can break my bones - but words will never hurt me. Not quite - intimidation on the net is leading to many women bloggers either stepping out or using self-censorship. Factual article in the New York Times by Ellen Nakashima here. Apparently, the number of people in chat rooms has declined due to women leaving them in droves. Is this incivility a sign of the times, or more gender specific? Studies on mail received by politicians in France show that women receive more aggressive, abusive letter than their mail counterparts, so it looks like there is a factor of gender. We need to get concensus on the codes of conduct, so that this abusive behavior will be condemned and contained. Anonimity on the web does not help - it allows people to hide and indulge in behavior they would never do in front of others. I would be for total transparency and discredit anybody who does not step up and stand up for his ideas.
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