Oh wait, I’m sorry…they call us ‘leftists’ now.
Longtime Republican and actress Stacey Dash tweeted her support for Gov. Mitt Romney this week and was, as is sadly typical of the internet, viciously attacked for her comments. She was called every name in the book from a ‘house negro’ to an ‘Uncle Tom’ and had her fair share of equally disgusting sexist barbs tossed her way as well. Things even went so far as a death threat (of sorts), something I am all too familiar with in my own online life.
Typically women’s groups rallied to her defense. Now, when I say women’s groups I mean ‘traditionally liberal, feminist’ women’s groups. Because that is what they do. Some would even say that is their ENTIRE PURPOSE- to point out sexism and racism and horrible, vile attacks on women so they can be exposed and, hopefully, STOPPED.
Even Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student also attacked for her political views, tweeted her support for Dash.
Now I’m going to write some things that are certainly not going to win me any popularity points with the Right…but I no longer care. I’m disgusted at their behavior and disgusted at their bandwagon care for women.
Yes, I said ‘bandwagon care for women.’
You see, the internet exploded with conservatives voicing their support for Dash…and rightfully so. The internet exploded with liberals ALSO voicing their support for Dash…and rightfully so. What never happens, ever, is when a liberal woman is attacked does the internet explode with both sides showing their support for the liberal woman.
As far as the Right is concerned, liberal women get what they deserve. Be it attacks of the most vile nature, be it relentless sexist, racist, homophobic slurs. Be it death threats against these women or their children.
Liberal women, as evidenced by the lack of support from the Right, are not worth defending and apparently should be left for dead.
The Right is silent when the same types of attacks are launched at liberal women. And when NOT silent, they join in on these attacks.
Yet when a Right leaning woman is attacked, all hell breaks loose and suddenly they are all feminists. Staunch Republicans are shocked and beside themselves that this sort of vile behavior happens online. They rally support for the victim and blame every liberal for the attack.
Now, we all know there are lunatics online. We all know there are trolls. And make NO mistake- the people attacking Dash are lunatics and trolls. They are NOT surrogates of the campaign. They are NOT pundits. They are NOT television hosts, radio hosts, or even prominent bloggers. They are NOT elected officials. They are lunatics and TROLLS.
That does not make the attacks any less vile or sick.
But let’s compare that to attacks on liberal woman. Attacks that HAVE come from surrogates of campaigns, pundits, television hosts, radio hosts, prominent bloggers, elected officials and yes, lunatics and trolls.
I am exhausted by all of this. I am exhausted that I can work 24/7 to combat sexism online against women of ALL political parties and have bi-partisan support when a Republican woman is attacked, yet have ONLY progressive support when a liberal woman is attacked.
I am exhausted that when I tell the story of getting death threats online, of my children being threatened…their blood threatened to be splattered across their school playground…I am told by a right-wing Fox News pundit to go play my violin. Yet that SAME right-wing Fox News pundit is now championing the defense of Dash and the vile attacks against her.
Tell me, if my daughter acts like a good little lady, all GOP’d out and nice…will she then be defended if attacked?
But if she goes ‘leftist’ like her mother, will she be ignored and will the Right pile on?
This is not a political game. This is not how we score political points…off the backs of women who are risking their lives and the lives of their children to speak out and speak up. Women who believe so fiercely in making the world a better place that, like Dash and like myself, we stand up to those attacking and keep speaking out and speaking up.
All while the Right uses it only as an opportunity. Because that is clearly the ONLY thing they are about-opportunities. They do not truly care about women or children. They care about winning and scoring points. As evidence by what they do when faced with one of their own under attack and someone who’s not one of their own under similar attacks.
They are nothing more than opportunistic vultures doing what politicians have done since the beginning of time: whore their own for power, no matter what the cost. Sacrificing the women and children first and showing, time and time again, they really do not care about them at all…only using them as a means to the end.
Meanwhile, the rest of us will be fighting for those women. Yes, even the ones on the Right. Because we actually walk the walk and BELIEVE in equality and BELIEVE all women should be defended when attacked, not just the ones who declare their vote for Romney.
We also believe in our President, with two daughters of his own, who has a record on women’s issues that shows he too walks the walk.
So let the lip service to Romney, Dash, and their fake concern for women on the Right continue. The rest of us will be here…still…doing the real work behind the scenes. Again. And again. And again.
Go, Erin!
I could write more, but you said what I would say.
YES.
This is naught but another way to make a political point. Both sides have foul people. I take issue with the way you like to paint with a broad brush. Perhaps conservatives don’t jump to the aid of a liberal woman being attacked in social media because we don’t go to liberal pages, links, etc… Some of us are perplexed when we’re accused of a so called war on woman when liberals viciously attack a woman who happens to be conservative or the fact that this administration has the least amount of woman employed and pays less then other recent administrations. Both sides are guilty of discrimination of all types it’s just one side is a bit more hypocritical.
Maybe it’s just because I’ve worked at newspapers where we got hate-filled screeds with such regularity that the editor took to opening them and intoning, “Dear Dickwad…” because that was how pretty much every letter from the tinfoil-hat brigade began … or maybe it’s because I covered stories about crazed celebrity stalkers who hacked off bits of their arms, smeared blood on photos & mailed them to their targets, and then broke into houses with loaded .44 magnums … or maybe it’s seeing what politics is like in, say, Colombia, where the day I arrived to work with journalists there, the people were celebrating because “only” 87 political candidates had been assassinated during the electoral run-up (which was a new low, and proof that things were getting better) … but the political trollery in the U.S., while noxious and reprehensible, doesn’t yet strike me as a deadly threat.
