A crash course in Feminism (or, why everyone should be a feminist)

[Kirsten]

yeah, it is a nice idea, but honestly I think it will have zero effect on anything. it is sad really, but ridiculous that so many comments are something to the tone of 'everyone gets insulted online, suck it up' as though that makes the whole thing acceptable.

[Mr Mystery]

And I think from those comments, tonight's game of 'spot the bitter virgins' should be cancelled, on account all the challenge has been removed.

[Godless Zealot]

yeah, it is a nice idea, but honestly I think it will have zero effect on anything. it is sad really, but ridiculous that so many comments are something to the tone of 'everyone gets insulted online, suck it up' as though that makes the whole thing acceptable.

Unfortunately that's likely but I guess it's better than nothing. Anything that helps raise awareness really and hopefully it will have more of an impact on the younger generations as the current one is a bit of a lost cause it seems.

[Kirsten]

lol, absolutely. It has never especially been an issue for me because I don't really play online, and wouldn't even if everyone online was the nicest person in the world, aka Michael Palin, the types of games that are palyed online don't massively appeal. it is pretty horrific what goes around though, a female friend of mine is an astonishingly good CoD player, in the top ten percent of all players, and the abuse is unbelievable.

[Godless Zealot]

I don't play online too much but occasionally me and a group of mates team up and go online. I mainly play on 360 and xbox live party chat is a godsend so you don't have to listen to abuse anymore but one of our crew is a girl and while we guys every so often get insulting messages sent to us she was getting four to five times the amount of abuse. I may have been a called a *expletive deleted* or whatever a few times in my online gaming but she regularly received death threats, threat of sexual violence and all sorts or abhorrent crap. Recently she reluctantly changed her gamertag to something none gender specific and the hate messages all but disappeared.

[Kirsten]

yeah exactly, it is a real shame, the fact that the name makes a difference just shows how sexist the comments are. A lot of the comments on the article say 'well everyone gets insulted' but clearly when a female tag attracts more insults than a neutral one, that rather suggests a problem.

[Godless Zealot]

Yes, at least in our experience that's how it seems.

[Kirsten]

yeah my tag is gender neutral. It is annoying when people criticise women for using a female tag as basically asking for trouble, wouldn't it be nice to live in a society where somebody could use any name they like without it being their own fault for getting abuse...

[Mr Mystery]

OK ladies. Advice please. And I'm being serious.

I'm horribly shy around women, and I need tips on how to approach and break the ice. That bit done I'm usually fine, but I am quite paranoid I'll just say something stupid or sexist without meaning to.

And please, no platitudes or 'there there'. I serial need help! How does one approach a lady in as positive a manner as possible?

[Kirsten]

I am not sure there is any great secret to it, any person talking to another they like can experience similar problems, women are not alien beings who don't understand. conversation is a time honoured classic, unless you are in a noisy club, in which case as I understand it the approved method is to put your fists at waist height and thrust your hips a few times. seems to be what usually goes on anyway.