A few weeks ago, Mexican senator and former Olympic athlete Ana Gabriela Guevara was severely beaten by a group of men. She was riding her motorcycle in Mexico City when a car rammed into her, seemingly on purpose. Four men got out of the car and started to beat her. She said they hit her in the ribs and the head and insulted her for being a female motorcyclist. Guevara was beaten so badly that she had to be hospitalized. She later posted a photo of herself with a black eye, thanking everyone who had supported her and said that she had recently left the operating room after having surgery.

Agradezco la atenciones de tod@s quienes han estado pendientes de mí y mi salud, eh salido de quirófano bien a recuperar la cirugía pic.twitter.com/byhwCs19Hz

— AnaGuevara (@AnaGGuevara) December 13, 2016

Violence against women is a major problem in Mexico, including murder, abduction, and sexual violence. A few days after the incident, Guevara held a press conference, denouncing the act as “cowardly” and “vile.” To make matters even worse, one of the attackers was a police officer. But after her press conference and news of the incident spread, things took an unexpected and deeply depressing turn–a series of misogynistic hashtags on Twitter.

“If she broke your heart, break her face.”

A Mexican woman senator was attacked by men, and the internet reacted in an unusual way. pic.twitter.com/SXR2Iqal4Y

— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 1, 2017

Some people started using the hashtag #GolpearMujeresEsFelicidad, which means #BeatingWomenIsHappiness, on Twitter.

#GolpearMujeresEsFelicidad
Esas mujeres que se ofenden de este hashtag cuando en su foto de perfil usan el filtro de perra, osea confunden

— Jorgeto LH (@Armandeto) December 13, 2016

“Women offended by this hashtag when they use the b***h filter in their profile picture are confusing.”

#GolpearMujeresEsFelicidad
No creo que alguna mujer lea esto, digo, ellas deben estar en la cocina preparando sándwiches para sus hombres.

— Anthony Sugar (@anthonymkultra) December 13, 2016

“I don’t think women will read, I mean, they must be in the kitchen making sandwiches for their husbands.”

A similar one, #SiNoTeGolpeaNoTeAma—which means “If he doesn’t beat you, he doesn’t love you”—also started trending.

#SiNoTeGolpeaNoTeAma Me encanta cuando grita y llora.

— Qk (@CucarachaHolk) December 16, 2016

“I love it when she screams and cries.”

After a few weeks of these hashtags trending in Mexico, people started firing back and condemning their use.

#golpearmujeresesfelicidad or #beatingwomenishappiness is one of the most disgusting hashtags I’ve seen on social media. https://t.co/XE9jemeMEy

— Jorge Valdivia (@VeryValdivia) January 2, 2017

A Mexican woman senator was attacked by men, and the internet responded with #BeatingWomenIsHappiness. And this is how a man like Trump wins

— Greytdog (@Greytdog) January 2, 2017

According to local media, police are investigating the attack and have confirmed the main suspect is a police officer, who was either off-duty or inactive at the time. His identity has not been made public. The Attorney General has requested to see surveillance footage that could be helpful in learning more about the sequence of events. In the meantime, people are showing their support for the former World Champion track and field athlete. Hopefully the case will help bring attention to the issue of violence against women, and the misogynistic hashtag responses that can follow.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Attack on Female Politician in Mexico Leads to Misogynistic Hashtag appeared first on Law Street.

Donald Trump has announced he is going to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto only a few hours before a major immigration speech in Arizona. Last week, Peña Nieto sent out invitations to Trump and Hillary Clinton to come visit. Trump waited until the last minute to accept, and declared on Twitter Tuesday night that he looked “very much forward” to the personal meeting.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

But Trump’s trip to Mexico has given birth to the Twitter hashtag #TrumpsMexicoTripSayings, which makes fun of Trump’s distinctive way of speaking.

.#TrumpsMexicoTripSayings
just stopping by to check on my best employees.
no, not the rapists. those are friends.
. pic.twitter.com/YHXB5D2pdD

— ANONYMOUS JOBS (@AnonymousJobsUS) August 31, 2016

"I know walls. Walls love me. I build the best walls. Everyone agrees. They're terrific." #TrumpsMexicoTripSayings pic.twitter.com/tjdNco93d1

— I H Laking (@IHLaking) August 31, 2016

The visit to Mexico may come as a surprise given Trump’s previous statements about Mexicans and Latinos–he has accused them of being rapists and killers who are bringing crime and drugs into the U.S., he kicked a Hispanic journalist out of a news conference, and he wants to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it.

