Hadleigh-West's website, the film is about "what happens when men — either knowingly or unknowingly — threaten a woman’s right to walk undisturbed on the streets. Shot all over the US, Hadleigh-West turns her camera on men in the same way that they turn their aggression on her."
Just as women walking the streets are different than men, Women bloggers are different from men who blog. How are we different? According to the recent Washington Post article by Ellen Nakashima we are harassed in more sexual terms. The new war zone then is cyberspace. Women are "singled out in more starkly sexually threatening terms."
The Post article was sparked by the case of Kathy Sierra, a woman whose blog had a large readership and international attention. After she became the target of anonymous threats including "photos of her with a noose around her neck and a muzzle over her mouth," she suspended blogging.
According to the article, the reaction of women bloggers has been to stop blogging, self-censor, get gender-neutral noms de plume or turn to private forums. Nakashima concluded "the effect of repeated harassment, interviewed bloggers and experts said, was to make women reluctant to participate online — undercutting the promise of the Internet as an egalitarian forum."
This isn't a recent phenomena and, from my personal experience, the Internet and its providers have been slow to react. I, too, found that participating in certain forums was characterized by what one person in the article calls "disincentive" to participate. In a Japanese culture forum, men were trolling the discussions looking for Asian-sounding female names and harassing these women until they left. Even when the moderators were contacted, they, all men, were rather passive about the problem. They knew that the discussion group was dominated by men, but they didn't seem to understand why and when confronted didn't seem willing to take action. One woman I contacted had Caucasian-sounding name and wasn't targeted but knew of other Asian American women who had been harassed into leaving. My best experiences in discussion groups have been when my identity was indeterminate or possibly male based on my moniker. My experience isn't unique.
Article comments
1 - sheila
Hi!
I am an American Muslim woman. I can and do understand some of the things that is being talked about in this article. Once when I was chatting one of the participants started to harrass me verbally. I ignored him and ignored him. He was very upset that I ignored him. After a while he just left.
But, the thing is that I have been verbally harrassed because I am a Muslim. Those women who are into women's rights need to remember that others get harrassed also. There are Muslims in The U.S. who are intimidated and mistreated just because they are Muslim. I have read of a case where this Muslim woman couldn't contest a ticket because the judge wouldn't allow anyone with Islamic clothing to enter into the court. This also is not acceptable.
I myself, when chatting on the Yahoo News Boards were verbally harrassed by those who hate Islam. They called me: an Islamofacist, a moron, and a two-face bitch. Sometimes I responded to them and sometimes I didn't. There were times when there were posts which slandered Prophet Muhammad and/or Muslims. Sometimes I responded, but most of the time I didn't. I understood and I do understand that I needed to be very selective as to what I responded to and how. I needed to see the internet boards as not places for private discussions but a public place that has an audience. I understand that I needed to respond or not respond with the idea that there is an audience and what reaction would be best for my cause.
My advice, do not go after each and every insult. Be selective...ignore some while responding to others. And yes, sometimes, ignoring an insulter is best because much of the times insults are made just to get reactions..sooo... if there isn't any reaction there isn't any reason to insult now is there. If you are in a chatroom and someone starts harrassing you just ignore him and continue on with your discussion with other participants. He will probably get bored and leave... I am speaking from personal experience!
Also, there is tremendous ignorance and prejudice out there. Not just for women but, for many groups. For example, there is much ignorance about Islam. Particularly about women's rights and jihad. Just as the media has a role to play in promoting prejudice against women... the same thing is true about Islam. The media does indeed, promote misconceptions about Islam.
Thanks for reading.
Take care,
Sheila
2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
This was a very interesting post, followed by a very interesting comment.
1. It comes as no surprise that women get harassed on the internet. Most men view women as nothing more than sexual objects, and frankly, American culture encourages this attitude while claiming the opposite.
My ex was always careful to never use her name in the phone book in the days before the internet existed, and it is wise for a woman never to reveal her name on a blog-site or equivalent. The internet is not a place for show and tell. There are those out there who will mine information with intent to stalk, kidnap, rape and murder.
Until a major change takes place, that will be the way of the world.
2. Sheila, I'm sorry to tell you this, but the terrorist acts of so-called "Moslems" world-wide - the Wahhabi who have stolen your religion and made it into a nightmare instead of a way of life - have brought upon you the anger of non-Moslems. You yourself may be a peace-loving woman who wishes to practice her faith and not be harassed because of it. Until I learn otherwise, that is the assumption I'll work with. But do you seriously expect those of us who are subjected to Moslem hatred daily, particularly because we are Jews, to sit and just smile at you or other Moslems?
We too, want to live and love in peace, and many of us are tired of the harassment we receive world-wide as Jews. Something for you to think about while you dip your pita into the houmous.
3 - John Bambenek
The Internet is harassment... psychological regression almost typifies what goes on online... sure women are harassed differently, but its not like anyone who doesn't follow the herd isn't harassed either. That's not to downplay it, but something about the perceived anonymity of the Internet makes people think they are free to be subhuman.
4 - zingzing
"Most men view women as nothing more than sexual objects, and frankly, American culture encourages this attitude while claiming the opposite."
that's not really true, ruvy. well, maybe the second part, but not the first.
5 - Purple Tigress
I do not think one can define the Internet as harassment. There exist very informative and supportive groups on the Internet.
I, too, like Sheila, am not Christian and my grandparents were not Christian either. However, religion is a choice one makes at a certain age. One can be born into a religion and one can later choose to follow it or not.
Likewise, one can choose to reveal, in daily life, if one is of a certain religion or not. One cannot, in face to face meetings choose not to be a female although one can render, again by choice, one's biological gender vague. Biological gender is not a matter of choice just as race is not (although one can at times pass for something else). For the most part it is an obvious part of one's identity. Online, I have witnessed people attempting to discern exactly what I was in order to better know how to address me, particularly when my nom de plume was not readily identifiable as female.
I do not ignore racists or male chauvinists, however, I do judge the situation and I do expect that if I am being harassed and regularly harassed that the moderator or other authority should do something about it. Only by standing up and complaining can one show that such acts are unacceptable. Usually, too many people do not complain and thus allow the person to continue to act in such a manner. One complaint is easy to ignore, but not several complaints. It builds a case and I feel we owe it to our fellow human beings to try to support each other.
Certainly sometimes the insult is just to get a reaction, however, I find that nothing angers such people more than having one coolly showing where they are at fault and even laughing at them. When they descend into the hysteria of name-calling, I know that I have won the argument and they have shown themselves to be nothing more than cowardly bullies.
Which is why my moniker is Tigress.
6 - Julie Newman
I have been the target of some form of discrimination. When I try to express my opinion, someone is able to disable my computer, so that I am not able to send a letter to the proper source. This is very threatening and is against what the Constitution and the amendment of Freedom of Speech in all forms of expression states. I have been monitored in my apartment and that is very threatening as well. It is hard to prove, but I am determined. My rights have been violated in an extreme fashion. I want everyone to know, because it can happen to anyone.