Feminism??? and the Internet.
The 11th March the day before Internet Freedom day I came across a posting on Google plus requesting support for an reporting tool against people who abuse and bully on the internet.
The request (found here): was posted by Christa Laser of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, IP Litigation
The primary request is/was:
Women, are you tired of reading weird harassing comments on your posts? Think that the internet is a jerk factory, where if you block one another pops up? Do you wish that the community discouraged harassment?
Then you need a harassment reporting tool (not available on all networks).
Men, are you sick of losing women to Pininterest and Facebook? Wish they had a safe place to post publicly?
Then you need a harassment reporting tool (not available on Google Plus).
Anyone, do you wish that you could do something more than blocking when a bully or a creep posts something that promotes discrimination, bigotry, racism, hatred, or harassment toward you or others?
Then you need a harassment reporting tool (if you want one on your social network you are going to have to fight for it!).
Please, if you want Google Plus to make it possible to report harassment, #voteithot by sharing, +1'ing, and commenting. With enough support, we can make harassment a reportable offense.
Reading it a few things struck me. First the very populistic tone that represents a disregard of the general populations intelect and radiates an uncompared arogance of a knight on a white horse.
To add to this and to legitimate her request even more she ends it with the tags #feminism #antibullying #community #socialmedia
What this is about reveals the following discussion. Mrs Laser is feeling harassed by man on the internet. As some say it in the discussion seemen spraying man. Man who repost her pictures and make nasty remarks expressing sexual intent.
I have to admit that I hear the same of many woman friends and indeed this is a despicable behavior that seriously needs to be addressed and corrected. But the question here is in what way?
Google aware of the problem that exists on many other social platforms blessed us with tools that we can use to address the problem. First line of defense are the circles. The circles are only accessible by people that have been granted access by the owner of the circle.
Thus you can create a black circle, a white circle, a circle for serial killers, pedophiles or priests. Nobody would be able to see or respond to anything in these circles. The comfort of your home you might say
Another tool for the more daring that will expose them self to the big bad general population is the option to block people they deem offensive. There is no threshold. I dont like you I block you. Simple. A powerful tool only restricted by you yourself.
These tools seem not enough for Mrs. Laser. She and her followers deem that there should be an option where they can use the block option to eradicate anyone from Google plus that does not peer up to their moral standards.
Where on the one hand she pretends to be a feminist that wants equal rights, she is not ashamed to throw in here female charms to get support for her agenda as here "Men, are you sick of losing women" obviously proves. In some cases she deems it good to appeal to the male lust.
During the discussion I entered opposing here proposal it soon becomes clear that this has nothing to do with abuse or horny men. This is about power. Mrs.Laser wants control. And she demonstrates her evil agenda by blocking people opposing her proposal from the discussion, including yours truly. In fact she goes beyond by having peoples profile destroyed when she sees fit. (By abusing Googles real name policy).
In fact Mrs.Laser has powerfully demonstrated that she, without respect for real feminists, will use and abuse anything that fits into her silly agenda of control. In fact she damages the feminist agenda. Woman fighting to end what she tries to gain. Control.
The arguments brought forward by her proponents go all the way. From parents that claim they cannot control what their children do on the net without the proposed tools up to deciding how Google should use the profit they make and how they should take responsibility to facilitate Ms. Laser's agenda.
I am aware of the fact that online life for woman and children is a lot different then that for man. The internet is a true mirror of real live society and it is there where we find the problem and where we need to correct it. But like real live you have to accept that till people improve there are places you rather avoid as woman as child and as a man.
In fact I argue that the net is in that sense a place much saver then real real lives. You have a multitude of tools to eradicate people you dont like, probably taking away the social boundary to eradicate people in real live. You are able to filter and restrict your content as much as you like. And there is no reason what so ever to give people like Mrs.Laser who are obviously without moral and insight, these tools they request.
After Mrs.Laser blocked me I was welcomed in this thread to continue the discussion. My thanks to the host.