Rape Threats on Twitter

Quoting the BBC :

"An MP (Stella Creasey MP) says she has received threats of rape after speaking out on behalf of a campaigner targeted by Twitter trolls. Stella Creasy, who represents Labour in Walthamstow, has called for the social networking site to do more to deal with abuse.

She spoke to BBC Radio 4's The World At One about the offensive material sent to her, after she publicly supported campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez."

I have been following the news coverage of the above story. There has been a lot of comment concerning the acceptability or otherwise of such behaviour in cyberspace and about what, if anything, to do about it. Some I have agreed with, some has made me want to shout "nonsense!", a few have made me think. The New Statesman posits the question "Why does it always come back to rape?"

Rape is about power, not sex. Violence is a way of one person establishing power over another. 

Threatening verbal or actual violence is about asserting dominance in a way that should be seen as totally unacceptable within our societies and regardless of the environment within which it happens.

We need to emphasise the unacceptability of the use of violence and rape to our children from the earliest age and keep repeating the message.

We need to emphasise that the anonymity afforded by the net does not excuse this sort of behaviour. 

We need to move both our law enforcement agencies and those providing forums on the 'net to take more responsibility for uncovering and prosecuting those that behave this way.

Note that I am making my comments here gender neutral. This behaviour is abhorrent regardless of the genders involved.

Last year the United Nations Secretary General launched the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign that includes the following statement on cyberspace as a safe place for women and girls.

"Technological developments in information and communications have presented rich and varied opportunities for advancements in the empowerment and participation of women and girls. New platforms now exist from which to raise awareness and disseminate information which have enabled women access to a wealth of information, presented new modes of communication, and new means of mobilisation. The proliferation of digital technologies have enabled the development of innovative tools and programmes to prevent and end violence against women and girls and have facilitated information sharing on the topic.

Unfortunately, along with the myriad of possibilities brought about by technological developments, new risks and types of violence have also emerged. One such form of violence is cyberbullying, which occurs on the Internet and mobile phones and can be initiated in cyberspace, or be an extension of face-to-face bullying. Cyberbullying can include threats and attempts to humiliate its subject through the posting of embarrassing pictures or personal information. It can be particularly difficult to hold perpetrators to account since bullies can easily conceal their identity online.

Technology has also played a role in enabling and exacerbating violence which takes place offline. It offers possibilities to store and share personal information about ones’ movements, social life and finances which have offered increased possibilities for partners or family members to exert control in the lives of others. Furthermore, the anonymity afforded by the Internet has exposed women and girls to specific risks, including the possibility that those who they are communicating with are doing so under a false identity."

References:

http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/orangeday.shtml

So Sad

I collected Max's ashes from the vet today.

Such a light box to contain such a life.

Fiona

Twenty-Five Years Since Piper Alpha

It is 25 years since the oil rig, Piper Alpha melted as a result of a giant gas blowout and subsequent violent explosions. So many lost friends and family that night (only 62 crew members survived out of the 229 personnel on board). I worked for John Brown at the time. Not a word was said to staff about the rig and no collection was made for the affected families. That soured me greatly and was a contributing factor in my leaving the company. An old oil man working as a security guard in his retirement felt the same so he put a tin out in the foyer off his own back. 

I remember watching the television coverage of the disaster that was due to a combination of nature and short-cutting on health and safety measures with mounting horror and nausea. Last night's documentary brought it all back to me as if it were yesterday. Only the hardest of hearts could fail to be moved by the sight of those Scots hard men choking back tears as they recalled the events of that night and the following days.

It is very hard for those outside of the heavy engineering industry to appreciate just how hard a job it is to keep the lights on and our energy hungry society working. Over the eleven years I worked in Oil and Gas I helped deliver several projects during which employees died or were injured. One man lost his life building a jacket (the rig) when a colleague dropped a length of 3" pipe from a 30' drop, cleaving his skull in two. Then there were the colleagues who committed suicide due to the weight of responsibility they felt from being responsible for decisions that could affect so many lives, cost billions of pounds, or result in mass pollution if wrong.

I am thinking about loss a lot today and not just my own.

For more on this disaster, see http://technologism.net/ruscot/en/20th-21st-centuries/12-piper-alpha-disaster

Maximus 26-Feb-1998 to 07-Jul-2013

Maximus July 2010

My cat, Maximus (Hibreeze Obi Wan), died today at about 5pm (age 15). It seemed to be quick. I guess from a stroke or massive heart attack. 

He was the most beautiful, loving little boy with a huge character and intellect even by Korat standards. 

He gave me his whole heart and most of my grey hair.

I am in bits.

Rest in Peace Max and Rise in Glory.