When you find that the internet is your workplace, you get used to being confronted with heinous bullshit on the regular. It’s part of the cycle. It’s part of the gig.
But news that made our blood simmer well and truly past boiling point this week came on Wednesday, when reports emerged of some absolute fuck-knuckles sharing hundreds of Australian women’s nude photos, without their consent, online.
Normally, we might search for the perfect rage.gif, but none could really do this situation justice.
Overnight, Channel 7‘s ‘Sunrise‘ program has been called out for perpetuating the dangerous rhetoric of victim shaming, after users on twitter and Facebook took a stand against one of the show’s Facebook posts—since taken down, but which looked like this.
OPENING QUESTION whats it gonna take for perpetrators of sexual violence to stop committing these crimes @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/nyPilXm2Vi
— Jeannette Francis (@Jan__Fran) June 17, 2015
Most importantly, and most obviously, this shouldn’t read: “What’s it going to take for women to get the message about taking and sending nude photos“, but: “What’s it going to take for major news outlets to get the message about victim blaming, FFS?“
The post appeared despite David Koch‘s prefacing of the story on Wednesday, by branding the leak as “identity theft of the worst kind.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Sunrise issued a statement to Fairfax, apologising for the post. But the damage, with a change.org petition emerging to condemn the post, had already been done.
“We apologise unreservedly to anyone offended by a post that was made on the Sunrise Facebook page regarding nude photos and online security yesterday, and in particular to the victims. Whilst it was not our intention we appreciate that the wording of the post was insensitive. The post has been removed.”
In a further stand against Sunrise, writer, activist and badass Clementine Ford shared this image on Facebook, with an accompanying message, and brazen tag of, #GetFuckedSunrise.
I have taken nude photos of myself and sent them to lovers. I’ve taken nude photos of myself when I’m bored. I’ve taken…
Posted by Clementine Ford on Thursday, 18 June 2015
Clementine Ford writes:
“When Channel 7’s Sunrise asks ‘when will women learn’ instead of ‘why do men continue to view women as objects they can defile and violate while the world watches and tut-tuts’, they are victim blaming. They are saying it’s the responsibility of victims of crime and assault to prevent it and not the responsibility of society to make such crimes intolerable and unacceptable.
When will women learn? Learn what? That our bodies do not belong to us? That we have no right to determine who sees those bodies, touches those bodies, fucks those bodies, and shares in those bodies? Honey, we don’t need to learn that. We already know the answer. We don’t have those rights. We are not allowed to be the masters of ourselves, only the gatekeepers.”
*standing ovation*
Meanwhile, a humblebrag where humblebrags are due.
Same story…totally different take. Get your shit together @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/9cZVSwyy6T
— Jeannette Francis (@Jan__Fran) June 17, 2015
Aaaand bonus points to Lee MF Lin Chin.
.@Jan__Fran of course, I’m not going to stop taking nudes because people are disgusting monsters. My body is a piece of art. Also I hate you
— Lee Lin Chin (@LeeLinChinSBS) June 17, 2015
via SMH.
