Tag Archive for harassment

| December 17, 2012
One comment

Normalizing and Desexualizing Kinks

People’s kinks are varied and diverse, and often trail into realms that they’re not interested in or comfortable with in real life. Porn, and other sexual outlets, allow us to explore these things with minimal impact on our day to day life.

However there’s certain people who crave for 24/7 lifestyle fantasies that sometimes involve not all partners realizing the full extent of what it is. While browsing on FetLife the other day, I stumbled across a group that was dedicated to one woman’s fantasy of being sexually harassed in an massively multiplayer online game (MMO or MMORPG).

Read more

Category: Culture | Tags: , , , , , , ,
| December 12, 2012
2 comments

A Case for Anonymity Online

There is value in the anonymity of the internet.

Even though some people use and abuse it for ill, there are still so many of us that require that anonymity in order to feel comfortable online. This can range from trying to avoid unwanted attention, to being able to express opinions that we otherwise wouldn’t or couldn’t.

In an age when employers are asking job applicants for their FaceBook passwords and a woman is insulted in newspapers based on their tweets for asking a simple question at a debate, there is actually a very high need for anonymity.

Read more

Category: Culture, Media | Tags: , , ,
| November 22, 2012
13 comments

Women at Gaming Expos

Telling women what to wear under the guise of being against female objectification is not a positive action. There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years about the role of ‘booth babes’ and ‘sexy’ cosplayers, their treatment by fans, and how game expos can help.

One way that does not help is to make it ‘illegal’ to attend in sexy attire. One way that certainly does not help is to send home paid employees whose companies asked them to attend in sexy attire.

Read more

Category: Culture | Tags: , , ,
| November 19, 2012
5 comments

Outing Creeps

I replied to a post on Jezebel regarding the ‘outing’ of Amanda Todd’s alleged blackmailer:The only problem is… what if it isn’t him? What if he’s just some guy getting caught in the crossfire who never did anything to her, and now he has vigilantes threatening to kill him?

I’m not personally okay with vigilante violence/action. I’d be okay with outing people like this if we were absolutely certain, but we’re not. Unless there’s a police investigation, we can’t be certain, and I kind of wonder if this will interfere or bias the police. Perhaps they had another suspect but stop pursing them in favour of this man, and the real perpetrator is let free.

I just think it’s very important, when talking about exposing people online, that we be very careful we don’t get so caught up in outing someone that it no longer matters who we out. It’s easy to ruin an innocent person’s life, too.

Read more

Category: Culture | Tags: , , ,
| November 12, 2012
No comments

Mad Men, Joan, and The Rape

-Trigger warning about rape and domestic violence. Spoiler warning up to Season 5, Episode 3 of Mad Men-

Joan left her husband, Greg, in Mad Men. She informed him that he is not a good person, and that he wasn’t a good person even before his most recent action and “you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

And as a viewer? Yes, yes we did. We watched, horrified and disgusted while he raped her. And it was, undoubtedly, rape. Even though they were in a relationship. Even though she later married him. Even though she was dressed like she ‘wanted’ to be raped, as a charming fellow put it in season 4. Even though she had a history of sexual promiscuity. Even though she at times used her sexuality to get her way.

Read more

Category: Media | Tags: , , , , , ,
| November 5, 2012
4 comments

Victim Blaming

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

I left this comment on a local website in response to a sexual assault and the fact that 69% of voters in a poll feel that women aren’t doing enough to protect themselves from date rape drugs.

Read more

Category: Culture, Personal | Tags: , , , , ,
| February 22, 2012
No comments

Online Trolling

Links not safe for work.

It’s no secret that trolls aim below the belt. That’s what they do. They hit not where they think they’ll hurt the most, but where they think they’ll get the biggest reaction. That’s why on fat acceptance blogs you get trolls calling the women fat, and why on feminist blogs you’ll get trolls calling the women bitches and telling them that they should get back in the kitchen.

It’s not that these people even believe in the things they’re spouting so much as they’re looking for attention.

Read more

Category: Culture | Tags: ,
| February 20, 2012
2 comments

Sexual Harassment and Online Trolling

Trigger warning for discussion of sexual harassment.

I was reading on Geekfeminism about how common it is for women to be hit on and harassed online to the point that most women are silent about it because it’s just such a common occurrence – leading men to be unaware that this exists.

Read more

Category: Culture, Media | Tags: , , , , ,
 
%d bloggers like this: