Why Anita Matters

If you haven't checked out Anita's video blog, Feminist Frequency, I've selected excerpts from a few nuggets - I will add that her production itself is art and poetry in motion- so I encourage you not to miss out !

Anita the Trope - in an otherwise beautiful landscape

The Anita Sarkeesian problem is, unfortunately, not a one-off situation – and this is where, sadly, she becomes a trope.

It seems that most women who video or text blog on feminism or any aspect thereof are subject to abuse that is frightening enough to wish that Interpol had an office set up in every neighborhood.

Many women have simply stopped blogging.

Which is exactly the effect this abuse is supposed to have - to silence these voices.

Again, I refer to my favorite find during this research process, Helen Lewis, who, in an earlier article, gives in depth interviews with Kate Smurthwaite, Eleanor O'Hagan, Cath Elliot, Dawn Foster, Anonymous blogger who refuses to be named, Caroline Farrow, Natalie Dzerins, Rosamund Urwin, and Jane Fae. These women are the brave ones who came forward to be interviewed. There are unfortunately many more.

But equally, or perhaps more disturbing, is the abuse heaped on women who are gamers themselves, just because they game. Don't click this banner - it leads to super offensive stuff:

Or the "research" that was conducted in October of 2011 by Harris Interactive for GameHouse which was widely interpreted to conclude all women gamers are both easy and available and worth getting to know for that purpose solely.