This post and the video within contains NSFW language and discussion of online harassment and rape and death threats. Because of course it does!
Can you even believe it? I know, I know, we should be skeptical of outrageous claims but it’s TOTALLY true. We STILL GET VICIOUS HATE MAIL ABOUT COFFEE AND ELEVATORS. STILL. TODAY.
Yup.
I brought up the fact that we still get misogynistic hate mail that references the “Dear Muslima…” comment written by Richard Dawkins and directed at Rebecca from almost four years ago in a talk I gave at SkeptiCon 7. That talk was about how online harassment became art and what we learned in the process of making that art. And the video of that talk was just posted by the fabulous people of SK7 yesterday, and so I figured I would just throw a link up here in case anyone felt the need to hear the sound of my voice. As I was logging in to write this post I ran across this bright, golden gem of an email that was JUST sent in to our contact link today. The email proves my point yet again. Here it is in all its glory and wisdom:
11:48 AM
Name: Rebecca, want to get a coffee?
Email: bilgamesh87@gmail.com
Website: http://rebeccawatsonfanclub.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/untitled-1.jpg
Comment: Hey you whiny bitch, Do you want to drink some coffee in an elevator?
Plz shave or wash ur snatch first so as to eliminate the offending odor. Thx.
Hope you can add this email to your repertoire of perceived oppression and pat yourself to it until your soaking wet.
P.S: The oppressed women of Somalia, India, Pakistan, Yemen, etc. look up to you… just kidding they never heard of you before, after all your just a cowardly, hateful profiteering cunt.
Have fun playing with your vagina. I love you. You should visit me and sit on my face one day.
Time: December 1, 2014 at 2:48 pm
IP Address: 50.14.255.143
Isn’t it amazing? There are actually men out there spending their time writing emails and a never ending stream of comments just like this. There are people out there being encouraged to target women online with bigoted hate speech and threats of death. This is now considered a normal and expected part of being an even somewhat public woman online today.
I think I will print out that email and fold it into an origami toad or maybe a pansy.
Speaking of paper crafts and better things to do with your time, here is the talk I gave about how I became the target of online harassment and what I did about it, that I gave at SkeptiCon 7. The comment section on Youtube is already flooded with ant-feminist, anti-women rhetoric.
What a shock.
To make you feel better about the world, here is a photo of my dog Rocket when he was a puppy.
