Originally posted at the Independent Bloggers’ Alliance
I first learned about the crass, insensitive remarks of Markos Moulitsas in this post by skippy, and later found a post by Steven D at Booman Tribune. In a later diary, Steven included what Markos actually said:
Look, if you blog, and blog about controversial shit, you’ll get idiotic emails. Most of the time, said “death threats” don’t even exist — evidenced by the fact that the crying bloggers and journalists always fail to produce said “death threats”. […]
But so what? It’s not as if those cowards will actually act on their threats. For better or for worse, this isn’t a country in which media figures — even hugely controversial ones — are routinely attacked by anything more dangerous than a cream pie.
Since last night, I saw that skippy had updated his post with the following:
addendum: feminazi, commenting over at echidne’s blog, asks this question:
i sent a email to http://www.mothertalkers.com/contactus asking them why they support misogynists through advertising. why don’t you do the same?
good idea!
Except, I don’t know how much choice they have, given that you see this at the bottom of the home page on that blog:
© 2005, Kos Media, LLC
I may be only a C-rate blogger (on a good day), but what do we usually do when we want to hold a public figure accountable for something they’ve said? Isn’t it usually their advertisers that we write to? Or how about writing to some of the politicians and public figures who post diaries at Daily Kos. This Wikipedia article has a list.
I wouldn’t recommend this if Markos’ remarks were a one time thing, but as shirlstars’ comment here indicates, this is part of a pattern of behavior.
See also:
How not to be an asshole: a guide for men
Why the lack of concern for Kathy Sierra ?
Take Back the Blog! March
Finally, as I noted here, I really haven’t had it in me to do much blogging lately, and I’m still not feeling all that verbose at this point. But I do consider this to be an important issue, and, even if I don’t manage to blog more about it, I’m going to make a point of adding relevant entries to my page of Google shared items, which you can find here.
If you do nothing else, please visit this essay about the Take Back the Blog March, and recommend it and pass it along, if you feel so inclined
http://www.myleftwing.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=15999
Thanks very much, Renee. I have reposted the diary here for folks who want, as it were, to consume domestically.
OK, ok…it all started when my son signed up for a userID and didn’t use it. I accidentally found that the reactions/comments were totally different when the user name was female than when it was obviously male. So who cares? Just kept it. That was a long time ago.
I worked as an administrator of a very large organization. When a man got upset, he was assertive. When I got upset, I was “screaming at the men.” (It drives me up a wall to hear Glenn Beck talk about Hillary Clinton’s decidedly contralto voice.)
There is still–absolutely–an attitude toward women in politics that we need to identify and get rid of. There’s an attitude about threats that we tolerate.
It’s one thing to be sworn at. (Why?) It’s another to be threatened. Will they put glass in your sugar? Probably not. Will they “out” you, donut your quality posts, treat you like you belong lower than the kitchen rug? Probably.
A little respect here.
to the issue at hand.
The issue at hand is how do deal with threats, if you’re blogging?
Kos’ advice was that if the threats bother you, you shouldn’t blog. The old “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen” argument.
Somehow because Kathy Sierra is a female, this has turned into some kind of sexist issue. It’s not.
Bottom line is that if you’re going to put yourself out there publicly, you are leaving yourself open for threats. I don’t care if you’re male, female, or anything in between.
It’s why I don’t use my real name online and I never will. People have STILL managed to find me, and I don’t even have my own blog! I do manage to piss people off, though. 🙂
I always say: “Do what you do best.”
…women’s studies group members.
Renee, you’re an A-rated blogger in my book.
And you’re right about holding Kos’ feet to the fire on this one. Thank you for posting a list of his advertisers. I intend to contact as many as I can and let them know how strongly I object to his demeaning, insulting words not only towards Kathy Sierra in particular, but women in general.
I live in Maine, where almost the entire homicide rate is comprised of men murdering their ex-spouses, partners etc. Male rage is real and deadly and even a threat by a total stranger should be assumed real and serious until proven otherwise. It’s also criminal threatening in many states, I believe. There is a reason the Secret Service takes any type of mail or email threat seriously. As for Markos, I think his brain was in the garage for an oil change when he dismissed this. He should rectify the error asap.
In setting up a new email address generally nothing comes to that address until it gets on a “list o crap”. One does this by gradually putting oneself out on the net until the advertizers get the mail address.
Lot’s of people don’t like what I say.
The email address I associated with my screen name is brand new and by very strange coincidence has become a solicitation ground for false “your account has been breached” type stuff. Some of them of late have been quite good.
That and it’s great to see Kos making more enemies.
you’re a female?
???