So, maybe this trip is an attempt to win over some Latino votes as Trump’s poll numbers are going down. Trump’s stance on immigration has been questioned during the past couple of weeks, as he has indicated he might be open to a more lenient immigration policy than he has previously stated.

But that doesn’t necessarily go far in Mexico. Former President Vicente Fox apologized on behalf of the country in an interview with CNN, saying that this invitation is a very opportunistic move that he hopes both the U.S. and Mexican public can see through. He said that Trump cannot undo the harm of his offensive remarks about Mexicans and Muslims that have made him so unpopular in many parts of the world.

There was even a Twitter argument going on between Trump and Fox on Wednesday morning. Trump reminded Fox that he also invited him to visit Mexico earlier this year, after apologizing for saying Mexico would not pay for that “f—–g wall”.

Former President Vicente Fox, who is railing against my visit to Mexico today, also invited me when he apologized for using the "f bomb."

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

Fox replied that his invitation only stood if Trump was willing to apologize to the Mexican people.

@realDonaldTrump, I invited you to come and apologize to all Mexicans. Stop lying! Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect.

— Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) August 31, 2016

Writer Andy Borowitz suggested in a satire article in the New Yorker that Obama would pay $5 billion for Mexico to keep Trump.

.@BorowitzReport: Obama Pays Mexico Five Billion Dollars to Keep Donald Trump https://t.co/0mmA0R6WYl pic.twitter.com/7HM6QsKghe

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) August 31, 2016

But it seems like the Mexican politicians would rather only have a quick visit.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post #TrumpsMexicoTripSayings Makes Fun of Donald Trump’s Mexico Visit appeared first on Law Street.

There’s no denying the fact that Hillary Clinton is dominating the Democratic primaries. That said, underdog Bernie Sanders hasn’t let the presidential primary race turn into a runaway. On Saturday, Sanders nabbed sweeping victories in the caucus states of Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii, giving him a nice bump in electoral delegates.

In response to the wins, CNN credited the Vermont Senator’s success to a tendency to do well in “largely white and rural” states, warning that in order for Sanders’ to win he needs to “replicate this success in other, more ethnically diverse states that hold primaries.”

That description didn’t sit well with some of Sanders’ minority supporters.

Leslie Lee III, a writer in English teacher from Baton Rouge, Louisiana currently living in Yokahama, Japan, responded to the stereotype with some sarcasm. Lee jokes,

.@HillyesRose @MisaelFrancoO @TheBpDShow @cenkuygur Ever since I voted for Bernie, I’ve been bingewatching Friends. #BernieMadeMeWhite

— L. (@tokyovampires) March 27, 2016

And just like that the hashtag #BernieMadeMeWhite was born!

It didn’t take long for other minority Sanders’ supporters to jump on the hashtag’s bandwagon.

.@tokyovampires ever since I voted for Bernie I traded in my Timbs for Vans. #BernieMadeMeWhite

— Benjamin Dixon (@TheBpDShow) March 27, 2016

Then it sort of just spiraled out from there.

Ever since I voted for Bernie I deny racism and wear shorts in February. The media was right. #Berniemademewhite #FeelTheBern

— Aristotle McFly (@hollowman928) March 27, 2016

@TheBpDShow @tokyovampires I stopped seasoning my food. #BernieMadeMeWhite

— C. (@Maxplatypus) March 27, 2016

#MSM But how can Bernie win Hawaii with only young white men supporters? Check out #BernieMadeMeWhite for obvious answer. #FeelTheBern

— Fortitude (@Fortitude_1) March 27, 2016

#BernieMadeMeWhite Ever since I started to #FeelTheBern, I only dance like this pic.twitter.com/synwO93Xct

— SanBernaDingDong (@noreallyhowcome) March 27, 2016

Check out the #BernieMadeMeWhite tweets. So good. pic.twitter.com/unDPfbNo6z

— laurie allee (@laurieallee) March 27, 2016

Dear CNN, white power???#BernieMadeMeWhite @BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/0MmWWsbWmh

— tᕼe ᒪᑌᑕᗩᔕ ᗷᖇOᔕ (@lucasbros) March 27, 2016

Ever since I started supporting Bernie I suddenly lost my rhythm. #BernieMadeMeWhite

— lyn (@dlynaffor) March 27, 2016

Will someone please show me how to do my hair? It’s all so confusing since #BernieMadeMeWhite pic.twitter.com/rDI5QFoxiQ

— Coco Hops (@coco_hops) March 28, 2016

Ever since I started supporting Bernie, Don’t Stop Believing became my karaoke staple #BernieMadeMeWhite

— Jason Alexander (@soulcreator) March 27, 2016

#BernieMadeMeWhite My whole black family is losing its taste for hot sauce and spreading mayo on everything

— Chris Hamilton (@dteg32) March 27, 2016

#BernieMadeMeWhite and now I am looking to move out of this neighborhood, you know, cause of the property values, of course.

