The ladies at The View have stirred up more controversy, and if you want to see the video exchange, Gossip Cop has it right here. The conversation started when Whoopi Goldberg brought up how Lena Dunham posted an underwear photo and then quit Twitter after experiencing “verbal abuse.” Lena’s position was that it wasn’t an obscene photo, and yes, she was more covered up than anyone wearing a bikini would have been. She also knew she’d deal with backlash, but that doesn’t excuse the body-shaming trolls at all. People are just brutal. Anyway, here’s a shortened transcript of the discussion between Whoopi, Raven Symone, and Candice Cameron Bure:
Whoopi: “The minute you put yourself out there, in somebody’s underwear … you can’t be surprised. You know what’s on Twitter.”
Raven: “At the same time, people on Twitter need to keep their mouths respectful because they come hard at people.”
Candace: “I’ve never been more verbally abused in my life than on Twitter, and specifically in the last few months, having come on this show. A lot of people don’t agree with me – that’s fine, don’t agree with me. But you don’t have to verbally abuse me and rape me. That’s what they do to me on Twitter.”
[From The View on ABC]
Well, I sort of agree with Whoopi in that people should know the awfulness that lurks on Twitter, but that doesn’t excuse stuff like death threats, of course. Lena probably heard the most dreadful things about her underwear photo, but she also goes looking for a reaction sometimes. Sadly, the terrible people out there didn’t let her down in that regard. Those trolls hide behind their anonymous, multiple handles and will say anything.
Oddly enough, Raven sounds the most sane out of the entire conversation. As for Candace, god only knows what she was thinking by comparing nasty tweets to rape. Yes, it feels like a slap in the face to see mean tweets (or comments on blogs), but nothing is like rape except rape itself.
Photos courtesy of WENN
Why do people bother with Twitter? Why do idiots compare anything that hurts their feelings to rape? Why is this show still on the air? Why did I click on a View post? So many questions…
SO many good questions this morning GNAT…so many good questions…
Nothing is “rape” except…well, ya know, RAPE. Ugh…
All of this.
GNAT you made me laugh my tea out my nose, thank you. It’s the same reason I ate a bag of chips (and no not an individual size, haha) last night at 11pm. We humans are stupid. Lol.
How right you are, Susan. Stupid is as stupid does. It’s almost 4:30am here, and I just ate a bag of yellow and green “pineapple” m&ms. (I just love pineapple.) They aren’t pineapple. What a letdown
I’m so glad I never got into the social media thing, so never had to deal with any of this bullying and/or trolling malarkey. Even if I had Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc., I can’t even imagine what I’d put on there…hmmm.
Love it…you make me laugh!
Exactly – but parse it further to “why did I click on a Candace Cameron Bure post”????
It took until nearly 5pm for me to click and I’m asking myself the same questions. So.much.stupid.
The only “Saying this is like rape” comparison that I can think of that may be somewhat justifiable is when people online say that someone deserves/enjoys/is to blame for/asks for it, because that is basically promoting sexual violence against people. And unfortunately, a lot of female public figures do get that kind of commentary.
There’s a lot of bad on twitter, but there are also a lot of good feminist accounts on there too. It’s also a good place to get the earliest updates on new music from artists you like and follow other things/fandoms you’re interested in. I haven’t actually visited twitter in a really long time though.
I don’t think anything can be compared to rape except rape. Yes, people can be awful and cruel on Twitter, but rape is an entirely different, traumatizing ballgame.
Exactly. I wish people would stop using “rape” as a go-to adjective. Broaden your vocabulary and find some new words, celebrities (and others)!
I actually think this is passing out of our culture thankfully. I rarely hear rape jokes now and when I was younger they were EVERYwhere and using rape hyberbolicly was super common then too. So, some progress I think?
Twitter is no better or worse than 90% of the comment sections on websites and that’s why I stay away from both.
Also, ABC: Just kill The View already. No one is going to miss it.
The View discusses Twitter. Yeah that’s a recipe for a reasonable and thoughtful discussion. Not.
And re: Dunham: Stunt queen and not even a good one. And I think I gagged a little when she went on about ‘I can’t wait to get to New York where my people will be to welcome me.’ You narcissist. [tirade deleted] She makes me crazy.
Lena’s photo is the epitome of troll-baiting. Even her biggest fans couldn’t find something nice to say about that slumped, dirty looking, begging-for-negative-attention underwear shot. What message was she sending? Just wanting any kind of attention as usual.
And Candace… just no. Dumb as a stick.
I actually thought the pose was flattering to her..but a bathroom pic? In underwear? You’re going to get flack
Okay, let’s go over this AGAIN. Let’s say it together.
The only thing like rape is RAPE. End of.
Yes, Twitter and the internet as a whole can be an extremely ugly place, especially for women. People say horrible things because they have the cloak of anonymity. Really gross, horrible, very personal things. But at the end of the day, it is still NOT the same thing as someone sexually assaulting you against your will.
I recognize that Twitter can be an effective social media tool for celebrities. But is by no means a requirement. Plenty of people in show business have no social media accounts and many others choose to have them handled by PR people for precisely this reason. Maybe you should look into one of those options.
