Angela Rayner and Misogyny

 I am writing this because I am appalled, yet somehow not surprised. As I write this, the Mail On Sunday released proof of Angela Rayner lying about her taxes. I do not wish to focus on this matter as it has already been widely discussed. I condone what she did, but this isn't the focus of this article. 

Instead, I would prefer to focus on the response to this on social media (Twitter, specifically). I have only been scrolling for a few minutes and I have already seen multiple tweets, demeaning and dehumanising her, having their sole motivation be that she is a woman. Honestly, I'm revolted, and the idea that when I go into a career in Government, I will be subject to this treatment if I displease people is demotivating.

The first post I saw in this vein (on this issue alone), is this one. I would censor the username, but if the poster is confident enough to post this, they should be confident enough for it to be recorded in the long term. 

While the tweet itself is disgusting, the more concerning thing is the support it has. No-one in the replies feels that maybe, just maybe, they shouldn't resort to misogynistic jokes when a female MP acts incorrectly. Not only this, people feel it is appropriate to insinuate she should be killed, as seen in the following screenshot, suggesting she should have pins put in her, killing her inflatable self. 

I feel it should be self-explanatory why you shouldn't make such posts about someone, but apparently, that common sense doesn't apply to some people. Overall, replies to this are very revealing about the UK's hidden misogyny, resorting to dehumanising women for their mistakes, in ways they wouldn't to their male counterparts. No-one reduced Peter Viggers to his biology when he wrote off a duck-house on his expenses? Did they?

Another thing I have noticed, is that a specific demographic engages in this.

It is quite easy to guess who; the self-proclaimed "alpha males". This is a new subculture that values prejudiced traditional values and toxic behaviour. This group is easily identified through their idolisation of Patrick Bateman, the protagonist in the book and movie "American Psycho" (although I doubt those who idolise him have ever read this book or any others). Ironically enough, American Psycho was written satirically as a critique of the things these people push (capitalism, being one of them). I hope you can understand the "vast intellect" of these individuals now.

Here is one of them, replying to the original post with a GIF of Patrick Bateman nodding in approval. 

Some of these tweets really bewilder me. Not only because they are disproportionate, but also because they miss the point of the entire scandal regarding Rayner's tax affairs. From some tweets, such as the following one, you'd think she was involved in a sleaze scandal - like the one earlier this week regarding William Wragg. I haven't seen anyone posting caricatures referring to him in a sexualised way?

I am sure that anyone with a conscience can see the issue with this tweet, however, I know not everyone does, which is why I have been subjected to seeing these posts and having to write about them. The idea that it is perfectly socially acceptable to respond to Rayner with misogynistic images and innuendos, such as the one seen below, is a disgrace. It is beyond me how one can be so shameless, yet confident. 

The double-standard in how Rayner is being treated compared to MPs who had genuine sexual scandals is extremely obvious. In my view, this draws attention to the issue of covert misogyny in British society, especially in the way that people can so quickly switch to misogyny when given an excuse to.

Even before this new article came out, similar comments were made, focusing on Rayner as a sexual object, rather than a political figure.  

 

The amount of engagements these posts get shows the scale of the issue, and how the male part of the public views women in society. The amount of likes compared to replies shows this blatantly. Misogyny is covert until a woman commits a misdeed many men have before her. 

Not only does this tweet show the objectification of female politicians, but it also shows the infantilisation of them by the right-wing. Here, as right-wing men often do, he speaks about her in a demeaning way, calling her "Ange". His insistence on calling her a nickname rather than by her surname, as you would any male politician, also shows the issue of women being systematically undermined by men in political spaces. The fact this is perfectly socially acceptable in our society is shameful.

The only bright side of this one tweet is that a large portion of the replies are pointing out the sexist approach to this situation. Even so, this is disproportionate to the amount of people liking (and presumably agreeing) with this tweet. 

Overall, the double-standard in treatment of men and women in politics is perfectly shown through this situation. It displays Britain's covert misogyny and perception of female politicians as inferior to their male counterparts. I hope that people begin to notice this behaviour and condemn it. If not, my career in politics may be quite bleak. 

Thank you for reading.

- A