The Week on Twitter | Brock Turner, Hillary Clinton, & Noel Edmonds
This week, Twitter talked rape culture, Brock Turner, and the desperate need for men everywhere to start calling out casual (and not-so-casual) sexism. We also applauded the efforts of the #IAmAReason campaigners, watched as Hillary Clinton practically secured the Democratic presidential nomination, and questioned Noel Edmond’s existence.
#Stanford case and sentencing of rapist #BrockTurner proves how rampantly accepted patriarchal values and rape culture still are
This week, it was reported that Stanford university student and rapist Brock Turner would be sentenced to just six months in prison. Turner assaulted and raped a woman behind a dumpster after a college party last January and was only stopped by two passing men on bikes. Sources have suggested that the 20 year old may only serve half of this sentence.
Reports of Turner’s sentencing, his letter read out in court, and his father’s (supposedly ‘moving’ but not actually moving at all, more ‘horrific’ and ‘unapologetic’ and ‘condoning of rape’) plea to please go easy on his rapist son – it was only “20 minutes of action,” he was drunk, he’ll never get to eat steak again – provoked outrage. Once again, a young, white, privileged male who happened to be good at sport in college was being made out to be a victim in a case that he himself was entirely responsible for.
Fury was incited even further when news outlets began using Turner’s swimming shots, or professional photographs, during reports of the case as opposed to his actual mugshot, in a weak attempt to decriminalise the man who had essentially ruined somebody’s life in “20 minutes of action.” In her own letter to the court, Turner’s victim expressed her disappointment with the judge’s gentle sentencing, and asked that Turner be given the appropriate punishment for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.
If you have assaulted someone, you have not fallen from grace. It's not a stumble. You LEAPT. You are not the victim #stanford #brockturner
— Bébhinn Farrell (@BebhinnFarrell1) June 6, 2016
So #Brockturner gets 6 months in jail Separated from gen population & a personal 24/7 escort after raping a girl behind a dumpster. HOW?
— SZA (@sza) June 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/LaurenDeStefano/status/740310371005796353
#rapecultureiswhen the @sfchronicle prints article about #Stanford rapist showing his swimming shot not his mugshot pic.twitter.com/22hHghbhhW
— (((sfpelosi))) (@sfpelosi) June 7, 2016
20 minutes of action is a very long time when you're the person being raped. #BrockTurner
— Louise O' Neill (@oneilllo) June 7, 2016
I'll say this for #BrockTurner and his dad: They did more to illustrate white male privilege & rape culture than anyone else in 2016
— M.J. Prest (@mj_prest) June 6, 2016
Naturally, the Stanford case prompted a lot of online discussion concerning rape culture, misogyny, and sexual assault. But it also led to the conclusion that this issue could not just be fought by women – men everywhere had to step up. Sarah Maria Griffin’s impassioned words (which are all handily storified here) spoke of good men doing nothing, silence and passivity, and the anger caused by these things that happen again and again and again.
The idea that maybe #notallmen had committed sexual assault, but #yesallwomen had experienced it dominated Twitter all week. Women continued to share their stories, as we always have, and men began writing – about the patriarchy, their place in it, and how sexist, offensive, and dangerous language and actions could not be normalised in culture any longer.
i am tired of culture asking women to be Brave And Share Their Trauma Story in order to be validated. where are the male writers?
— sarah deadline griff (@griffski) June 6, 2016
this can't just be women talking to one another about pain and survival. more girls will be hurt. more lives ruined. step the fuck up, boys.
— sarah deadline griff (@griffski) June 6, 2016
It's important that men take the places they already occupy in culture & change them for better. Read women, listen to women. Believe us.
— sarah deadline griff (@griffski) June 6, 2016
We need to make it so that the lad making dodgy comments about women is the outsider in these groups not the one abstaining
— Alan (@alan_maguire) June 6, 2016
#NotAllMen – thanks @griffski for being angry as hell, and props to @RosemaryMacCabe, @oneilllo, @TaraFlynn et al. pic.twitter.com/02M9UPw2D5
— Ciara (@Ciaraioch) June 7, 2016
https://twitter.com/thecailinrua/status/740141078452527104
@HillaryClinton is set to win the Democratic nomination, tells @realDonaldTrump to delete his account
Earlier this week, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pretty much confirmed her status as the Democratic nominee. After another win at Tuesday’s primaries, endorsements from Obama, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden, Clinton seems to be almost set to face Trump in the election – lest she’s actually indicted for her emails and is forced to step down or something but that probably won’t happen, maybe.