— Carolyn Hyppolite (@CKHyppolite) March 27, 2016

Finally I have white privilege.#BernieMadeMeWhite

— WesleyZ3 (@50th_President) March 27, 2016

And just like that #BernieMadeUsWhite #BernieMadeMeWhite #BernieMadeMeMillenial #BernieMadeMeMale pic.twitter.com/maiHJ3VHQc

— Dallas Fowler (@YoDallas) March 28, 2016

If loving him is wrong, i don’t wanna be right #BernieMadeMeWhite #BernBabyBern pic.twitter.com/qt5n4epz2e

— suZee (@BigOlSoulSista) March 28, 2016

I’m so thankful that #BernieMadeMeWhite.

Can we stop worrying about racial profiling and hate crimes now? pic.twitter.com/NqE1zD5bSz

— Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) March 28, 2016

#BernieMadeMeWhite We are not invisible despite the media propaganda machine would have you believe pic.twitter.com/qGeuBKm2zD

— Nativespirit (@N8tive2spirit) March 28, 2016

#BernieMadeMeWhite & male so I don’t have to worry about maternal healthcare, paid family leave, or gender pay gap. pic.twitter.com/QXO48QiKtB

— Ashlyn Shockley (@ashlynshockley) March 28, 2016

This isn’t a picture of two friends, it’s actually a before and after voting for Bernie pic. #BernieMadeMeWhite pic.twitter.com/lHH9QJvTfB

— Lauren Sandernista (@welknett) March 27, 2016

The moral of the story is that Sanders’ supporters really don’t like being generalized, because white males aren’t the only demographic “feeling the Bern.” Don’t get me wrong, Sanders still has a long way to go. His campaign has struggled to secure the black and latino vote, which has repeatedly propelled Clinton to victory. With three more months still remaining in the primary race, he’ll need to rally more support among all demographics if he hopes to secure the nomination.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post #BernieMadeMeWhite Calls Out the Media Whitewashing of Sanders’ Supporters appeared first on Law Street.

On Monday, while touring Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, Pope Francis gave a heartfelt speech to a crowded mosque where he spoke of unity saying, “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters.” However, it wasn’t the speech that resonated most with people, but the photo of him speaking that went viral.

An image of the Pope gesturing while cupping a microphone quickly began to circulate social media, and it didn’t take long before users started saying the picture looked like the pope was prepping to spit a few rap bars.

Cue #PopeBars.

People quickly started using the picture and the trending hashtag to showcase some of their favorite papal-themed rap lyrics–and yes, they were hilarious. So without further ado, check out the slideshow below for ten of the top papal-themed rap lyrics from the hashtag.

#PopeBars I like it when you call me Big Papal (Throw your hands in the air, if youse a true pray-er) pic.twitter.com/tBiEUXCFMx

— BigHeadSports (@BigHeadSports) November 30, 2015

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post #PopeBars: Pope Francis Sparks Viral Lyrical Hashtag appeared first on Law Street.

One of the trendiest online discussions recently has been about street harassment — namely men catcalling women on the street. Earlier this month, Buzzfeed made a hilarious video about what men really “say” when they catcall.

As funny as that video is though, street harassment is a real issue. At least 65 percent of women report experiencing it, often in the form of lewd comments. I, for one, have experienced it more times than I can count. I know I’m lucky too, it has not gone beyond comments hurled at me as I walk down the street — many women also report having men grab at them, being flashed, or worse.

In a significantly more serious set of videos, women have started videotaping, and sometimes confronting, their street-harassers. One of these women, Lindsey from Minnesota, has started a campaign called “Cards Against Harassment.” They’re clever, to say the least. You can download a set of ten of them to hand out to guys who approach you on the street. For example, one of these cards reads, “I know you think you just paid me a compliment, but unwanted commentary on my appearance by strangers on the street makes me feel self-conscious and objectified.”

