Sunday 8 September 2013

My Twitter Symphony

Well its the usual suspects on twitter this month, I'm being slagged off, as usual, for something I didn't do, you're either a bored housewife who hates working girls and boys, a book writer who isn't an alleged escort or its politically incorrect to refer to women as birds.

Birds

My parents lived in Stratford, East London, where most men greeted their lady friends as "Alright Darling", now tell me, is darling as politically incorrect as bird ?  I posted something about someone who was slagging off a friend and referred to her as that "bird" then later in the week, I referred to someone else as bird and I was pulled by the person I was originally defending, who didn't seem to mind it the first time around, for using this terminology. This led to another twitter exchange of views, albeit mostly by DM.  

I grew up since 11 years old using the word bird, my personal school friends and local friends, including most women, I know, refer to other women as "that bird".  It's local dialect and its not doing anyone any harm and a message to the haters, I will tell you now, I'm not going to stop using it.  What's the difference between birds and the term "Blokes".  Watch Geordie Shore and see how many times "Bird" is used in the show by both men and women.  Just lighten up.  No malice is intended by using the word "Bird".

Bollocks

There's been the usual shit, me being accused of trolling an ask.fm account, which I didn't and when I asked for them to provide proof I was ignored.  I've not trolled anything and I have an ask.fm account myself so i know that there is a block button, just press it and you can even block anonymous questions, but please don't go accusing people of stuff. Just press the block button and get back to what you were doing. Apparently the abuser has 9000 followers.  I am about 8650 short of that total, but apparently it was me, I was even tagged in posts that night, which I screen printed.  Please don't drag me into your paranoia and don't @ me into things I've not had anything to do with,  Your plan of including the Australian contingent by @ them didn't work.  They didn't have time for that, they're both busy falling out with each other to start being vulgar to me, one has her account locked down and the other is threatening the other with writs and screen printing personal text messages.  I've started following a few rad fem accounts who have similar problems with this person, who calls out people but never accepts responsibility when she's wrong and just rants some more.  I find more solidarity in people who are wronged by this woman than with escorts who won't stand up to her.

Bizarre

The most bizarre story on twitter I'm following is about the book writer who is having to go to court to prove she was an escort. Most of us, taken to court, are fighting to prove the opposite. I have seen this on twitter and I think the fact the defendant is playing it out on twitter can only be detrimental to her future case.  It's extremely ill advised to give disclosure to the other party in advance of a court case.  You're basically telling them how to win their case, you're telling them what you have without getting disclose from the other party.  Although I do have sympathy with the alleged party, I think, disclosure by twitter is a very unwise way to get your point across. 

Bosses

A twitter friend, I wouldn't say personal friend because very few of my real friends are on twitter, was outed at work for having "prostitute friends" on social media.  So the fuck what, most of her bosses probably have a paid liaison when they're out of town. I thought this was as bad, if not worse than a sex worker being outed. It was like she was guilty by association. I've a wide variety of people on my twitter account, from a home carer, to other sex workers, sex worker friends, personal friends (who actually know me), rad fems (some of whom I follow because of the aforementioned problem) and some general nice people who will chat and laugh on twitter. I have over 300 odd followers and is it really any of their employers' business that they follow a gay sex worker on their twitter account. This was an appalling story and one that shocked me.  Luckily, the person victimised, on this occasion was able to laugh it off, with good, well natured employers.  Some employers wouldn't be so sympathetic.  Is this person proud of themselves.  Yes,  probably.