Tell Twitter: Domestic Violence Is Not A Joke

[ShyGuyInChicago]

http://twitter.com/#!/ActionAlerts/status/98495955573288962

@ActionAlerts Care2 Action Alerts

Dear @Twitter: by not removing violent hashtags from your homepage, you're implicitly supporting domestic abuse. Tell Twitter: Domestic Violence Is Not A Joke - The Petition Site

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/890/877/197/

Target: Twitter CEO Dick Costolo
Sponsored by: Care2.com
This weekend, the hashtag "#reasonstobeatyourgirlfriend" became the world's number one "trending topic" on Twitter. Thousands of users submitted reasons why domestic violence would be acceptable, including "dinner's not ready" and "she distracts you from watching television."

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, about 1.3 million American women are victims of domestic violence and about one third of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner every year. By casting abuse in a humorous light, the Twitter users responsible for the trending topic are belittling the tragic realities that victims and survivors of domestic abuse face on a daily basis.

If Twitter can ban hashtags with offensive curse words, there should be no reason it cannot ban ones that incite violence against women.

Ask Twitter CEO Dick Costolo to ban abusive trending topics, including #reasonstobeatyourgirlfriend, from ever appearing on Twitter's homepage.

I found this petition interesting. Please note that I am not asking anyone to sign it. I find it interesting because I find that people might accuse the people behind the petition to be politically correct overreacting to some that is only intended as joke and that most of the people who used the hashtag probably do not condone domestic abuse.

[Sith Lord 13]

Twitter shouldn't be banning any hash tags

[UnknownError]

Only black ghetto kids do trending topics.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Twitter shouldn't be banning any hash tags

Why?

[UnknownError]

Why?

Freedom of speech.

[Skyhawk]

Freedom of speech.

I would think Twitter should modify their TOS then if that's the case.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Freedom of speech.

Twitter is a private company. They do not have to allow people to say whatever they want.

[UnknownError]

Twitter is a private company. They do not have to allow people to say whatever they want.

True. But still, I doubt it was serious. "Dinners not ready" does that sound like the tweet of a serious person?

[ShyGuyInChicago]

True. But still, I doubt it was serious. "Dinners not ready" does that sound like the tweet of a serious person?

It might be a joke; it might not be. But still joking about domestic violence can be very hurtful victims and making jokes about it can cause certain people to take domestic violence less seriously and cause certain people to be more likely to commit such a crime and not do whatever they can to help its victims.

[Neptune]

I think there comes a time when people take everything way to seriously. I hope Twitter takes a stand and doesn't ban anymore hashtags. Yes, they can do it. They have done it to cuss words and the words ''Justin Bieber'' (although, fans have changed the way they spell the name) but after a while, it's stupid to do that. Let people talk about whatever they want to talk about. If they do this, they open the flood gates of all kinds of offensive stuff to certain people being banned.

[Quick_Sylver]

Yes, Twitter is a private company. That does not mean it is free from the rules of the country its based in. Thus it has to follow the laws of its country.

Honestly, that's bullshit to ban swear words, but allow domestic abuse.
Words do nothing until you give them power.

[dead]

Wow, why do they always look in the wrong places.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Wow, why do they always look in the wrong places.

What do you mean by wrong places?

[Iris]

It might be a joke; it might not be. But still joking about domestic violence can be very hurtful victims and making jokes about it can cause certain people to take domestic violence less seriously and cause certain people to be more likely to commit such a crime and not do whatever they can to help its victims.

Agreed. Domestic abuse is a really serious issue, and it hurts so many. It should be treated with seriousness, not humor. To me it feels disrespectful to domestic violence sufferers.

[dead]

What do you mean by wrong places?

I mean I feel like most people only react. Like, they try to stop domestic violence and completely forget about trying to prevent it. I'm too lazy to keep going and make a valid point so... ECT.

[Sith Lord 13]

Agreed. Domestic abuse is a really serious issue, and it hurts so many. It should be treated with seriousness, not humor. To me it feels disrespectful to domestic violence sufferers.

Humor brings attention to issues in a nonthreatening manner and leads to things getting done about it.

[dead]

Humor brings attention to issues in a nonthreatening manner and leads to things getting done about it.

Especially if its a subject/topic people like to avoid.