Labour MP Jess Phillips repeatedly threatened with not being raped

I haven't posted a thread on ATS in a long, long time so I apologize in advance to the mods if I inadvertently do anything taboo/rule breaking.

Ok, this is a bit of a strange news story that I've been following, it started when labour mp Jess Phillips started a campaign called take back the internet ( www.huffingtonpost.co.uk... ) where in she and others are trying to stop the use of language she believes is sexist against women online as well as online rape threats.

Jess is rather disliked in some areas of the internet for her feminist stances particularly her laughing at the idea that on international men's day the British parliament should talk about men's issues ( www.youtube.com... ).

A well known youtube political commentator Sargon of Akkad ( twitter.com... ) tweeted at Jess "I wouldn't even rape you" this started a large number of his twitter supporters to send blunt and rude messages to Jess telling her how much they didn't want to rape her either as well starting multiple discussions on the issue.

This would all be a rather minor and petty issue if it hadn't been picked up by the press. (for example: www.independent.co.uk... ) whats interesting is how most of the media is choosing to cover this, by terming the messages saying they weren't going to rape her as "rape threats". I can't help but wonder since when was saying your not going to rape someone a threat? Jess has also mentioned the police and the possibility of taking legal action against the people who "threatened" to not rape her.

Whatever your stance on the current culture war in the west atm I though this strange story might interest some of you.

a reply to: monkofmimir

I love ole Sargon! I laughed like hell when I saw what he started by making that comment!

All quite funny, or perhaps not.

Jess Phillips MP has a point in her campaign to highlight misogynistic and sexist bullying, which can be harmful and destructive. Self publicists on YouTube and Twitter miss the point, but what do they care?

a reply to: monkofmimir

First of all, being a man myself, having all the problems attending to that situation, and none the less realising that I am living in an age where a combination of moral decay and the totally unrelated rise of the militant feminist have largely resulted in my becoming obselete, little more than an anachronism wrapped in flesh, I have to point out that I think sending a woman unsolicited messages referring to rape at all is unseemly, and not at all a gentlemanly thing to do.

Furthermore, there are some pretty obvious implications in such a message. They imply that the target of the message is such a hideous thing, that not even a pervert who forces themselves on women in order to control them (which is the only true aim of rapists, no matter the outcome physically) would touch them. It is tantamount to saying "Don't worry about this rape stuff. You are immune, by way of looking like the back end of a bus that has been in a ten rig truck crash."

These messages suggest to me two things. First, that the senders are not intellectuals, and have not understood what rape is, how it happens, or what the motivations of offenders are when they engage in the behaviour (physical characteristics are not nearly as important as some might assume, in terms of victimology, unless the offender has a type, which usually has an origin with a female authority figure or absent authority figure, such as a mother, older sister, or teacher for example). Second, that the senders are just not very nice people.

These messages are online bullying, but they are not in the least threats. They are childish, unseemly, and conduct unbecoming of gentlemen. Now, I personally disagree with the woman who is the target of these messages, if she genuinely believes that men's issues have no place in common discussion, because it is an inherently flawed approach to balancing the scale. Women SHOULD be treated with dignity, respect, and much better than they have been historically speaking. However, men are not without pressures in their lives, and as the role of a man in wider society becomes more nebulous and less easily identifiable, as men are having to seek for themselves a meaning which was once bestowed upon their lives by being born with certain trouser contents, it is vital that those men who have trouble seeing their place in society, the slot into which they fit, be guided and indeed nourished in their search.

I say this not simply because I am male myself, and struggle sometimes to see what use the world has for me, when everything I am is seen as somehow outmoded, from my morals and principles, to my manner of communication. I say this because it is best for society if both women, and men, are able to find themselves in roles in life, where they understand what they should be doing, why, and receive some nourishment beyond the salary they accrue, from living their lives.

Equal opportunities is a phrase which has always irked me, because those who suggest that we have ever had them are fools with eyes which might as well be sewn shut, for all that they are ever used to do anything of significance. However, we may be reaching a point where it is important to remember that equality does not mean disenfranchising one generation of people of any gender, so that another can catch up. It means merely ensuring that those who were previously disadvantaged, are no longer disadvantaged.

Those who sent these messages to this woman... They are no friend to menfolk, if their portrayal of their movement amounts to seedy, sideways assaults on a ladies dignity, no matter how biased and unhelpful her position might be.

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: monkofmimir

I love ole Sargon! I laughed like hell when I saw what he started by making that comment!

I'll admit I laughed really hard at that.

It is inappropriate for them to be making any type sexual comments towards her, whatsoever. Rape or no rape -- the intent is to engage her in a sexual discussion which is not welcomed and is consequently harassing and menacing.

a reply to: ladyinwaiting

Indeed.

Succinctly put!

a reply to: TrueBrit

Thank you! Notice too, True, to say "I don't desire to rape you", insinuates their 'power' over her; as in "I could rape you if I wanted to, but I choose not to', which is to assert a sexual power over her, which I also find quite barbaric. So, it's an insult to her, while at the same time awarding themselves 'power'.

That's just bloody creepy and I have to say, blokes making such comments must be grade A twats.

That's no way to behave at all.

a reply to: ladyinwaiting

Exactly.