Exactly.
People can’t just compare their experiences to rape every time they are treated poorly. Rape is not just some mean comment you can logout from or block, it is one of the most traumatizing experiences a person can have, most people never get over it. We must always respect their pain and not try to link some Internet trolls to such.
Your last paragraph should be in neon lights.
While I would rather eat glass then ever suggest another human being should be subjected to a rape in response to idiot comments claiming moronically that having someone be ‘mean’ to them is the same thing as being raped… if there is ever a way to have one human plug into the memories and experiences of another I might be just messed up enough to suggest a private plug and play viewing experience for the idiot trying to make their stubbed mental toe sound equal to a violent sexual assault. Not the whole thing either. I’ll be kind. Give her a brief replay of the day AFTER the assault I survived. The 12 hours in the shower sobbing and shaking as I tried to figure out the best way to just die since laying on the shower floor in a bloody heap didn’t seem to be getting my ticket punched would work. Maybe play a bit of the next four months as I slowly came apart at the seams… or the moment I found out I was pregnant and it was the rapist’s baby? No… just play out the car ride home after the court session when I handed my baby to her new parents. I made it through the adoption hearing fine, walked out under my own steam, back straight. Didn’t look back. But the 2 hours of near screaming like a dying animal in the back of my parents car as the memories of the assault and the tearing devastation of the pregnancy and the loss – my insanely well researched and best I could do choice, but still felt like I was being slowly ripped apart at the seams and falling into an almost subhuman curled up ball of pain and prayers/screams just begging God to let me die now… that. That I think I would let one of these idiots experience. Let them have a peek at that moment, share that experience, let it hit them on the most basic level.
THEN have them reread/rewatch their epic self-indulgent shallow moronic bordering on evil bit of stupidity and let them see how to deal with their own total lack of comprehension as well as coming face to face with how utterly spoiled and self-involved they have been.
But that’s just my view as a rape survivor. Could be wrong. But I would really like to see Candance try and tell me to my face that I am wrong, it’s all the same after getting just a taste of what it really is like. Come on Candy… I dare you.
Sorry. Bad day and this just…. gah. Why the hades can’t this family stop talking? And why is this even a thing in modern conversation. How do people still keep popping this out?
Omg, that must have been horrible. I am so sorry that happened to you
I’m still surprised everytime someone is surprised people can be horrible.
You’d think someone who grew up in the spotlight would have thicker skin.
I think a lot of Tweeters and the like tend to forget that there’s a human being on the receiving end of their comments. Because it’s the Internet and because they don’t see the effect their words have, they just let loose and don’t put any consideration behind what they say.
Yes, agree. It shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but I still see some things on Twitter that shock me. I’m a big college football fan, and my team isn’t doing so great this season and I’ve seen GROWN MEN on Twitter going after the KIDS on the team, calling them trash, etc… after a loss.
This comment exactly. That being said nothing should be compared to rape except rape.
I’m starting to think that ‘The View’ is now trolling us.
I expect nothing more from Her. This show needs to go away. Forever.
A lot of those tweets are extremely sexually violent, seriously they ought to constitute a crime based on verbal sexual assault. I feel like parsing this one is like arguing about whether people who are psychologically abused should be in the same room as people who are physically abused. The scars are in different forms and one illicits more support than the other but in the end they are both in the same ball park.
I agree 100%
I see what you are saying and the people that send threats should be prosecuted but it’s not rape and shouldn’t be compared. I get your point and in many cases these people are assaulted verbally at a criminal level but her wording was wrong
As someone who has been both mentally abused and sexually assaulted I do see your point. It’s not for outsiders to “compare” the after effects of mental vs physical abuse. However, being on Twitter–or Facebook, or Tumblr, or ANY social media–is 100% voluntary and easily avoidable. So is reading comments. You can quite easily avoid any negativity. Being trapped in a room with someone staring you in the face spitting hatred at you is not the same.
I go on Twitter about 3x a year because I don’t feel like encountering drama. I use Instagram occasionally and limit my hashtags. I use Facebook regularly, but regulate my friend list and unfollow or unfriend anyone I feel is abusing it or brings too much negativity (hell, I unfriended my own sister-in-law because she tried to verbally attack me on Facebook). Granted, I’m not a celebrity, but ny life is not lacking in any way because I limit my social media. If anything, I think life is better BECAUSE of it.
Twitter = every blog in the world comments section
Stop comparing strangers saying mean things to you to rape. It’s idiotic for her to fix her mouth to say that crap, I’m mad that she would say that. Just cancel The View it’s trash, it’s so many other versions of it that better View had a good run let it die.
According to Hollywood:
Being photographed is like being raped: Johnny Depp
Fame is like being raped: Kristen Stewart
Eating meat is like rape: Natalie Portman (bonus points for supporting Polanski)
ComicCon is like a genocide: Jesse Eisenberg
1 x 1 = 2 Terrence Howard
to be continued.
BWAHAHA!