There have been a few different hashtags created to bring awareness to the problem of street harassment: #ThatsWhatHeSaid, #NotJustHello, and #YouOkSis are some of the most prominent. Take a second to scroll through them, if you feel up to it. They all contain truly horrifying incidences of street harassment.

In general, I feel like I’ve seen way more op-eds about how street harassment is wrong and how to deal with it in the last few months than I ever remember. For the most part, most commentators on the internet argue against street harassment and vow to put a stop to catcalling.

But then there are some, both men and women, who don’t see a problem with it. For example, New York Post blogger Doree Lewak wrote, “Hey, ladies — catcalls are flattering! Deal with it!” There’s a lot to be said about this article, firstly that it reads almost like satire. I genuinely can’t tell whether it is or no t– but my money is on the fact that it’s probably not satire, but rather a genuine viewpoint created by using hyperbolic language and lame attempts at being funny. Lewak explains that she feels empowered by being catcalled and wolf-whistled. She encourages other women to feel the same — starting with her provocative headline: “Deal with It.” She also points out that some catcalls do still make her feel uncomfortable, pointing out,

Of course, not all catcalls are created equal. The good ones are innocuous, not crass or obscene. To clarify, a compliment is “You’re beautiful,” and not “I like your nipples,” a crude comment beyond the point of no return.

The entire thing is gross in a lot of ways. And even if it’s supposed to funny, it’s clear that this woman has never felt actually harassed by catcalls. It’s clear that she’s never walked home late at night, and had someone — probably drunkenly — yell something obscene at her. If she had, she wouldn’t be writing a poorly done satirical piece making fun of all the women who had experienced that kind of fear.

Because #YesAllWomen, yes all people, need to stand together to eradicate the kind of harassment that so many of us experience. It’s not cute, it’s not funny, it’s just plain rude. And articles like the one Lewak wrote just don’t help.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Women Shouldn’t Have to Deal With Street Harassment appeared first on Law Street.

In an era engulfed by technology, previous ways of life have undergone a revamping. One aspect is the way in which social movements are conducted. The implementation of social media as a key tool in producing change has created “hashtag activism,” a way of protest both hailed and scorned by critics for its influence.

What is Hashtag Activism?

Hashtag activism is the act of supporting a cause that is being advocated through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and other networking websites. Although sometimes criticized for its lack of effectiveness and promotion of lazy activism, it is the implementation of social media as a platform to raise awareness on a multitude of issues.

On September 17, 2011 the #OccupyWallStreet movement began to raise issues of economic and social inequality in the United States. Arguably one of the first major Twitter campaign, the protest mobilized thousands of people almost exclusively through the Internet. Robert Reich, former secretary of Labor under President Clinton, notes that, “Occupy put the issue of the nation’s savage inequality on the front pages” and “to that extent, it was a stirring success.” Although  with a lack of clear objectives and leadership the movement was unable to sustain long-term economic changes, #OccupyWallStreet created a new method of activism that was adopted in future campaigns.

Cases of Hashtag Activism

#Kony2012

War criminal and Ugandan military leader Joseph Kony is known for abducting children and turning them into child soldiers and sex slaves. In an effort to draw attention to his offenses Invisible Children, Inc. released a short documentary titled Kony 2012 in March of 2012, kick starting the “Stop Kony” movement that swept the United States. As of June 1, 2014 the film has over 99.5 million views on YouTube.

Americans helped contribute to the nearly 2.4 million tweets #Kony2012 accumulated in March 2012. Stimulated by the general public and celebrities alike, the United States deployed 100 military advisers to join the force of 5,000 sent by the African Union to suppress the violence in Uganda.

Abou Moussa, the U.N. Central Africa representative said, “We need to take advantage of the high level of interest, goodwill and political commitment to finally put an end to this crime.”

However, Joseph Kony remains on Forbes World’s Most Wanted Fugitives list as he has yet to be captured by the authorities.

#BringBackOurGirls

Boko Haram, a terrorist group in Nigeria, kidnapped 276 female students from their school on April 15, 2014. Since their abduction, the girls have involuntary converted to Islam and forced into marriages at the bride price of $12 dollars a piece.

