What happens when a woman tweets about a terrifying experience she had in a public park, needing to call the police as a result? In Claire McGing’s case, it became national news. Not due to what happened to her, but because the Independent TD Matt Shanahan thought saying that girls need more situational awareness and that not all men are monsters, in response, was a good idea.
Initially, the TD stood by his tweet. Accusing women who disagreed with him of gaslighting what he said and sermonising. He also blamed social media for the backlash, saying that “I think it’s unfortunate that this is where social media is going at this stage but you know, you can barely make a comment now when you’re accused of things that you didn’t even say them”.
This was later followed by an apology for “any offence caused”, which isn’t quite the same as apologising for the specific offence he caused by victim-blaming a woman to her face. Hopefully the listening he will continue to do leads to him understanding why the difference between ‘any’ and ‘the’ matters in this context. I hope he also apologised in private.
This isn’t the first time a male politician has fundamentally misunderstood the lived experiences of women and decided to tweet about it. In 2017, Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon claimed that rape culture in Ireland had “no basis in reality” because he had never heard a joke about rape. Which is not how any of this works.
I have spent my life being situationally aware. I’d wager it is the same for most women. So much of what we do to preemptively protect ourselves is second nature, we often don’t consciously register that we are doing it.
I’ve carried my keys in my hand when walking alone at night. I’ve slowed down or sped up depending on who is walking behind me, crossing and recrossing the road while trying to stay in places lit by street lights. I’ve let people know my running route. I've had women I don’t know pretend to be an old school friend while interrupting men who thought me saying "I'm not interested" meant that they should try harder. I have pretended to be an old school friend for women in similar situations. I have lost count of the number of taxi numbers or licence plates I’ve taken note of over the years while telling my friends to let me know when they get home safely.
I remember how confused a friend looked when he saw me text the taxi number to another friend before I got into it. It had never occurred to him that this was something we did.
Women lacking situational awareness is not the issue. The actions of the men who harass, abuse, or assault women are the problem. That’s where our attention should be focused. Changing, and preventing, the actions of these men, instead of telling women that we just need to mind ourselves more.
It was heartening to see the responses from men who took the time to explain why regardless of the intent behind Shanahan’s tweet, the impact of his words fed into the insidious culture of victim-blaming and misogyny that women, trans women, and non-binary people who are read as feminine by other people while they are in public spaces, deal with regularly.
It was heartening, but it shouldn’t have been.
Men talking to each other about this should be the norm, not a pleasant surprise. Especially when it is likely that their words will have more influence because a lot of men are more willing to listen to other men, even while dismissing numerous women who are telling them the same things.
Read, Watch, Listen
“Cat Person” and Me (Slate) - When the short Cat Person, written by Kristen Roupenian, went viral in 2017, Alexis Nowicki discovered that it contained specific details from her own life. Details that led people to ask Nowicki whether she wrote the story under a pen name. How could Kristen Roupenian possibly have known them?
i don’t agree with myself (ItsRadishTime) - I really enjoyed this video from Taylor explaining how and why some of the opinions she expressed in previous videos have changed.
THE RISE OF MUST-READ TV (The Atlantic) - Alexander Manshel, Laura B. McGrath, and J. D. Porter on their research into the impact of literary TV adaptations on the publishing industry. We know becoming a TV show increases a novel’s popularity, but does the prospect of lucrative TV deals change the way people write fiction?
Celebrity Book Club with Chelsea Devantez - A podcast recapping the memoirs of celebrity women including Drew Barrymore, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Dolly Parton, and Carly Simon. In each episode, Chelsea Devantez is joined by a different guest as they discuss the books written by famous women. It’s clear that Devantez is a fan of the celebrity memoir genre, which makes listening all the more enjoyable.
The Ethics of a Deepfake Anthony Bourdain Voice (The New Yorker) - The new documentary “Roadrunner” uses A.I.-generated audio without disclosing it to viewers. How should we feel about that?
The wellness world’s conspiracy problem is linked to Orientalism (Vox) - Terry Nguyen writes about how and why East and South Asian medical traditions have been appropriated and misinterpreted in the West, sometimes for political gain.
Rachel Yoder on Navigating Chronic Pain Through Storytelling (Literary Hub) - Rachel Yonder on chronic pain, anxiety, somatic therapy, and writing.
Britney's plight is not surprising if you've been a psychiatric patient in Ireland (Irish Examiner) - Zoe McCormack writes about her experiences as an inpatient on psychiatric wards, the problems with the mental health system in Ireland, and why mental health treatment should seek to empower rather than disempower people.
Buy Now, Pay Later Could Be Affecting Your Chances Of Getting A Mortgage (Refinery29 UK) - Vicky Spratt speaks to women whose eligibility for a mortgage was negatively affected by their use of buy now, pay later services such as Klarna and Clearpay.
Mental illness is a reality – so why does ‘mental health’ get all the attention? (The Guardian) - Rebecca Lawerence, a consultant psychiatrist, on why the distinction between mental health and mental illness matters.