Comments on: Cyber Stalking: Anything But a Modern Love Story

By: Bengt

Bengt — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:21:48 +0000

Danielle,

Thank you for your rebuttal of the Klein article in the NYT and also thank you for all the work you do on cyberstalking and cyberlibel. Thousands of women's have had their work and presence expunged from the Internet because of the attacks and slander they've been subjected to and rightly anticipate they will have to endure. This is especially true of those who work for the human rights of women, e.g. feminists and others.

There is a rigorous self-censorship resulting from observing the many examples of male terrorism against women which consequently inhibits many women activists, writers, organizers, et al, from being able to use the Internet to exchange ideas and communicate with others.

I've also seen that women of interest will not list themselves in Wikipedia as many who have have had their entries distorted and their reputations smeared. The cumulative effect of all this is that women are deprived of having any intellectual, political or cultural influence via the Internet on their own society. Instead, they are defined by men on the Internet as bimbos, harridans and bubbleheads in advertising,the arts and by the average Joe.

By: Danielle Citron

Danielle Citron — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:07:05 +0000

Serious thanks, Kaimi, Dana, and Katie, for your supportive and illuminating comments. It is amazing that the Modern Love column published that essay with all of the submissions undoubtedly available to it. I sent my post to the editor there, but who knows if the response ever gets acknowledged. My article, Cyber Civil Rights, (which will be coming out in the Boston University Law Review in the spring/summer), will tackle how so often we brush under the rug online attacks of women and other vulnerable individuals. I would love your comments on the piece, which I will soon post to SSRN. Thanks, Danielle

By: Kaimi

Kaimi — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:00:19 +0000

I agree, Danielle. Thanks for pointing out the problems with the article. I’ve passed this along to some friends, and discussed the article in other forums. It’s a really problematic article.

By: Dana Nguyen

Dana Nguyen — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:30:03 +0000

Yes, thank you so much for this insightful post. That article was infuriating, and to me the discourse surrounding cyber harassment very much tracked how sexual harassment victims’ claims are often disbelieved and devalued. Also, such an article really undermines important conceptual and legal victories in the framing of harassed victims’ rights–either it’s all in our head, or we secretly want the attention and flattery. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Thank you again for writing a counterpoint.

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:41:37 +0000

Thank you for writing this – this is the kind of NYT Style section that gets really maddening. Not only did it make light of cyberstalking as you pointed out, it seemed to spend most of the second half reinforcing, entirely without critique or question, the old trope that women should be grateful for the attention they get, wanted or unwanted, particularly if they’re not young or conventionally pretty.