"But the more I have looked at the threats and insults that women have received, the more they seem to fit into the old patterns that I have been talking about. For a start it doesnât much matter what line you take as a woman, if you venture into traditional male territory, the abuse comes anyway. It is not what you say that prompts it, itâs simply the fact that youâre saying it. And that matches the detail of the threats themselves. They include a fairly predictable menu of rape, bombing, murder and so forth (this may sound very relaxed; that doesnât mean itâs not scary when it comes late at night). But a significant subsection is directed at silencing the woman. âShut up you bitchâ is a fairly common refrain. Or it promises to remove the capacity of the woman to speak. âIâm going to cut off your head and rape itâ was one tweet I got. âHeadlessfemalepigâ was the Twitter name chosen by someone threatening an American journalist. âYou should have your tongue ripped outâ was tweeted to another woman. Ironically, the well-meaning solution often recommended when women are on the receiving end of this stuff turns out to bring about the very result the abusers want: namely, their silence. âDonât call the abusers out. Donât give them any attention; thatâs what they want. Just keep mum and âblockâ themâ youâre told. It is an uncanny reprise of the old advice to women of âput up and shut upâ, and it risks leaving the bullies in unchallenged occupation of the playground."
Women & Power by Mary Beard