Parents and activists were frantic for the government to escalate their involvement to find the missing girls, and their need to spread awareness led them to Twitter. According to BBC Trending‘s Anne-Marie Tomchack, Ibrahim M Abdullah, a lawyer in Nigeria, was the creator of the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. The story of the abducted girls did not begin to gather attention until April 23, 2014 when Nigerians adopted the new slogan and began tweeting it.

Perhaps the Nigerian government would be able to ignore regular citizens calling for help, but once First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got involved the issue could no longer be disregarded.

Time’s Laura Olin stated, “It’s not everything, but it’s a start. And the world is now talking about 276 stolen girls in Nigeria when before it wasn’t talking about them at all.”

Boko Haram has continued to terrorize the people of Nigeria. Since the abduction of the school girls, the militants have kidnapped even more children and murdered people in towns along the way. The Nigerian government has been all over the place with its involvement. Statements banning protests were released, followed by a quick change of heart from the administration claiming it has, “never, ever tried to violate anybody’s rights. We believe in human rights, we believe in citizens’ rights.” Allegedly the military knows where the remaining girls are, but has yet to go in due to the danger of the camp.

#YesAllWomen

On May 23, 2014, Elliot Rodger went on a killing spree near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus in Isla Vista. Six people were fatally wounded and another thirteen were injured before Rodger committed suicide in the midst of a police chase. Before the attacks began, Rodger posted alarming and irate videos to YouTube declaring his disdain of all women since they had been rejecting him throughout his life. In addition to the series of videos, he produced a 137 page autobiographical manifesto written in the same sentiment.

Although it is clear that Rodger was more vicious and vehement than most, the outlines of the prevailing misogynistic American cultural values were evident in his manifesto. Feminists could no longer stand for the perverse ideology and took to social media to let the world know.

Because being alone in a parking garage at night is one of the most terrifying experiences on earth #YesAllWomen

— jackie vasquez (@jvask) May 25, 2014

#YesAllWomen because even a taped confession admitting to raping me wasn't enough to put him in jail.

— Jessi Smiles (@jessismiles__) May 26, 2014

I shouldn't have to hold my car keys in hand like a weapon & check over my shoulder every few seconds when I walk at night #YesAllWomen

— Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush) May 25, 2014

The Twitter campaign #YesAllWomen created a place for women to share their own stories of sexism and brought attention to Rodger’s animosity toward women, that stemmed from the outlooks of our society. The New Yorker’s Sasha Weiss accurately described the moment as,

“#YesAllWomen is the vibrant revenge of women who have been gagged and silenced.”

#YesAllWomen is effective since instead of preaching to the typical feminist choir, it drew in the more mainstream population including men and celebrities. However, not all individuals were able to see the campaign for what it was and swiftly came to the defense of the male gender.

To counter #YesAllWomen, men’s rights activists were quick to tweet #NotAllMen. The thread was fashioned to establish that Rodger did not represent the entirety of the male gender; he was one of those terrible guys, not like the rest of them. #NotAllMen contributors felt the burning desire to let the world know they are not the problem and to once again push women’s issues to the back burner(if it was intended or not).

The people who tweeted #NotAllMen or believed that feminists were just on another one of their rampages missed what #YesAllWomen was intended to do. The true sentiment #YesAllWomen was expressed by CNN’s Emanuella Grinberg who said, “No, not all men channel frustration over romantic rejection into a killing spree. But yes, all women experience harassment, discrimination or worse at some point in their lives.”

As on May 26, 2014 the #YesAllWomen hashtag has reached 1.2 million tweets and 1.2 billion impressions.

 Arguments for Hashtag Activism

“Hashtag activism is a gateway between politics and popular culture, a platform to educate the ignorant and draw attention to the operation of power in the world,” stated Ben Scott in New America’s Weekly Wonk. By using a medium that is seen by millions of people daily, hashtag activism has the ability to alter a person’s attitude towards a cause by exposing them to others personal experiences and witnessing mass support. As social change is dependent on transformation at an individual level, Twitter makes itself invaluable as a campaign tool.

When victims see that others have endured the same trauma, it directly helps them as they can see that they are not alone in their pain. Even if they do not feel support by those they directly interact with in life, they know that people do care about them.

Along with the cases previously mentioned, computer-based activists also directly impacted the amount of funding for another issue they felt strongly about. Planned Parenthood annually receives $680,000 dollars from the Susan G. Komen Foundation that helps provide exams largely for minority and low income women. In January 2012, Komen announced that it would stop its funding of mammograms and breast exams through Planned Parenthood. The Internet went into an uproar, tweeting hashtags like #standwithpp and #singon. By Friday of that week, Komen had reversed its decision and stated it would continue to support Planned Parenthood.

