Silencing refers to techniques used to shut women up when they complain about sexism or other problems. It encompasses harassment or intimidation that discourages women from speaking out, shaming and humiliation targeted at women who do speak up, and techniques used to dismiss or deny the legitimacy of womens' speech.

Silencing tactics are fairly simple. They are methods used to quash dissent. To dismiss or disable the voices of dissent against the privilege[-]induced majority speak. They can include trolling someone, threatening someone, making offensive jokes, using slurs, acting violent or intimidating, demanding or even criticizing anger from a marginalized person, demanding that a marginalized person change their methods for addressing privilege and a host of other things that are design[ed] to control the means of communication and discourse. -- RP, How to be An Ally

Examples Edit

• Burning the evidence
• Clawed my way up
• Damaging my reputation and Witch hunt
• Disillusioning women
• Asking for Free sexism consulting, or, "can you volunteer to fix this?"
• Free speech
• Getting attention
• Harming the community
• I'm a feminist but
  • Violations of Moff's law
• Isolated incident
• Male experience trump card
• Men are just like that
• Not an insider
• Patriarchy hurts men too
  • Geeks are oppressed
• Pregnant person fallacy: the fallacy in which discrimination against pregnant people isn't discrimination against women (and related fallacies for the links between poverty and race, and so on)
• Political correctness
• Rebellion
• This is boring
• Those are the rules
• Women taught us
• Women weren't the intended audience
• You don't have to read it and choice
• You're the sexist
• You're the bully
• You should be flattered

Related to communication techniquesEdit

• Tone argument
  • Angry feminist mob
  • More flies with honey
  • You're the bully
• You're being emotional
• You're crazy
• You're just playing devil's advocate

Related to focus of activism Edit

• Distraction from real issues and Let's focus on the worthwhile parts
• Broader issue
• Many bad things in the world
• No lists
• Move on
• Pick your battles

Ally Specific Silencing techniques: Edit

• Emasculation
• Not a woman
• Trying to score

See also Edit

• Category:Excuses for sexist incidents

Further reading Edit

• "Lighten Up!"