Oh, no! Not Sweden, too!


It’s everywhere. Iris Classon is woman and a programmer in Sweden, and it turns out that some Swedish men are harassing jerks, too. It’s a painful read, and it all started with a nice newspaper article that published her picture and story … and of course, being a software geek and an attractive woman means you’re a target.

Don’t read it if you’re just tired of the constant drone of ugly misogyny everywhere, or just don’t want to be reminded of that familiar condition. I will highlight the summary she selected for her post:

If you EVER harass me you WILL be published on the blog, twitter, facebook and whatever media I have. I don’t back down, I don’t back of. And I’m sure my friends won’t either. And girl, if you have ANY problems with ANYBODY – please reach out to me. Now

Yeah. Don’t cross Iris Classon.

Comments

  1. Fraser Wilson says

    Sorry, don’t mean to be demanding. but it’s stories like this that suck the will to live right out of me. I need a cat, and a big gin & tonic.

  2. Gnumann+, nothing gnu under the sun (but the name sticks) says

    What can I say (besides “yuck”. My neck f the woods has it’s share of dudebros too. And a rising MRA movement. And throngs of troglodytes in the deep forests.

  3. Gnumann+, nothing gnu under the sun (but the name sticks) says

    That unclosed parenthesis will haunt me. Not at much as reading those text messages, but still haunting.

  4. says

    Woo_Monster, you may have to refresh a time or two. It didn’t load for me the first time, either. Take that warning seriously – I wish I had.

    It’s downright numbing to see the amount of men who seem to think their penis is the solution for anything.

  5. Sili says

    Sorry, don’t mean to be demanding. but it’s stories like this that suck the will to live right out of me. I need a cat, and a big gin & tonic.

    I have the cats.

    And I’m currently drinking strong Christmas beer at 2 in the morning.

    As an atheist I have no desire to die.

    But I must confess to occasionally ranting at my students, even if it’s a skill to justify doing so in maths …

  6. F [disappearing] says

    Yes, of course, only women with c. 15 months experience ever get hired as programmers. Uh huh. (Excuse me while I laugh until I pee myself.)

  7. cicely (Chock-full of Nuts!) says

    If you EVER harass me you WILL be published on the blog, twitter, facebook and whatever media I have. I don’t back down, I don’t back of. And I’m sure my friends won’t either. And girl, if you have ANY problems with ANYBODY – please reach out to me. Now

    *loud applause and shower of roses*

  8. says

    Audley:

    I don’t even know how I’d react to that kind of harassment. I certainly wouldn’t have the wherewithal to post a detailed description on my blog. Iris seems pretty awesome.

    It’s the sort of awesome shown by Iris, Rebecca Watson and others which is the only thing that is actually going to work. It’s the one response which might have a chance of making these clowns realize that such behaviour is going to result in social marginalization. For that to effectively work, people are going to have to take the Network* way of doing.
     
    *I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!

  9. Feline says

    Sweden has stopped being anything to look to these days. We’ve got fascists on the rise (and pointing out that party functionaries calls women “whores” and immigrants “baboons”(yes, you fucknuts, it’s also a racist slur) seems to give them more support), more and more people seems to parrot MRA talking points daily and the only consolation is that they don’t seem to get as much purchase for the homophobic bit of their platform. It’s pretty fucking dismal.

  10. Hekuni Cat, MQG says

    It’s the sort of awesome shown by Iris, Rebecca Watson and others which is the only thing that is actually going to work. It’s the one response which might have a chance of making these clowns realize that such behaviour is going to result in social marginalization. For that to effectively work, people are going to have to take the Network* way of doing.

    This. Thank you, Iris and Rebecca Watson, Jen and Greta, and all the other women who stand up and fight back. But I am also thankful for people like Caine and Audley who help show the way in their own voices and styles.

  11. Martha says

    I’m pleasantly surprised that there are no MRAs commenting on her post. It makes a really nice change of pace after reading all their drivel in the comment section of FtB for so long.

    Iris, of course, rocks. As do Rebecca, Jen, Ophelia, Stephanie, Greta and others in our community who are willing to fight these destructive morons.

  12. mikeconley says

    There was a reason Stieg Larsson wrote a book entitled Men Who Hate Women. I’m sure Sweden, like most places, is far from perfect, and has its share of complete shits without whom the planet would be far better off.

  13. Lachlan says

    Misogyny is a horribly misused word.

    Good on her for being brave though. Silence is never the solution.

  14. says

    Later that night a band sings about watching TV and wanking of[f], getting all the guys to sing along. The lead singer is wearing a T-Shirt saying dolphins are gay sharks.

    Not overburdened with intelligence, these people.

  15. vaiyt says

    Misogyny is a horribly misused word.

    Tell us more about how feminism made your penis shrivel. You’re just dying to make this thread be all about you and your hurt man-feelings, don’t you.

  16. vaiyt says

    *groan*

    That was a thoughtless expression of my part. I apologize for the comment and for assuming my interlocutor had a penis.