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Viral social media threads can be sweet because they show parts of humanity that we so desperately need to see.
Like the #ShareYourRejections hashtag (still one of my favourites) designed to encourage people to keep chasing their dreams no matter what. Or the thread of viral compliments which was meant to insult women for simply being nice to other women but became uplifting when women turned the tables on the original poster by complimenting other women.
When we see threads like these, we’re reminded that there’s a collective group of people that believe in showing us the better side of humanity.
READ MORE: I met some of my best friends on the internet
Of course, social media has also become a strong tool for advocacy and for highlighting through strong posts or viral threads, gaps in society that still need addressing.
Sometimes, the different platforms emphasise disheartening circumstances about society that we already know.
Like the fact that a lot of women don’t feel safe going anywhere. And that they feel even less safe at night.
According to Nylon.com, a recent thread started by civil rights and trans activist Danielle Muscato poses the following question: “What would you do if men had a 9pm curfew?”
Ladies, a question for you:
— Danielle Muscato (@DanielleMuscato) September 25, 2018
"What would you do if all men had a 9pm curfew?"
Dudes: Read the replies and pay attention.#metoo #Kavanaugh #Cosby #feminism #maleprivilege #privilege
And the responses to it are so telling.
This reader who just wants to enjoy a cup of coffee in peace
to go to cafe and actually read without numerous strangers sitting at my table and chatting me up, when I just want to drink my cup and read a book because I stay indoors too much and need to get out a little.
— destructor fascista (@KosmishArtist_) September 25, 2018
And this woman who just wants to walk to places without being catcalled
Actually walk to places I wanted to go without horns and hearing things about my anatomy shouted from a car window. Shop in peace. Go out for a drink because I really want to have a drink and watch the band.
— destructor fascista (@KosmishArtist_) September 25, 2018
Imagine being able to book places without worrying about how safe they are?
I just booked an airbnb for a work trip which will have me out late into the evenings. Took me an hour of google mapping to see how I'd approach different properties, whether streets were lighted or populated.
— Let's Scare Jessica Shortall To Death (@jessicashortall) September 25, 2018
So, for starters, I'd book any damn place I wanted to, without worry.
Or maybe even being up for a run at night or walking home from work - fearlessly?
Run at night. Or just walk 6 blocks home at night instead of sometimes taking a cab merely for safety not cause I’m in heels!
— Sameena Kluck (@SameenaKluck) October 2, 2018
If men had a curfew of 9pm? I'd go for long walks in the most isolated streets. I'd go to a bar alone, smile at strangers, order drinks, dance, relax. I wouldn't take a cab back home. I'd walk my drunk ass, feeling the night air and that outrageous feeling of safety in the dark.
— Mayanka Goel (@MayankaGo) September 30, 2018
We should add that this is a hypothetical question that was posed. In no way has the original poster or am I proposing that there should be one. So many of the responses in the entire thread has had some people complaining that it is #notallmen responsible for this fear.
They are missing the point.
We know this. And a lot of men understand this too, and don't feel the need to defend it.
The fact that we have to point this out to pander and remind those who are complaining, that it’s not attack on you, is also just another reminder that there’s still very little understanding from SOME men about the visceral fear that women experience. And incidents they've had to endure.
