B.C. politics is often called a blood sport, and for good reason. But it can be much tougher on women politicians than on men, and you only have to participate in social media to see it.
There is no shortage of vulgar and even violent tweets and Facebook posts about women in politics in this country, and now a local blogger is trying to shine a very public light on online sexism.
It started as a bit of a nerdy personal project for Vancouver communications consultant Diamond Isinger.
But it didn’t take her long to find enough nasty material in cyberspace to launch a blog called Madam Premier, looking at the sexist criticism facing Canada’s female premiers.
“I expected to see a few examples, and I quickly realized as the folder on my computer full examples grew exponentially, there was a shocking amount of sexism towards women across the country,” says Isinger.
The blog was launched two days ago with several pages of Tweets, Facebook posts and online comments, some of them even violent.
Posters who have targeted Alberta’s premier Alison Redford and newly elected Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne are also outted on Isinger’s website.
Female politicians on all sides and at all levels are welcoming the spotlight.
“I think it’s a good discussion for us to have. Not because of me, or because of Allison or because of Katherine, it’s because of all the thousands of women who experience things like that every single day,” B.C. Premier Christy Clark told Global News.
B.C.’s raucous political arena has had more than its fair share of sexism.
In October 2011, former NDP MLA David Shreck posted a Tweet saying Christy Clark was showing too much cleavage.
Several high-profile women have been very public in their discussions about the nasty side of politics.
“Personal attacks have to go,” says former B.C. NDP leader Carole James. “I don’t believe we are going to engage the public in voting and democracy unless we start ending the kind of nasty attacks in whatever form they come in.”
But it appears Isinger’s blog is engaging the public.
She has had thousands of hits already, and dozens of mostly positive comments from right across the country, so the political strategist is hoping this will launch dialogue and force people to come up with answers to some tough questions around the culture of cyber bullying, even if the victims are well known politicians.
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