What’s that old saying? “Better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
Don’t for get:
Talking about son and Sean Penn is like rape: Charlize Theron
People are horrific on Twitter, they seem to think it is ok to attack someone just because they aren’t saying it to their face. I can’t imagine what it is like if you’re actually famous. Raven is right people need to learn to be respectful and keep their mouths shut. What happened to that old rule if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all.
That being said i hope to god actual rape victims come at Candice hard! People use that term to loosely and it’s disrespectful. I thank god can’t imagine what it is like to go through the pain, humiliation, violation, and degradation of rape and i shouldn’t compare because words leave you but from what i understand rape never truly does.
OMG STFU.
And stay off Twitter if you don’t like the comments. Are they appropriate? No, not always. But you don’t get to control what other people say. If you don’t like it, block it.
SAYING MEAN THINGS DOES NOT = RAPE.
Is Candace even aloud to interact with the outside world since her brother thinks everything is a sin?
Good question. Also, why is she dressed like a Stepford Wife in that top photo?
I’m not surprised she said this. The woman has crazy eyes.
don’t like twitter then STAY OFF IT! who is this woman anyway and why is she on The View? Why is The View still on? Squawking harpies, all of them.
I agree. Nobody is forcing you to be on twitter.
I know that Candace is a crazy evangelical Christian who is largely clueless, sheltered, and brainwashed by her even crazier religious brother, but I can’t help but have a soft spot for her. I was a kid who liked watching Full House. I watched her grow up. And now I enjoy watching her cheesy Hallmark movies. I know people like Candace who are brainwashed by religion and very ignorant and closed minded when it comes to wedge issues such as abortion and gay rights. However, they aren’t horrible people. They can be nice on a personal level, just stay clear of talking to them about politics and religion. That is why I think it is an awful idea to have Candace on The View to spout her ignorant beliefs. She should stick to making wholesome Hallmark movies and working on Fuller House. The View just needs to be cancelled.
Pulling a Lena Dunham.
I wonder if she really believes what she says on that show. I read an interview with Nicole Wallace where she basically said that execs were looking for a republican to come in and keep things spicy with the other co-hosts. The same way Elisabeth H was peeped on which “direction to go, Candace will be, too. Rape? It there no internet connection on set? Does no one know how to use thesaurus.com? Cheesus! Why has that word turned into the new hot word?
It may be an unpopular opinion but a barrage of rape threats on twitter I think can be somewhat comparable to rape. The reason behind the threats is to cause fear and to attempt to control what the other person does. It isn’t as bad as rape, but I think it isn’t unfair to place it on the continuum.
Your are correct in saying that it isn’t as bad, which is why it isn’t rape and should not be compared to it. Unpleasant, yes, and should be illegal, but entirely avoidable, unlike rape and other forms of abuse. Someone saying nasty or inappropriate things about you on the internet is not even on the same planet as an uninvited penis or other object being put inside of you. Nor it is the same thing as any kind of unwanted sexual touching, or even emotional abuse from a real life person standing in front of you. Don’t read the freaking comments! Get off social media! I know this may sound like victim blaming to an extent in the sense that the nasty behavior is still not ok, but it’s not like rape. I’m tired of celebrities thinking that every unpleasant thing that happens to them as a result of fame is somehow akin to rape.
Well someone being a jerk, yeah, is not rape. But someone saying they are going to come to your house and rape and murder you, and then post your home and work address. That is more than “don’t read the comments” and when those threats are credible enough to make you leave you home and hide somewhere else I think that is a violation that, when the threats are sexual in nature, isn’t unreasonable to say. Is it hyperbole? perhaps, but this isn’t like saying the press is like rape. There is a reason attempted murder is a crime. The threat of rape should be seen as part of the continuum of sexualized violence. To say “its not as bad” is what the fight about rape culture is all about. It shouldn’t be about being the right victim, or it being the right kind of crime. that is why so few women, including myself, don’t see justice for these crimes. If you aren’t raped at gun point, by a stranger then it wasn’t “actually rape” And many of these things that so many people roll their eyes at are actually personally extremely traumatizing even if it doesn’t fit the Law and Order SVU idea of what this stuff is supposed to look like.
Why does everyone want everything to be rape?
Exactly! I would be interested to hear what Gabriel Union, Madonna, or Fran (the lady with the high voice) had to say about people loosely throwing the rape word around for every little unpleasant thing they encounter.
Lena purposefully put out $hit like that photo to whine about “body shaming” and play victim. It’s the go to attention seeking antic for her and it’s tiring.
And this was the ONLY situation in which it would be appropriate for Whoopi to respond – but that’s not rape rape.
Yes!
I’ve been raped.
I’ve been trolled on Twitter.
The two are not the same and never will be. Ever.
EVER.
Everybody’s already long said what I wanted to. Which is basically stop using the word rape as a hyperbole because people said mean things about you on the Internet.
Now, anybody else thinks she looks like a blonde Sarah Palin in that top pic?
Also eff the View and eff Lena Dunham for being an attention seeking troll.
On twitter there usually are a few rape threats in a BACKLASH.
Relax, people. She’s using it as a figure of speech. Get a grip.