Feminism online

Class research task
Feminism online: recent examples

1) Ched Evans: petition to prevent convicted rapist playing

·         Ched Evans is a footballer who was convicted of rape, and has faced and received harsh criticism from fans and also women about his return to the professional sport football. One person has been totally against the player being able to play the sport again, and this person is currently using the pseudonym Jean Hatchet. She is currently behind the online petition to stop the 26 year old Ched Evans returning to his former club and she has collected more than 160,000 signatures. After he wasn’t resigned, she began another petition to stop him of signing for another club called Oldham Athletic and the petition received a backing of more than 21,000 people in less than 24 hours.

"Ched Evans is a convicted rapist," she writes. "He does not deserve to return to a high profile and highly visible role in football whilst he still refuses to acknowledge his guilt, apologise to his victim and attempt to make clear his views to the fans who look up to him that what he did was wrong and they should not traumatise her or other rape victims.”

"We do believe he has the right to work. We believe that it does not have to be in a role where he influences views about sexual violence, and his presence on your pitch will do this."

·         The initial incident or situation that sparked this petition was the fact that Ched Evans was convicted of rape and he tried to return to professional not really realising what he has actually done and how it can send a bad image towards fans as at that professional level you are seen as a role model, which has led to the petition by Jean Hatchet.

·         In my opinion I believe to a certain extent that this campaign is both valid and a witch hunt asChed Evans has served a 2 and a half year sentence half of the original 5 year sentence and has to live with the fact that even though he was released on 17 October 2014, although he remains on the Violent and Sex Offender Register indefinitely, which will haunt him. The point about how his offence can send a bad image towards fans of a younger age as he may been seen as a role model makes sense but he isn’t allowed to technically go back to work which isn’t really fair to be honest. He has to live in the guilt and feminist will always make him aware of this and therefore he should be allowed to work/ play again. At least almost everyday someone must be convicted who would be a role model to someone so what makes him so different?

2) Caroline Criado-Perez: female presence on banknotes

·         Caroline Criado-Perez is suggesting that 'Twitter has enabled people to behave in a way they wouldn't face to face'. Caroline Criado-Perez the feminist campaigner had won her battle with the Bank of England to reinstate a woman on the back of an English banknote.Criado-Perez was on the news for a very different reason, as this time she was expressing her discomfort in what she received on twitter. This article was about the rape and death threats she had received on Twitter, following her victory. Two people have been arrested for the violent threats sent too her continuously. She received tweets such as "Get back to the kitchen”“shut up” and f**k off. Othertweets such as someone saying they are going to give her a good smashing up the arse, so this shows she is receiving different types of abuse from twitter users. Other responses were'All aboard the rape train.' Some guy tweeted another guy asking him if he wanted to join in raping her." another quoted tweet is "I will find you, and you don't want to know what I will do when I do. You're pathetic. Kill yourself. Before I do. #Godie."

·         The thing which started the issue of the hate messages toward Caroline Criado-Perez was that she is a strong femist and also she won her battle with the Bank of England to reinstate a woman on the back of an English banknote, which put her face and name out there which means that people in general could hate on her if they were against feminists.

·         In my opinion people sent out death threats just because they wanted to get involved, this was a wichhunt against her. However the campaign itself was valid to gain equality for women in society today. 

3) Caitlin Moran: Twitter silence

·         Twitter Silence was a protest made up on Twitter where women were to stay silent on Twitter for a day to show their inability to speak up on Twitter in general without obtaining any sort of abuse.

·         This idea came about from a quote in Jane Austen's book; Northanger Abbey. Due to the abuse on Twitter aimed at the campaign set up by Caroline Criado Perez which was to put up Jane's picture on a banknote. Her fellow feminists 'rallied up' and Caitlin Moran came up with the idea of 'shutting up' on Twitter. 

·         In my opinion this is a valid campaign as feminists just want to protest against the people who give them abuse. They are not targeting an individual in particular so there is no witch-hunt. There were mixed opinions about this method of protest as many women said it was not effective and women should be louder on Twitter rather than silent to overcome misogyny.