There’s been a big flurry of news articles recently about threats to women and others on the web.  The most recent of these is the one titled “Sexual Threats Silence Some Female Bloggers” in today’s Washington Post.  Now, it seems to me that anyone who regularly posts on the web has to have a thick skin, but death threats and other threats as described are going too far.  It seems to me that anonymity is what fuels this vitriol .  But the article quotes a woman named Cooper who was threatened and who (quite properly) went to the police.  Just what did the police do?  Nothing. They blew her off.  This is absurd.  The police need to understand the threats and to act on them.  It’s not just hot air and should not be treated like that.

One scary thought–if it had been me, would the police have just blown it off or would they have been better motivated to take it seriously?  If so, is that because I’m male?

I stay by my advice:  report the threats, insist on police investigation, and be careful.  Follow the tips on this blog.  O, yeah, don’t let the bullies win–it just makes them feel stronger.