That does not, however, mean that it should be ignored. Far from it.
Having seen what happens when toxic discourse becomes the norm and a negative societal feedback loop is established (you insulted me & my team? fine – try this escalated insult attack on for size!), yeah, I agree that shitty behavior has to be called out. Failing to do so is to passively encourage it – sort of an online corollary to the “broken windows” theory of policing.
It is unfortunate to see that the kneejerk reaction to calling out a flaw remains the “but – but Your Side does something like it too!”
Heh. Nice screed on discourse from a woman who posts an RT of “Mitt Romney just farted on a little girl”. I hope an irony falls on your head!
Seriously, what did you Left Liberal Progressives expect? After the hatred you dumped on George Bush for going on 12 years now, did you really expect your pet dirty socialist to get a pass?
Before you attempt to clean up the right side of political discourse, you should go to Daily KOS and start there. Or any of a thousand other LeftLibProgg hells.
Good DAY~!
…and there you have it. Speaking for themselves right here!
I honestly think some conservatives do not have a sense of humor. Or get jokes. Here is the RT and photo posted by actor zach braff that i retweeted (which I find hilarious, totally not threatening, totally not sexist or racist or any ‘ist’ except FUNNY… unless you don’t like fart humor, which, apparently if you DO like fart humor that means you totally open yourself up to being attacked online with death threats and sexist and racist jokes… yeah that makes a TON of sense…. )
https://twitter.com/zachbraff/status/255369883481698304
Steven- do you mean to tell me you had no knowledge that Sandra Fluke was being attacked online and being called vile things and being photoshopped doing vile things? You mean to tell me that no right wing blog or outlet was discussing Sandra Fluke? And I’m just giving you ONE example here. I’m honestly asking you. Did you have zero knowledge that Fluke was being attacked in much the same manner as Dash – with threats and the whole nine? Is that what you are honestly attempting to tell me?
I’ve seen plenty of liberal women attacked on social media. But, apparently, we deserve it for having the audacity to support a woman’s right to choose/democratic platform/equal right. I’ve personally endured plenty of attacks, including minor trollish assholery from Serr8d up there (who also went after my daughter, new to twitter, through me).
They love to see how far they can go in an attempt to disgust and offend liberal women. They’ll happily accuse her of murdering her live children, call her a c*nt, wish rape upon her– anything to score a point. And that’s not even counting the women who are both celebrities and liberal.
I will say, though, that it’s not an indictment of everyone on the Right. People on the right are cautious about even giving off a hint of support for a liberal. If they do, they become targets themselves. I’ve had some interesting conversations with people who are loathe to step over that line their side has drawn for fear they’ll be on the receiving end.
Overall, though, you’re spot on. They only use this abhorrent behavior to score points against the left. They’ll helpfully (heh) ignore the liberals who defend women like Ms. Dash, because that goes against their narrative. No doubt if Ms. Dash would’ve said something like “I won’t publicly endorse either candidate” she would’ve been targeted by her own side as well. But no one on that side of the aisle would notice that. Only good, in-line girls are worthy of that much support.
I’m in agreement with everything you wrote, all your points were valid. I also read all the comments. What I don’t get is why people are determined to be so nasty to others. I don’t agree with Republicans, so I certainly don’t read their sites. It disturbs me. I’ll stay up on what’s happening in the race through trusted resources, not through personal adaptations of the truth. They have the right to publish whatever they like, I have no issue with that, but I don’t have to seek it out. I have enough stress in my life, I don’t to go searching for things that further aggravate me. Not to mention why would I take precious minutes out of my day to berate someone and be a nasty douchebag? What does that accomplish? But then, I was never a bully, so I guess I don’t understand that behavior. It further horrifies me that they threaten your children! These people need help. And apparently a life.
Still missing the point, Queeny. You found funny, and RT’d, an ‘attack’ on a little girl by Mitt Romney. However cute you try to frame it, it’s still an ‘attack’ that you found funny. If it’d been Obama, you’d’ve labeled that photo RAAAAACIST! or otherwise condemned it.
Then you turn around and cry like a damned aggrieved baby when your ‘side’ catches pushback. Remember George Bush? Those 8+ years? You’re getting well-deserved payback, just remember that!
And JennyJink, I can’t recall what asshattery you engaged in to get ‘trolled’ as you put it, but I’m sure you deserved it. Pushing far-Left ideology qualifies, AFAIC. Now go lie down on your fainting couch before you catch further cases of the vapors.
And TJ, you come HERE for your political fulfillment, and leave comments on THIS far-Left website. So don’t give me your concern pouting – crying either.
Any of you who can’t take the heat, there’s plenty of room in the kitchen, and chocolate chip cookies to bake!
/minor, low-level trolling OFF
Anyone who wants to go see that photo (I linked to it above) and calls it an ‘attack’ is seriously demented. What part of that photo is an attack? the part where Mitt bends over? the part where the girl looks at his ass in horror? The fart jokes? OMG!!! The HORROR!!!!!
You are a really low level troll if that is the best you can do.
Actually there are plenty of silly Obama photos out there, and the ones that are SILLY we … and I realize you will find this horrifying… we leftists LAUGH. What on earth does racism have to do with anything?
You sure are spending a lot of time on my website for someone who seems to think this is a far left place to hang out.
Yawn.
Back to the issue at hand…the double standard. Care to speak to that, at all?
Thank you for this insightful post! I couldn’t agree more.
Serr8d, congratulations on proving the point of this post with your illustrative potty-mouthed comments. Seriously though, it sounds like your blood pressure is reaching hart attack levels…maybe lay off the “leftist blogs” for awhile if you hate the ideas being presented? just a thought…