On Shouting The Fuck Back

I'm a rare creature me. I'm an online feminist who doesn't get many trolls. It's weird because I hang out on Twitter with feminists who do.

I have a pretty healthy number of followers, I get quite a few RTs and my ranty, sweary, angry blog has a pretty good readership.

Yet they tend to leave me alone.

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS is the number one hint when you join Twitter. Ignore them and they will go away. Which is fine of course if that's what you want to do.

Except.

You wouldn't do that in real life would you?

Well, you might, but I certainly don't.

If someone is being sexist, I call them on it. If someone is being racist, I call them on it. Same for homophobia, transphobia, paedo or rape jokes.

I don't accept the excuse that it's banter. I don't accept that they're too old, from a different time, that they're really nice except for their views.

But back to the trolls.

What will I get from arguing back with them, feeding them when they start with their shit?

Not likely to change the mind of a keyboard misogynist/racist/homophobe am I? They will still be in their pants, drooling over the insults they type with their Wotsit stained fingers. So what is the point?

It is this.

Why the fucking FUCK should I be the bigger person? Why the fucking FUCK should I rise above it? Why the fucking FUCK should I not call these assholes out online the same way I do in real life?

No reason at all.

@ccriado-perez is on day two of misogynist abuse and rape threats because she dared to lead a campaign to keep women on banknotes.

Asking her not to feed the trolls is akin to blaming a woman who wears a short skirt for rape*.

Fuck. That.

I will #shoutthefuckback. Not just on my behalf, but every time one of my sisters is threatened or abused either on Twitter or IRL.

I will continue to #shoutthefuckback for as long as.it takes to name and shame the fucking online cowards who are so full of privilege that they think they can get away with this shit.

There has been a call to boycott Twitter on 4th Aug and leave it to.the trolls.

Good on ya if that's what you want to do.

I'll be staying to #shoutthefuckback.

Who's with me?

*thanks to @jokbristol for the analogy.