'Throwing Bricks at Sluts': Are Misogynistic Facebook Pages Sick or Satire?

Sick

Satire

A petition titled "Demand Facebook Remove Pages That Promote Sexual Violence" is pitting fans of caustic humor against those who feel that social networking giant Facebook is providing a forum to celebrate violence against women. Is Facebook doing a poor job of policing itself and its users? Or are well-meaning folks seeking justice jumping to conclusions?

With over 80,000 signatures, the petition proposed by a change.org member demands that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and executives Sheryl Sandberg and Andrew Noyes implement a three part plan to remove pages with content seemingly condoning sexual assault. It includes acknowledging that the pages are an infraction upon current FB standards, establishing that when verbiage implying threatening sexual violence is reported it will be removed immediately by FB, and specified language in the site's Terms that condemns promotion of any form of sexual violence, resulting in a ban from the site.

An email alert issued this afternoon from change.org about the petition reads, "Facebook says that hate speech and incitements to violence are banned and will be removed from their site. So why are they maintaining a page called "Riding Your Girlfriend Softly Cause You Don't Want to Wake Her Up"? And another page about "throwing bricks at sluts" that includes a photo gallery of portraits asking "Bang or Brick"?" Unfortunately, the first page mentioned could not be located, while the second exists but does not seem to include the portrait gallery mentioned. The petition itself goes on to also list the pages "Raping your mates girlfriend to see if she can put up a fight", “Kicking Sluts in the Vagina,” and “I know a silly little bitch that needs a good slap.”

"There has even been an organized effort," the email goes on, "to use Facebook’s own reporting system to flag these and other pages that encourage rape and violence against women so they’ll be taken down. But Facebook hasn’t done a thing."

'Throwing Bricks at Sluts' in particular assures that their page is comedic [below] and does not genuinely incite or support violence. Isn't there a way to weed out those getting a kick out of an abrasive joke from those who clearly have rape fantasies on their mind or directly say so in the improper forum? They are called communities, after all, shouldn't they function as such?

It's easy to throw a blanket over concepts that seem wrong. For example, to go the way of 1984 one might say "anyone who discusses rape/assault/murder outside of condemning it ought to be ostracized/imprisoned." Yet comedian Louis CK can efficiently squeeze both molestation and murder into a single hilarious joke that's acerbic and ironic, without the slightest threat or suggestion his audience attempt it. Should he be forbade from discussing rape in a public forum, as his monologues are mostly delivered? No. But if a neighbor walks up and coolly uses the same verbiage to suggest abducting and torturing your kid, by all means call the police. White comedians joke about racism but when Michael Richards hurled racial slurs at an audience member during a monologue it was easy to see which is right and which is wrong.

That seems to be a basic step in evaluating these pages that change.org is missing, which is context. Each individual should be using their better judgement to decide what's right for them, their personal standards and beliefs. There is joining communities that interest or amuse you or ignoring them. Joining a page then discovering it is malicious is certainly a reason to report. Threatening speech utilized outside of context should definitely get a specific user reported. It's not seeing the forest for the trees to suggest that all of a certain type of forum close because people can be sick. Why not take down Facebook entirely?

Perhaps Facebook is remiss in taking down perverse and revolting content. Sarah Palin has a page, after all. But perhaps Facebook hasn't addressed some of these sites because the complaints aren't there, because their fans are supporting it. Change.org provided no evidence to back their email's declaration that these pages have been flagged relentlessly. Do we close comedy clubs because jokes can be crass? Or do we choose those comedians who specifically carry off vulgarity and sick humor with class and walk out on those instigating attack or trying for a tasteless laugh without intellect? Are these pages bad for women or good for a laugh?

Casandra Armour

'Throwing Bricks at Sluts': Are Misogynistic Facebook Pages Sick or Satire?

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