What do you think? Am I like a ’shotgun wielding Western expansionist of yore?’
ByDr. Melissa Clothier wrote an interesting post about the lack of women bloggers.
The Internet still feels like the Wild West. There are some safe homesteads–social media, for example. Consider: On Facebook, a woman can decide who she wants to connect with and who she wants to keep out. On Twitter, a woman who feels wrongly attacked can block the attacker. (Meghan McCain, the mad blocker, comes to mind. She takes even mild criticism as a block-worthy offense.)
When it comes the arena of ideas, the women who blog are not typical women. Over and over, the women who blog are tougher. Like the shotgun wielding Western expansionists of yore, women bloggers take shots and can shoot back.
Women bloggers are often sexualized and insulted. One famous incident with Kathy Sierra involved photoshop and personal information. Kathy quit, something I urged her not to do. She is now, though, on Twitter and I believe she blogs anonymously to spare herself the insulting misery. Michelle Malkin, Amanda Carpenter, and just about every conservative woman blogger, including me, has endured horrible personal, violent and sexual insults–very often from “enlightened” male liberal commenters and bloggers.
Most women simply do not want to put up with this garbage. They feel threatened and they worry about their safety and the safety of their children. Michelle Malkin had to actually move after her personal information was plastered on the web. She is a mother. She has children. There are nutjobs out there and in this business, there is a very real risk to personal safety. It’s something guys just don’t have to deal with as much.
In addition, women often don’t like the intellectual jousting. Part of it is gender wiring. Men see verbal sparring as a testosterone-fueled challenge. Women see degraded communication and hostility. When they put an idea out there, it seems aggressive when someone rips the point of view to shreds. And, it is aggressive.
I don’t mind the intellectual jousting so much. Most of the lefties that leave comments here are wacky drive-by’s. They leave comments that make no sense and go on their merry liberal way. And most of the truly degrading comments I delete. Some I leave up to show how rotten the other side can be, but for the most part, if someone has nothing of substance to say they aren’t worthy of debate.
I have to admit, the name Karen Dougherty is the name I use when I write, but Dougherty is not my real last name. I don’t use a pseudonym so much to protect myself from the lunatics - I’m not famous like Michele Malkin - I use it to protect my job and the lifestyle of my family. My husband is self employed and I carry our health insurance. And no, I’m not whining about health insurance. I feel blessed to have a really flexible job that allows me to work from home most of the time.
Most bloggers don’t make much money blogging. We do it because we feel passionate about what’s happening to our country. To be honest, I don’t feel like a shotgun weilding Western expansionist of yore. I’m actually kind of afraid of guns, but I do support the right of law-abiding American citizens to own and carry guns. I just don’t think my hands are the safest place for a gun. So I choose not to wield a gun. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Choice and responsibility? These days the only choice we have is whether or not we want to carry a pregnancy to term.
I guess that’s why I blog. I’m just one small voice trying to stand up for liberty and freedom in our republic.If I can change one or two minds a week I’m doing my part.
And to all you wackos out there thinking I’m unarmed – I have a bad-a$$ husband who wouldn’t hesitate to kick your sorry little butt, so don’t get any ideas.
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OH hell yeah LC, you’re a sawed off ten gauge full of double ought buck, a roving meat grinder, a claymore mine in motion, BAD TO THE BONE!!!
Good one AWM! I was just going to call her Annie Oakley!
The outrage from the women’s libbers is once again conspicuous by its absence. Typical.