Jan. 12, 2010 at 3:22pm with 64 notes View comments
@slugworthy
On violence and silence.

So yesterday it came to my attention that I was following someone on Twitter who enjoys jokes about stalking and beating and killing women. Now, if you’ve seen my tweets, you know I hardly have a lot of boundaries. I joke about sex and drugs and motherhood in a way that I definitely would not want either of my grandmothers (may they rest in peace) to see.

Not caring to start a big hullabaloo, I just unfollowed the guy. But he noticed, and publicly asked me if the unfollow had been a mistake, so I decided to refollow him temporarily so I could tell him why. I sent him a link to the tweet that I found particularly offensive (scary) and asked him if he cared to offer an explanation.

His response was to get really angry, ask if I’m the Twitter police or perhaps a middle school librarian, exclaim that he’s just JOKING and that if I can’t take a joke won’t I PLEASE just GO AWAY. He then unfollowed me and heckled me for a bit in his public timeline.

My “favorite” part was when he pointed out that I had recently made a joke about Elvis, and Elvis has a DAUGHTER who might be OFFENDED, as if saying that I’m going celebrate Elvis’ birthday by passing out on the toilet is in ANY WAY comparable to talking about stomping a woman’s face into the pavement until she dies.

Jerk.

The point of the story I stand up to bullies. I have done it before and I will do it again, with relish, because there is nothing more pathetic than people who prey on those they perceive as weak and/or unprotected, AND, as with all forms of violent hate speech, keeping silent is tacit approval.

Oh, AND? If Lisa Marie Presley calls, please tell her I’m sorry and it won’t happen again.

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