But the presidential election isn’t the only place Clinton’ll go head to head with Trump (probably). She’s also been low key (allegedly) destroying him via Twitter, suggesting that the multi-billionaire delete his account after calling her #CrookedHillary. The tweet got something like 500k favs. It did well.
Delete your account. https://t.co/Oa92sncRQY
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 9, 2016
was taking a piss in the clinton's bathroom and saw this hanging on the wall pic.twitter.com/KNdntbzg24
— Chris Melberger (@chrismelberger) June 10, 2016
Lots of people are delighted that Clinton looks set to take the nomination. Those people expressed their support using the #ImWithHer tag. Lots of people are also not so delighted, and are pledging to vote for Trump if they can’t vote for Sanders, which makes a lot of sense when you consider how utterly alike and aligned the two guys are. Really no difference there. Nope.
Sanders’ campaign has stated that they will continue to work until the final primary, and will then dedicate themselves to helping Clinton beat Trump.
After meeting with President Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders said he will work w/ Hillary Clinton to defeat Trump https://t.co/3O6F2NjEqz
— Mohamed Hemish (@MohamedHemish) June 9, 2016
Since Bernie didn't win the nomination, I'm gonna vote for Trump. Also, since the store didn't have my favorite beer, I'm gonna drink bleach
— Jordan (@jordan_stratton) June 8, 2016
If your blind adoration of Bernie Sanders puts Donald Trump in the White House, you're doing it wrong.
— DrewMcWeeny (@DrewMcWeeny) June 10, 2016
America will go to the polls on November 8th.
#NoelEdmonds ruins everything with cancer tweet
On Tuesday, Noel Edmonds tweeted a man with cancer asking whether his illness was being caused by his “negative attitude.” Naturally, many people who believe it be false that serious illnesses are caused by negative thinking (because they are not), took to Twitter to ridicule Edmonds’ claim. Earlier that day, the Deal or no Deal presenter had posted a picture of an EMPpad – a device which supposedly cures cancer.
Edmonds has since defended his comments, claiming that the EMPpad – which costs over 2 grand – helped cure him of prostate cancer: an illness which he believes was caused by stress, and therefore, negative thinking.
The good people of Twitter weren’t so sure.
Exclusive footage of Noel Edmonds and the inventor of the anti-ageing, anti-cancer box at work on their invention.https://t.co/WjocPNUgeW
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) June 7, 2016
Noel Edmonds is quiet this morning. Must be busy developing a cure for AIDS.
— Same Old Disco (@NiamhMcDisco) June 8, 2016
Noel Edmonds is the only person who still uses a landline.
— John Brennan (@UpturnedBathtub) June 7, 2016
I'll say this about #NoelEdmonds and his box. He's got to be OUT of his box if he thinks it cures cancer!
Please RT. That was a cracker.— Limmy (@DaftLimmy) June 8, 2016
I had cancer in 2008 and what got me through it was the prospect of spending the next six decades calling Noel Edmonds a fanny on Twitter.
— Jamie Ross (@JamieRoss7) June 7, 2016
#MentalHealth services budget is returned thanks to #IAmAReason campaign
A few months ago, it was reported that then Minister for Health Leo Varadkar was planning to divert €12m set aside for mental health services in Ireland until 2017. This announcement provoked outrage from thousands across a country that is already suffering from questionable and inadequate mental health services as it is.
The #IAmAReason campaign – conceived by the USI and consisting of thousands of students and those who have experience with Ireland’s mental health services – took to the internet and to the streets to fight for the mental health funding so desperately needed by so many. This week, they won.
On Wednesday, new Health Minister Simon Harris announced that “every cent” of the allocated budget was to be spent on mental health services.
Mental Health Budget restored #YouAreTheReason – https://t.co/LZL1tOybAk
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 9, 2016
Let no one tell you that change isn't possible using just your voice and your story. Mental health cuts reversed… pic.twitter.com/alyTdb1yNt
— Shane Gillen (@ItsGillen) June 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/dm_waugh/status/740853047161671684
https://twitter.com/LeanneWoodfull/status/740838899468140544
Great to hear that the mental health budget has been restored. Well done to all who campaigned for it. #IAmAReason
— Seán (@Sean_archive) June 9, 2016
