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RETRIBUTION SEEKER: Internet Trolling expert Jonathan Bishop argues that Caroline Criado-Perez needs to take a leaf out of Mary Beard’s book and confront trolls with good faith and persuasion to be a true feminist social reformer. Courtesy: The Women’s Room
Professor Mary Beard has revealed that she befriended one of the people who trolled her with sexist and misogynistic abuse.
The historian was abused on Twitter following the broadcast of a Question Time program she pre-recorded. But as she explains, one of the people who trolled her has his messages appear high in the search engine rankings got in touch with her to be apologetic. “He is going to find it hard to get a job, because as soon as you Google his name that (his post) is what comes up,” she said. “And although he was a very silly, injudicious, and at that moment not very pleasant young guy, I don’t actually think one tweet should ruin your job prospects.”
Internet trolling expert, Jonathan Bishop, says Beard should be seen as a role model from celebrity trolling victims. “Mary Beard should be held in high esteem for allowing one of her trolls to make a sincere apology,” he said. “As we saw with Caroline Criado-Perez, some feminists seem obsessed with the idea that men are out to get them and are happy to see people prosecuted, but Mary Beard has shown that restitution is better than retribution, and this should be seen as a model for all celebrity troll callers.
“Feminists are not going to change prejudices against women by attacking people, but instead they must be persuasive and able to understand where others are coming from.“
