https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300556385/dont-normalise-the-online-trolls
This article was written as an editorial for Stuff newspapers
OPINION: National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis may have been technically correct to condemn the online trolling of three women politicians as the actions of “one individual” but that risks minimising a much wider problem.
Stuff reported this week that Jessee MacKenzie, a member of the Young Nats, had been trolling left-wing politicians Sara Templeton, Megan Woods and Sarah Pallett. He came clean only after the courts revealed the IP address linked to fake accounts MacKenzie created for the trolling, connected to the Christchurch home of another Young Nat, Bryce Beattie.
MacKenzie and Beattie have both resigned from the National Party, and Beattie is no longer standing in this year’s local body elections.
The messages were misogynistic and abusive, and Templeton has spoken of the personal toll it took on her.
Those who complain that Templeton and others have thin skins, and that criticism is just part of the job, are missing the point.
These were not legitimate critiques of policies or positions. No-one, including politicians, should be mocked or harassed because of their gender, race, culture or appearance. Hiding behind pseudonyms suggests a shameful, cowardly agenda.
Online anonymity means the bullied sometimes feel they have little recourse. But Templeton showed it is possible to track down the real people behind fake social media accounts, and that they can be held responsible.
This was just one example. Willis has herself been trolled. It would be hard to find many women in politics who have not been.
The worst of it, both in terms of volume and content, is directed at women prime ministers. Personal abuse of Jacinda Ardern has not just been a feature of the online world, but crossed over into the real one during the recent protests against mandates and vaccinations.
Attacks on Government policy are intensely focused on the figure of Ardern. On one hand, this mirrors the Government’s emphasis on her leadership, but it also speaks to a much deeper, uglier vein of misogyny.
As Massey University senior lecturer Suze Wilson recently showed, the abuse has sometimes been infantilising, such as calling Ardern “Cindy”, while at other times it suggests a more sinister agenda.
As Wilson wrote, calling Ardern a “pretty communist” not only reflects “the sexist and misogynist view that a woman’s worth is measured by her appearance, but also suggests her looks disguise her real aims”.
Wilson thought that “this plays on the traditional trope of woman as evil seductress. From there it’s a short leap to the conspiracy theories that depict Ardern as part of an evil international cabal.”
Puerile attacks on women politicians are not limited to the young. National MP Michael Woodhouse was well into his 50s when he displayed a toilet seat with a picture of former Labour MP Clare Curran on it.
But it is clear we have had an ongoing culture problem within the youth branches of political parties.
It is not restricted to National. Two young men were assaulted by a third at a Labour youth camp in 2018. The youth wing of NZ First degraded itself by chanting the Donald Trump slogan “Build the wall” at Mexican-born political activist Ricardo Menendez March in 2016. Young ACT was plagued by sexual abuse allegations in 2020.
Moving from the kids to the grown-ups, National ordered a culture review after claims about former MP Jami-Lee Ross’ abuse emerged.
Every opportunity to push back should be encouraged and bullies should be outed. Templeton’s brave response to harmful and systematic abuse is important and valuable, to help prevent such behaviour from being normalised or ignored.
Editorials are unbylined opinion articles, written for our newspapers by a roster of senior journalists, in consultation with editors.
This article was written as an editorial for Stuff newspapers
OPINION: National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis may have been technically correct to condemn the online trolling of three women politicians as the actions of “one individual” but that risks minimising a much wider problem.
Stuff reported this week that Jessee MacKenzie, a member of the Young Nats, had been trolling left-wing politicians Sara Templeton, Megan Woods and Sarah Pallett. He came clean only after the courts revealed the IP address linked to fake accounts MacKenzie created for the trolling, connected to the Christchurch home of another Young Nat, Bryce Beattie.
MacKenzie and Beattie have both resigned from the National Party, and Beattie is no longer standing in this year’s local body elections.
The messages were misogynistic and abusive, and Templeton has spoken of the personal toll it took on her.
Those who complain that Templeton and others have thin skins, and that criticism is just part of the job, are missing the point.
These were not legitimate critiques of policies or positions. No-one, including politicians, should be mocked or harassed because of their gender, race, culture or appearance. Hiding behind pseudonyms suggests a shameful, cowardly agenda.
Online anonymity means the bullied sometimes feel they have little recourse. But Templeton showed it is possible to track down the real people behind fake social media accounts, and that they can be held responsible.
This was just one example. Willis has herself been trolled. It would be hard to find many women in politics who have not been.
The worst of it, both in terms of volume and content, is directed at women prime ministers. Personal abuse of Jacinda Ardern has not just been a feature of the online world, but crossed over into the real one during the recent protests against mandates and vaccinations.
Attacks on Government policy are intensely focused on the figure of Ardern. On one hand, this mirrors the Government’s emphasis on her leadership, but it also speaks to a much deeper, uglier vein of misogyny.
As Massey University senior lecturer Suze Wilson recently showed, the abuse has sometimes been infantilising, such as calling Ardern “Cindy”, while at other times it suggests a more sinister agenda.
As Wilson wrote, calling Ardern a “pretty communist” not only reflects “the sexist and misogynist view that a woman’s worth is measured by her appearance, but also suggests her looks disguise her real aims”.
Wilson thought that “this plays on the traditional trope of woman as evil seductress. From there it’s a short leap to the conspiracy theories that depict Ardern as part of an evil international cabal.”
Puerile attacks on women politicians are not limited to the young. National MP Michael Woodhouse was well into his 50s when he displayed a toilet seat with a picture of former Labour MP Clare Curran on it.
But it is clear we have had an ongoing culture problem within the youth branches of political parties.
It is not restricted to National. Two young men were assaulted by a third at a Labour youth camp in 2018. The youth wing of NZ First degraded itself by chanting the Donald Trump slogan “Build the wall” at Mexican-born political activist Ricardo Menendez March in 2016. Young ACT was plagued by sexual abuse allegations in 2020.
Moving from the kids to the grown-ups, National ordered a culture review after claims about former MP Jami-Lee Ross’ abuse emerged.
Every opportunity to push back should be encouraged and bullies should be outed. Templeton’s brave response to harmful and systematic abuse is important and valuable, to help prevent such behaviour from being normalised or ignored.
Editorials are unbylined opinion articles, written for our newspapers by a roster of senior journalists, in consultation with editors.
