So, sorry to be a little behind on this, but we recently learned that Jen McCreight was taking a break from blogging on FTB largely because of the negative feedback she has received. She writes:

There’s a group of people out there (google the ironic term FtBullies to find them) devoted to hating me, my friends, and even people I’m just vaguely associated with. I can no longer write anything without my words getting twisted, misrepresented, and quotemined. I wake up every morning to abusive comments, tweets, and emails about how I’m a slut, prude, ugly, fat, feminazi, retard, bitch, and cunt (just to name a few). If I block people who are twisting my words or sending verbal abuse, I receive an even larger wave of nonsensical hate about how I’m a slut, prude, feminazi, retard, bitch, cunt who hates freedom of speech (because the Constitution forces me to listen to people on Twitter). This morning I had to delete dozens of comments of people imitating my identity making graphic, lewd, degrading sexual comments about my personal life.

Well, here’s a suggestion for starters: if you don’t want any sort of dissent about feminism, don’t start a thing with the ridiculous titled of Boobquake. Second, don’t proclaim you’re inventing another new movement (Atheism+) that you say is associated with feminism that will also alienate many atheists who don’t necessarily agree with all the precepts of feminism. And as for all of the offensive comments McCreight is getting online, I don’t deny that she might be getting some reprehensible comments — idiots will be idiots — but from reading her post, it appears all the criticism has been just online.* You’re getting so stressed about comments beamed over the Internet? Seriously? Then you have no business being a public figure. People will slam your positions no matter how rational they appear to you.

McCreight writes further:

I spend most of my precious free time angry, on the verge of tears, or sobbing as I have to moderate comments or read what new terrible things people have said about me. And the only solution I see is to unplug.

So the worst part of your life is reading what terrible things people say about you online and your self perception? Try living in abject poverty and wondering how the next meal is going to come. Getting upset over a backlash on the Internet? Really? Jesus H. Christ.

* For the record, I don’t condone or in any way justify any of the nasty comments she may have been receiving from these people and would never drag myself so low as to call someone else a slut or anything else derogatory. I mostly just care about the arguments people make, not about demeaning them as people, and I find it unfortunate that so many people apparently can’t separate the two.