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, told the Los Angeles Times, “I absolutely believe the exposure on Facebook and Twitter really drove a lot of coverage by mainstream media… I’ve never seen anything catch fire [like this].”

 Arguments Against Hashtag Activism

Criticisms of hashtag activism stem from the thought that the generation that uses a social media-driven method of reform are observers, commenters, self-indulgent philanthropists – not true advocates witnessed in previous eras. CNN’s Dean Obeidallah stated that the ‘Greatest Generation’ in the 1940s and ‘50s were, “doers, not watchers.” In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the streets were flooded with protests of the Vietnam War and roared with a call for civil rights, forcing the hand of government officials to listen the people’s wishes.

Now the most common form of demonstration is retweeting another’s thoughts or giving a “like” on Facebook. Sure, online petitions are digitally signed, but the automatic signature lacks the passion displayed by movements that have come before.

Obeidallah relates the tactics of hashtag activists to the revolutionaries in the Arab world. He acknowledges that they did use social media, but their efforts did not stop there. Protesters risked their lives to achieve the change they yearned for, “All the tweets in the world would not have driven the presidents of Egypt or Tunisia from their offices,” declared Obeidallah.

Sarah Palin has also voiced her opinion on the inefficiencies of using social media to obtain success. On the former Governors Facebook page she posted a photo of a man with sheets of paper attached to his body, with hashtags scribed on them such as, “#StopLazyInternetActivism” and “#YouAreNotMakingADifference.” In regards to the abductions done by Boko Haram and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign that ensued, Palin included personal commentary in a caption:

Diplomacy via Twitter is the lazy, ineffectual, naïve, and insulting way for America’s leaders to deal with major national and international issues… If you’re going to get involved anyway, Mr. President, learn to understand this and believe it, then announce it: Victory is only brought to you ‘courtesy of the red, white and blue.’ It’s certainly not won by your mere ‘unfriending’ the bad guys on Facebook. Leading from behind is not the American way.

Evgeny Morozov, the author of “The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom, said, “My hunch is that people often affiliate with causes online for selfish and narcissistic purposes… Sometimes, it may be as simple as trying to impress their online friends, and once you have fashioned that identity, there is very little reason to actually do anything else.”

Many individuals share the impression that hashtags may come and go and they are no match for real world engagement.

Conclusion

While it cannot be denied that hashtag activism is an effective method in spreading awareness of a cause, the tangible achievements attained from physical protests perhaps outweigh those on the Internet. The absence of organization and leadership found in many Twitter-based campaigns have some people critical of the realistic capability these movements have in comparison to the street pounding tactics used during the civil rights movements. For a movement to be successful in a technology-driven generation, a combination of both civic engagement and hashtag activism would produce the best results.

 Resources

The New York Times: The Manifesto of Elliot Rodger

Washington Post: #BringBackOurGirls, #Kony2012, and the Complete, Divisive History of ‘Hashtag Activism’

Reuters: African Union Launches U.S.-Backed Force to Hunt Kony

#BBCtrending: The Creator of #BringBackOurGirls

Time: #BringBackOurGirls: Hashtag Activism Is Cheap – And That’s a Good Thing

CNN: Deadly California Rampage: Chilling Video, But No Match for Reality

New Yorker: The Power of #YesAllWomen

Time: Not All Men: A Brief History of Every Dude’s Favorite Argument

CNN: Why #YesAllWomen Took Off on Twitter

Hashtags: Social Media Users Respond to Existing Dangers Towards Women with #YesAllWomen

Weekly Wonk: #WhyHashtagActivismMatters

New Zealand Herald: Verity Johnson: Hashtag Activism – #TakeItSeriously

LA Times: Komen Learns Power of Social Media: Facebook, Twitter Fueled Fury

The New York Times: Hashtag Activism, and Its Limits

Christian Science Monitor: Happy Birthday, Occupy!

Forbes: The World’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives

CNN: Boko Haram Blamed for Nigeria Village Attacks; 15 Killed, Chief Kidnapped

Telegraph: Nigeria: Kidnapped Schoolgirls ‘S\

Alex Hill

Alex Hill studied at Virginia Tech majoring in English and Political Science. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, she blames her incessant need to debate and write about politics on her proximity to the nation’s capital.

