Back in June when I wrote about a certain Tumblr editor in the Politics tag, I was dismayed that Tumblr would allow someone who specifically worked against reproductive justice to represent their brand. This guy held an Anti Affirmative action bake sale in his University! And this is who Tumblr saw fit to represent them. Which is to say, a person with deeply sexist and racist views is allowed to control the visibility of the content that is promoted. Now, Ryking holds a similar position. Also, a known misogynist who uses violent rhetoric against those he dubs to be “feminazis”.
Here is the thing, media does not necessarily change our minds. If we read something that is at odds with our beliefs systems, media will not magically turn us to the other side. However, media does validate opinions. It does give people the ideological framework to justify their ideas and to promote their views/ ideologies.
When a corporation like Tumblr gives someone like Ryking a platform to validate his misogyny and propagate it, Tumblr is contextually participating in the erosion of women’s rights. The congressional hearing yesterday in the US where reproductive rights were discussed by men? Tumblr is also playing a role in the normalization of those views. Because the media we consume cannot be contextually removed from the sociocultural and political environment where it is produced. What Tumblr is saying when they bestow some kind of corporate endorsement on the Rykings of this world is that this violence against women (whether cis or not) is to be validated, institutionalized, given a “framework of truth”. Which is the way violence is normalized and perpetuated.
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