Minister's children won't be photographed with her for fear of online abuse
Anne Rabbitte "I didn’t come into politics until 40 years of age. I’d be a ‘tough old bird’ before arriving into it. But what I’d do for people to have manners. Just basic manners." Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos
Online abuse of politicians is now so vicious that a Minister's own children will no longer take photos with her for Instagram for fear of those images being co-opted for abusive memes.
Constant online abuse has made Minister for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, sometimes consider quitting public life.
Ms Rabbitte's children will not be in photos with her online out of concern that they will be co-opted into memes and exposed to online abuse.
“My kids now would not take a photo with me for their Instagram, because they would get memes as well. There’s no way they’d do a photo with me. It’s horrible. And it’s horrible as your kids get older and they see that nasty element and ask ‘do you really need it?’
“They ask me not to discuss certain things, ‘please don’t have an opinion on this.’ That’s the reality of the world we live in.
“And it’s a constant. I can see why women don’t want to go into politics.”
She said that people often brand all politicians with the one brush, but "maybe lay a little heavier on the handle for the females they’re branding."
Female politicians are subjected to up to eight times more online abuse than their male counterparts, including horrific threats to attack and sexually assault them and their children.
A recent study by Dr Ian Richardson found that female councillors received eight times as many abusive tweets per followers compared to their male counterparts. Female senators received three times as many abusive tweets per followers as their male counterparts, although it found no significant difference between the number of abusive tweets female TDs received compared to their male counterparts.
Ms Rabbitte entered politics to work for good education, for better services, to help build an economy where her children could get jobs and not have to emigrate, she said.
But the online abuse has sometimes made her consider her position.
“There’s definitely no division between private and public anymore," she said.
"I didn’t come into politics until 40 years of age. I’d be a ‘tough old bird’ before arriving into it. But what I’d do for people to have manners. Just basic manners."
But used correctly, social media can be “the best information tool” and a vital way for people to connect, Ms Rabbitte said, addiing that during lockdown online communications were vital for people with disabilities and “opened up their world”.
Online communication helped people with disabilities stay connected and removed barriers and stigma for job seekers who could interview for positions online where “no one could see if there were wheels under the desk”.
Margaret Martin, chair of the National Women’s Council, said that online abuse of women has a chilling effect on women both entering and staying in public life.
“There is exponential online abuse of women," Ms Martin said. “It’s a flooding of negative put-downs. When you pick up your phone you have anxiety about what you’re going to see. It’s a tidal wave.
“This is in effect resistance to women giving voice, taking a leadership role. All of this is a pushback. Pushing women back into that idea that they should be seen and not heard.
“And it does have profound impacts on family. I’ve heard women talk about sexual threats to them, to their children, you cannot imagine how obnoxious it can get. It’s terribly difficult.
"And there is not an opposite positive force saying ‘you’re doing a really good job.’ It’s just taken for granted. I think a lot of men would be horrified that this is happening and at the volume of it."
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
