With the expansion of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, the Internet has emerged as a powerful tool of both ridicule and redemption. As hundreds of men in India are being accused of unacceptable behaviour on the harassment arc, the backlash is happening in equal measure. While the likes of Donald Trump in the U.S. and the singer Abhijeet in India have mocked the movement on the ground, trolls on the Internet are doing what they do best: undermine the movement by jeering and pillorying.
Memes, jokes and wisecracks have flooded Twitter, which has also emerged as a safe haven for women to share their personal stories of harassment. But what is heartening is that men and women have stepped up to counter this mockery patiently, one meme at a time.
Some men online were found to be wondering if a mere hello or smile or compliment paid to a woman could be construed as harassment. Sample this meme being shared actively by Twitter users with the Indian national flag on their profile:
A woman walks up to Mr Bean to greet him with a hug. He pushes her face away and shakes her hand instead. Everybody laughs. The caption says #metoo.
Handles with names such as Rabies shared jokes such as this:
Yogi: Allahabad, I’m changing your name to Prayagraj.
Moradabad: #metoo.
Cartoons mocked men who support the movement and called them “manginas”.
Men wondered whether they should ask women to sign “love contracts” before they make love, implying that the woman could change her mind later and put their name on a #metoo list.
One joke went to the extent of saying: The difference between harassment and flirting is your financial position.
While most of these were downright misogynyst and nonsensical, some people online, very patiently, tried to educate what sexual harassment actually meant. They used simple analogies like making tea or giving flowers to explain to those who struggled to understand consent. For instance, “If the woman is enthusiastic about your offer to make tea, it is consent. If she is confused then she is probably not going to drink the tea you make. The important part is: don't force her to drink it.” Another explained that hugging was fine, as long as it did not last for more than a few seconds. Yet another said, complimenting a woman was fine as long as it was not thrown at her from a car window. The international #MeToo movement started by Tarana Burke is into its second year now and has evolved a lot of online as well as offlilne resources people can reach out to for help.
Twitter user H.R. Venkatesh shared pointers and articles with men, explaining what they should do and why. He suggested that they offer their time and money, and believe the stories by women and acknowledge that everyone was a product of a society that had for thousands of years treated women as inferior.
While online mockery might not seem as serious a threat as real life assault, it is a form of bullying that has tremendous psychological impact. Targeted troll attacks where people gang up to victimise an individual have the potential of affecting the functionality of the person for an extended period of time. It is time, such threats are countered, as much online as they are in real life.
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