In 2020 I led a study on gendered abuse and disinfo against women political candidates. We found 336k pieces of abuse & disinfo targeting 13 candidates; 78% of that targeted Kamala Harris. After Biden’s endorsement, here are some narratives and tropes we should look out for: (1/)
1. Sexualized narratives, claiming Harris “slept her way to the top,” or that she is sexually promiscuous. In 2020 we found that users engaging with this narrative were more likely to engage with other abuse and disinfo. They attempted to undermine her fitness for office (2/)
2. Transphobic narratives are also often employed against women in public life; in 2020, users claimed Harris couldn’t have risen to a position of power without having secretly been a man. They falsely alleged she had been a man named “Kamal Aroush” before transitioning. (3/)
3. Racist/racialized narratives: just as with Obama, users falsely claimed Harris was not eligible for the presidency because both of her parents were immigrants. They also frequently claimed she wasn’t “black enough” or “Indian enough” to claim those identities. (4/)
It's important to label these narratives and lies as what they are: an attempt to undermine a powerful woman's public service because of her gender, her background, her skin color. (5/)
I challenge anyone who opposes Harris's candidacy to engage in a substantive debate on the merits of her policies and track record, rather than calling her disgusting names not even fit for "locker room talk." (6/)
Gendered disinformation and abuse—which happen on both sides of the political spectrum—undermine women's participation in public life. They dissuade generations of young women from seeking public office. We need to do better. (6/)
It's also worth noting that our adversaries amplify misogyny and racism and use it to their own advantage. Take a look at how Russia's Zvezda described Harris in 2020: (7/)
Read the report that the majority of the data above is from and inoculate yourself against what is going to be a wave of misogyny over the next few months:
(/end)wilsoncenter.org/publication/ma…
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