Given that rape itself is a power play, rather than a purely sexually motivated offence, the implications of these messages are entirely horrid, specifically because they are also a power play, a psychological abuse, stemming from a similar wellspring to the offence they refer to.

Makes me wonder when rape stopped being such a bad thing.
I remember when I was a kid, about 14 or so, word got round that some lad at school had raped a girl. Up to that point he was moderately popular.

When he came back from borstal or wherever he'd been a couple of years later none of us had anything to do with him. He was completely cut off from everyone and after one beating too many he left town.

Yet now people toss the word and the threat around as if it's nothing...

TrueBrit:

...being a man myself, having all the problems attending to that situation, and none the less realising that I am living in an age where a combination of moral decay and the totally unrelated rise of the militant feminist have largely resulted in my becoming obsolete, little more than an anachronism wrapped in flesh...Women 'SHOULD' be treated with dignity, respect, and much better than they have been historically speaking.

Well said, fellow Brit. I don't think you put a word wrong or out of place in your whole post. Like you, being a fellow male, I too feel the smothering of societal disapproval simply because of my (physical) gender. I believe in the equality of a woman as a person, to which I give respect and admiration when merited, just as I do with others of my own gender.

Feminism, militant or not is wholly contrived and wrong within contemporary setting, and as it is a collective of ideas, feminism wants arguing with. As you say it is better to raise the downtrodden up, rather than to lay low the perceived high. Women have a lot to gain, but have nothing of merit to take.

Feminism is its own backlash, with a cruel agenda. As 'ex'-cave dwellers, we are far more sophisticated (or should be), but primal instinct still remains extant in many male minds, but to emasculate them on so many levels, rather than educate them, is a path so utterly wrong that it can only be described as psychological barbarism. The one thing feminism has broken is the trust between men and women, and that was the most primal bond. To love a women, or to love a man is not enough, trust has to be the first link in the bond, without it, there is no rhyme or reason between the sexes.

It is hard to agree to equality of the sexes when it requires the emasculation of one over the other. We are not going about reparations for thousands of years of wrong actions and wrong thinkings towards women, we can't do anything about it, but we can stop past injustices to them being repeated, and have women be recognised as equal persons, and not as an equal sex, because gender-wise we are not equal, and no rationale will ever make it so.

Clearly not part of any universal intelligentsia.

How degrading for a woman to be subject to such childish trollish rhetoric.

originally posted by: SprocketUK
Makes me wonder when rape stopped being such a bad thing.
I remember when I was a kid, about 14 or so, word got round that some lad at school had raped a girl. Up to that point he was moderately popular.

When he came back from borstal or wherever he'd been a couple of years later none of us had anything to do with him. He was completely cut off from everyone and after one beating too many he left town.

Yet now people toss the word and the threat around as if it's nothing...

Ever get into gaming? "You got raped!", "I so raped that dude!". The word has a whole new slang meaning now. Then you look at what 3rd wave feminism has done to the use of the word "Rape". They have and still do use the term inappropriately to describe actions of men. If a man looks at a feminist wrong, it is rape in their twisted view of their hatred toward men.

Look at the word "racist" for example. Same thing. Using the word maliciously to attack someone for saying something not racist at all, but because of that, the word has done more too harm those legitimately of racist attacks than help them.

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" story comes to mind.....

a reply to: elysiumfire

, and have women be recognised as equal persons, and not as an equal sex, because gender-wise we are not equal, and no rationale will ever make it so.

That's so true. Men can't have babies, and most likely will never be able to.

We as a society are too thin skined and are unable to withstand any insults or criticisims. Yes, of course its not nice and of course we know he was most likely commenting on her attractiveness. So what? People say mean things all the time.

If your overweight someone who wants to hurt you will call you fat.
If your gay someone who wants to hurt you will call you fag.
If you have a big nose someone will call you a bird.

The only way to stop the volintary use of the language would be to stop the intent, but that would mean people would have to stop wanting to hirt eachother. Realistically that is not going to happen, so your only other option is to censor people and that just causes more ill feelings at the oppression.

Just grow a spine and refuse to flop on your back and wave your feel sorry for me flag. Stand up straight and tall, refuse to give the aggresor what he or she wants. dont let it hurt you and it is no longer a weapon. Let it roll off your back and act like nothing happend. Life is not always easy and life is not always kind, which is why you should be prepared to hear something you dont like and still be able to move on.

ladyinwaiting:

That's so true. Men can't have babies, and most likely will never be able to.

In natural terms, neither can women without men. Nature has seen fit to split our species into two physical differences in both structure and function, and and in primal terms, with different psyches. Nothing we can do will ever bring those things into an equality.

What we can and should achieve is equality in society, but not at the emasculation of one gender for the emancipation of the other, that hurts society and the feminist's agenda. So-called militant feminists don't want equality in society, they want empowerment over the male in society. That's a very dangerous goal.

a reply to: ladyinwaiting

It's the internet FFS. It's a joke.

If anyone honestly can't get through the day because of what a few random people said on Twitter they need to log off and reevaluate themselves.

a reply to: elysiumfire

Oh my.

originally posted by: rockintitz
a reply to: ladyinwaiting

It's the internet FFS. It's a joke.

If anyone honestly can't get through the day because of what a few random people said on Twitter they need to log off and reevaluate themselves.

Are you angry?