The post Hashtag Activism: Is it #Effective? appeared first on Law Street.

Every now and then, we like to report on the various twitter battles, gaffes, mishaps, and everything in between because, frankly, who doesn’t find them funny? Law Street writer Anneliese Mahoney recounted the biggest political twitter mistakes of 2013 and now half way into 2014, the twitter fails, political or otherwise, just keep coming. Let us bear witness to the five latest WTH moments on Twitter so far this year.

[wooslider slide_page=”top-5-twitter-mishaps-gaffes-straight-fails-of-2014″ slider_type=”slides” thumbnails=”default” order=”ASC” order_by=”date”]

—

Ashley Powell (@ashley_powell)

Featured image courtesy of [Maryland GovPics via Flickr]

Ashley Powell

Ashley Powell is a founding member of Law Street Media, and its original Lead Editor. She is a graduate of The George Washington University. Contact Ashley at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 5 Twitter Mishaps, Gaffes, and Straight Fails So Far in 2014 appeared first on Law Street.

I’ve never been the biggest fan of hashtags. Cognitively, I guess I understand their use, but to be honest I’ve always thought of them as the annoying little sibling of captions; they give you some information about what you’re looking at but they’re too small to do much more. They help you find other similar posts or tweets, but I’m too lazy to really use that feature.

But this year, hashtags pleasantly surprised me. Maybe I’m just paying more attention, or maybe they’re getting more sophisticated, but over the course of 2013 hashtags were used to start some legitimately interesting sociopolitical discussions.

A few weeks ago, the GOP tweeted:

Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in ending racism. pic.twitter.com/uxIj1QmtkU

— RNC (@GOP) December 1, 2013

The entire internet proceeded to make fun of this blithely ignorant tweet, myself included. But out of that internet backlash emerged something really interesting.

How I imagine people type when there’s new material to be mocked on the internet.

The hashtag #RacismEndedWhen was born. And everyone weighed in. Some responses were funny, some were angry, and some were just silly, but for the most part, they were thought-provoking.This wasn’t a hashtag dedicated to showing off a fun brunch entree, or explaining that the photo you just posted had #nofilter. It was genuine discourse, albeit through a relatively shallow medium.

#RacismEndedWhen doesn’t stand alone. In August of this year, #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen started trending after a user named Mikki Kendall used it to explain how she believes minority women have a history of exclusion in the feminist movement. Again, it sparked valuable debate and discussion.

Earlier this week, Suey Park launched the hashtag #NotYourAsianSidekick to discuss Asian-American stereotypes and feminism. And as with the other discussion-based hashtags, people chimed in. Park explained her motivation for starting the discussion to Buzzfeed, “My dear friends and I have had growing critiques of how patriarchy in Asian American spaces hurts, while white feminism leaves much to be desired, so we created this space instead. We talked about queerness, disability, immigration, multiracial/biracial issues, compulsory coalitions, challenging anti-blackness, mental health, body image, and all things feminism. It was all of the things we were told to never talk about.”

Complacency is easy. It’s easy not to have the difficult discussion. Social media has often been lauded as a lighter part of the internet — I don’t go on Facebook when I’m looking to expand my horizons or read a serious news article. I go on Facebook when I want to see funny pictures or observations about my friends’ lives.

That being said, I’m happy about this new use of hashtags. I’m happy that we’re having those difficult discussions. As a generation, we spend a lot of time online. It’s estimated that we each spend five hours a day looking at a laptop, TV, or smartphone.

The kinds of discussions that we’re now having within the confines of these hashtags are the kind of discussions that used to take place with a big group of friends at bar, or around a dinner table, or maybe in a classroom. But one of the benefits of our constant connectivity is that these conversations can happen a much larger level. We are no longer limited to our friends, families, and people who are like us, and I can’t help but think that’s a pretty great thing.

Moreover, as Park hoped, these hashtags and resulting discussions can help connect people. They can create safe spaces that allow people who thought they were alone in a problem, feeling, or grievance to connect with others who are experiencing something similar.

So, thought-provoking hashtags, I hope you continue into 2014. People who utilized those hashtags in 2013, keep going. Keep pushing the envelope. Keep using social media to engage in difficult conversations. Keep creating new forums to discuss the tough stuff. As technology changes the way politics, society, law, and people interact, this is a pretty cool new way to talk about it.

Here’s to you.

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Michael Coghlan via Wikipedia]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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