Amanda Hess knows it’s not always fun to be female on the internet. She has firsthand experience of the vitriol that women who post online tend to attract. The piece she wrote about this for Pacific Standard magazine has gotten a lot of attention, particularly from men who said they were surprised at the sheer volume of invective aimed at women in comments sections and on social media.
Hess writes about male/female relations, a subject which can really rattle people’s chains, so she has had actual stalkers. One of them created a Twitter account specifically to harass her. But while angry Tweeters can be pretty awful, I find that when it comes to having bad things said about you over the old interwebs, it’s hard to best YouTube. The comments section of the video channel is like a Museum For Everybody’s Worst Self.
I’ve mostly stopped reading the comments—I have three brothers, so if I need insults I can go to people who really know me for them. But I’ve kept a list of my favorites, which I will share with you, below.
“Why did they ask a girl who is 1000 years old to ask him questions?”
“That has got to be the ugliest reporter i have ever seen in my life”
“that woman looks like Ozzy Ozbourne”
“That interviewer looks like Gollum with hair.”
“SHE LOOKS LIKE A F—ING CORPSE!!!”
“Whats up with that crusty old Time b—h? Could she be any more crusty and b—hy with those questions? wow and they pay her for that.”
“What a stupid COW. Where did they DIG up this interviewer? Did she take a big bottle of STUPID PILLS before this interview?”
“How did this f—ing dumb-ass, unpleasant-looking reporter ever get this job? gross.”
“There’s only one nuts person in that room and she’s asking the effing questions!”
“Another mainstream media prozac-head hack journalist spewing the usual laughably vomit-worthy loaded rhetorical bullsh–.”
“Interviewers a c–t”
“I know this is wrong, but I would totally f–k that woman interviewing Robin. I’d make that mouth stop twitching!”
“God that interviewer has GOT to get layed”
“Hey “TIME”: Pick on someone who can prison-rape you at your own game, you stupid pieces of mediocrity.”
“I think “one last kill” would go well on that reporter….for Old Time Sakes! llol, (just kidding of course)”
“[He] should have punched her in the face after the first question.”
“This lady should hang her self, so annoying get a new job biatch”
“[He] should pity f— this b—–.”
“Ugh!!! Up-speak! Kill the witch, kill her!”
“This f—ing lesbian cat lady b—h wants some fat c–k. Useless dried up c–t.”
Weren’t there any nice comments you ask? Well, there was this one:
“Why do people on YouTube always go for mindless put-downs? Belinda Luscombe (the interviewer) is “bad” in what way? I stumbled on to this after seeing her interview other people, and her questions seem intelligent. You don’t like how she looks, or something?”
I should probably get that one embroidered on a pillow.
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