Thread by @Writagal

I’m a fairly low-key canary in the coal mine on Long Covid from a lived experience perspective, & I get annoyed when men with no discernible expertise tell me that I must be lying - so hats off to every single expert dealing with Johnny Contrary and Ben Misogyny in the comments😬

Yes, it’s #notallmen & #notonlymen - but overwhelmingly it is men who are rude, sexist, condescending - I often wonder how they are with their work colleagues & their families if this behaviour is acceptable to them.
It is no wonder that entering into public life is a big call.

It is no wonder that when sustained derision, derogatory comments, unacceptable toxicity occurs, the desired outcome is often achieved - the silence of leaders, of experts, of those who can, and who want to make a difference in favour of those who want power and the status quo.

Observing some of the behaviour in Parliament recently, it is exactly the way men behave on Twitter put into another setting.
The constant use of “she”, & constant refusal to use names or titles, the intentional logical fallacies & deliberate derision.
Parliament is a workplace.

“Harassment and bullying” can damage the organisation’s reputation as well as the reputation of the person whose behaviour is in question.”
I don’t know why this deliberate approach of intimidation and harassment continues to be acceptable in the place that is supposed to lead.

I don’t know why the excuse is “it’s political theatre” or “we’re holding to account”.
Using tactics that are rooted in misogyny is not best practice for holding to account. This is antiquated, wrong - and incredibly dangerous.
It has consequences for individuals and for culture.

Misogyny is a gateway to online radicalization & white supremacy. Sexist online harassment leads to real world violence - these are facts.
Look at any comments section relating to the PM to see how this culture is being embedded and normalised - from online spaces to Parliament.

Those who are experts have been sounding the alarm on this, and talking about the way this toxicity erodes our social fabric, erodes democracy.
It is past time we listened to those canaries and started to call out this behaviour - before it’s too late to get out of the mine./